Kare (and other meatloaf lovers)
Posted by
Trish (aka trisha)
Jul 18 '11, 21:15
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There are two reasons it crumbled--you used too lean beef (85/15 is perfect) and not enough dry binder.
Some recipes call for fresh bread crumbs, some dry, some call for crushed saltines. I've never had one turn out right with any of those. A long time ago, I read an article in Good Housekeeping about "the best meatloaf ever". They suggested using 1/2 to 3/4 cup quick cooking (not instant, the one in the round box) oatmeal. It mixes in perfectly, binds to the egg and fat in the meat without making nasty lumps, gives the loaf a smoother texture and really holds the sauce in.
Recipe: 2 lbs ground beef (or 1 lb beef and 1 lb pork)
2 eggs, beaten
2 cans (small) tomato sauce
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 tsp sea salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 cup quick oats
6 slices bacon, optional
Pre-heat oven to 350. Prepare a broiler pan by spraying no-stick cooking spray all over it.
In a small bowl mix tomato sauce, celery salt, salt, and brown sugar. Pour 3/4 of the mixture in a large bowl, reserving 1/4 of the mix. Add the beaten eggs to the tomato sauce mix, blend well. Add the onions, peppers, oats and meat to the tomato/egg mixture. Mix well, about 5 minutes. If you're ishy like me about touching raw meat, use disposable gloves. Turn the meat mix out on the broiler pan and pat it into a loaf shape. Spread the reserved tomato sauce mix over the top. If you want to use bacon, place the slices horizontally over the top of the loaf. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. Then turn on the broiler to crisp up the bacon, about 2 minutes--watch it closely, it'll burn fast. Take it out of the oven, let it rest about 15 minutes, then slice into 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices (use a serrated knife). Bingo-Perfect meatloaf, with all the extra fat drained off into the bottom of the broiler pan.
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