This is a first in hopefully several installments of various meatloaf ideas experiments and recipes.
I have no idea what I was thinking and the creation sort of went over the top.
I had two pounds of ground chuck I needed to cook.
Oh yes I wanted to experiment with smoked oysters too.
Y'all can already see where this is going right?
Well probably not.
It gets worse far worse.
So bad I've called the men in white on myself.

Now for the recipe.
2 pounds ground chuck.
1 cup cracker meal.
2 eggs.
1 tablespoon ground black pepper.
4 tablespoons dill pickle relish.
1 teaspoon kosher salt.
2 teaspoons garlic powder.
2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes.
1/4 cup ketchup.
1 teaspoon oregano.
2 tins of crown prince smoked oysters in chili oil.
Mix all the ingredients up but hold off on the oysters.
Once this is done and the meat spread out some gently fold in the oysters.
You don't want to ruin them so they somewhat hold their shape.
A person would think you would now make the loaf right.
Not really

Now for the madness.
I mentioned i had more uses for the Lodge cast iron cornbread pan.
Well this is one of them.
Way over the top.
The oven is on 225.
The pan is sitting suspended on another pan to catch drippings.
Ladies and gentlemen Chef Worth presenting the Meatloaf flower.

Here it is ready to eat a test piece
The top meatball.
It was fantastic.
Needed ketchup.
None of the wedges stuck.
Just the slightest hint of smoked oysters.

Now it is out of the oven and on the stove top to cook on the bottom for a slight crust.
Another experiment.

My wife makes a mean meatloaf. Her recipe is from her mom.
1# ground beef, 85/15
1 egg
3/4 of a sleeve of premium saltine crackers, crushed fine
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 smallish yellow or white onion chopped
Salt
Pepper

Mix with hands

Make 2” patty in iron skillet

Topping

1/2 cup ketchup
1 squirt of mustard
4 tablespoons of brown sugar
Mix that and smear on top of loaf

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Can be doubled, fills the skillet, cook a little longer.

Y'all might like this video.

Meatloaf?

On the plus side, I see you left the bat out of hell out of the recipe.

Omg, that meat loaf must be 3000 calories a slice.

My girlfriend just had her second cow slaughtered. The first was a brahma/angus cross, second was a holstein dairy steer, which made ok hamburgers, but they smell just like dairy queens burgers. I guess dq uses dairy cattle. I think he would be better in a meat loaf or meat balls. We have hundreds of pounds, so that is a lot of meat loaf.

Cole_Robbie wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:12 am My girlfriend just had her second cow slaughtered. The first was a brahma/angus cross, second was a holstein dairy steer, which made ok hamburgers, but they smell just like dairy queens burgers. I guess dq uses dairy cattle. I think he would be better in a meat loaf or meat balls. We have hundreds of pounds, so that is a lot of meat loaf.

I don't remember every trying a DQ burger, or fries, or hot dogs, or anything of that sort. It was always summer, and looking for something COLD. Way back in the day, they were the only ones around, here, who had pineapple milkshakes. That did it for me.

Wrap your mind around the idea of making a meatloaf out of the same meat they use to make the Big Mac.

meatloaf:

2 lbs ground beef (80-85% lean)
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 vidalia onion (about 3/8 lb), chopped
1/3 can (10 1/2 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground garlic
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary, ground

a double loaf pan (I use a Wilton 9.25 X5.25 X2.75 in.) one. This drains away all of the excess pan drippings.

350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes

optional -
1/4 cup ketchup mixed with 2 Tbs brown sugar brushed on top for the last 10 minutes.

Tormato wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 3:52 pm meatloaf:

2 lbs ground beef (80-85% lean)
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 vidalia onion (about 3/8 lb), chopped
1/3 can (10 1/2 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground garlic
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary, ground

a double loaf pan (I use a Wilton 9.25 X5.25 X2.75 in.) one. This drains away all of the excess pan drippings.

350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes

optional -
1/4 cup ketchup mixed with 2 Tbs brown sugar brushed on top for the last 10 minutes.

Do the bread crumbs do anything, or are they just filler? Can I use sausage instead of bread crumbs,?

If I may.
The bread crumbs help the texture and suck up some of the moisture and fat.
The same reason I use cracker meal.

Cole_Robbie wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 4:12 pm

Tormato wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 3:52 pm meatloaf:

2 lbs ground beef (80-85% lean)
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 vidalia onion (about 3/8 lb), chopped
1/3 can (10 1/2 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground garlic
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary, ground

a double loaf pan (I use a Wilton 9.25 X5.25 X2.75 in.) one. This drains away all of the excess pan drippings.

350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes

optional -
1/4 cup ketchup mixed with 2 Tbs brown sugar brushed on top for the last 10 minutes.

Do the bread crumbs do anything, or are they just filler? Can I use sausage instead of bread crumbs,?

There are no rules to making meatloaf.

Bread crumbs are a filler and they also lighten the texture. Other fillers can be oatmeal, shredded carrots, etc...

Raw sausage (no casing) mixed with beef sounds good. A beef/pork/veal mix is traditional to many cooks.

The herbs listed above aren't traditional. But, they are what I like. I exclude black pepper and oregano because they would overpower all of the others.

If your sausage contains a lot of fat, I highly recommend using a double loaf pan.

There used to be an all you can eat buffet the did comfort food.
Best meatloaf ever.
It was so moist and flavorful.
Everything they made was good.
Including the fried chicken.

We ended up making a big pan of meatballs. Air fryer bell peppers on meatball sandwiches. People who like onions would probably included those, too.

Why do all the recipes for MEATloaf turn it into ONIONloaf? I enjoy the taste of the meat but by ruining the meat flavor by swamping it with onions makes me turn down what many call meatloaf. Just delete onions and garlic and it is really good meatloaf. Am I the only onion hater out there?

[mention]Paulf[/mention] I don’t suppose you like French Onion Soup either? No, I’m on the onion loving side, but maybe not as much as some folks do for raw onions. A little raw onion goes a long way, but cooked in a meatloaf and a thousand other dishes, onions (and often garlic) are indispensable.

Are there any in that family you like? Leeks, shallots, scallions, ramps, anything?