I know when a lot of people hear the word meatloaf they cringe. Some just don't like the sound of the word and some have a horror story attached.... I know, I know... I've been on the wrong side of the table when some interesting meat of loaf is being served. This is the opposite... I would not share any recipe my taste buds didn't absolutely love.
This meatloaf is my favorite by far! It is a extremely easy and taste wonderful.
The key to this recipe is the mixture of ground beef and ground pork sausage. The pork will help to keep the loaf from drying out as fast. It also adds a lot of great flavors to beef and other veggies in the loaf. Mmmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
For a one loaf the recipe calls for 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of ground pork sausage. I have substituted moose for beef in the past and italian sausage instead of regular. Works every time...
The eggs and the crackers are the ingredients that are needed to hold the meatloaf together. You can use what ever style crackers you want. I've used saltines, ritz, and other more healthy brands. It always works out.
So for this recipe it calls for 2 eggs, a sleeve of saltines, a small onion, green pepper and a few stocks of celery. I normally like to add a couple cloves of garlic as well but we were fresh out.
My mother would chop these veggies up smaller if she was in charge. She wasn't! This how I roll, chunky meatloaf style.
Everything is in the bowl: beef, pork, eggs, crackers(crushed), onion, celery, green pepper. This is where I say season to taste... Normally I would put 2 teaspoons of salt and a teaspoon of black pepper. Then mix all ingredients (I use my hands) till it all starts to stick together.
Form your loaf into whatever shape you want. Back in the day when I used to watch football, I was known for making football shaped meatloafs. The thicker it is, the longer it will take to cook and it will get crunchy on the outside.
I shape my loafs into a flattish concave egg shape.(above) I do this because the loaf will plump up quite a bit. I usually will salt and pepper it one more time before it goes into the oven.
Can you guess why I don't have a nice, straight out of the oven, after picture? If you said, I forgot about pictures because glorious aromas wafting around the house gave the meatloaf no chance at staying intact once exiting the oven, I would say you are correct. With a mouthful and a four letter word I took the picture above. Sorry....
I see this recipe as a great base to make all kinds of meatloaf. If you have the main ingredients, beef, pork, eggs and crackers, you could make a thai, cajun or barbecue meatloaf... your imagination is the limits. If you do try something new after reading this, I would love to see or read about it.
Take care fellow Steemians,
Brandon
