Meditation on Meatloaf

One universal meal on the farm was meatloaf. Every farmhouse had a freezer with plenty of ground beef, and meatloaf was a great mainstay to feed a crowd of hungry people. Each farm cook had their own recipe that varied slightly. The filler could be oatmeal or breadcrumbs, the liquid could be onion soup, tomato juice or sauce or milk, and the seasonings were rather minimal. Most were covered with catsup, tomato sauce, or bacon before baking. The Farm Journal Country Cookbook Savory Meat Loaf used milk as the liquid and savory, thyme, and parsley as seasonings. That’s the meatloaf that many of us identified with and most of us ate.

Believe it or not, meatloaf was a 20^th-century development. Europeans had their patés, and Dutch, French, Italian, and Swedish immigrants brought to America their meatball recipes. But one of the first published meatloaf recipes appeared in Mrs. Rorer’s cookbook around 1900, according to James Beard. It was a time when ground beef became more accepted.

What makes a good meatloaf?

A good meatloaf is well-seasoned and firm, but not dry, with a pleasant texture that’s not grainy. To achieve that perfection, first choose and pre-cook your favored aromatics – onion, celery, and the like. A good meat mixture might be ground beef, ground pork, and sometimes ground veal or turkey. The pork fat keeps the loaf juicy, and the veal and turkey keep it more gelatinous. The binder could be oatmeal or another grain, dry breadcrumbs, panko, or crumbled saltines. From there, additions for flavor and variety include seasonings, vegetables, chopped cherries or figs, olives, or chili peppers. In the early 20^th century, a great vogue arose putting hardboiled eggs in the center of the loaf. And Polish-American recipes sprinkled the loaf with flour and heavy cream just before it was done.

For the best meatloaf texture, beat the eggs with the seasonings and liquids first, then add that mixture to the meat in a large bowl with your binders and aromatics. Blend until it’s evenly incorporated and does not stick to the bowl. (If it sticks, add yogurt or milk. If it’s too wet, add more binder.) Don’t overmix. The mixture should be blended but still loose. Then form it into a loaf, place it in your pan and bake.

Variations on a theme

My standard go-to recipe starts with onion, garlic, chopped celery, and diced bacon for aromatics and a combination of two pounds of ground beef and a pound of ground pork. That’s all mixed together with chopped olives, beaten eggs, oatmeal, some catsup, barbecue sauce, and yogurt, and seasoned with thyme and pepper. Now, I’m looking at an alternative. I have some chopped cherries in the fridge, so I’m thinking about using the same aromatics and meat mix, but then adding the cherries, yogurt, beaten eggs, and some farro or crumbled saltines along with some beef broth. Instead of the catsup and barbecue sauce, I’m thinking about an onion or mushroom gravy. I’ll use some gravy to baste and some for a sauce when served.

That’s just the beginning. Why not think a little more creatively during meatloaf season? My research found a turkey meatloaf with cranberry glaze. Yucatan meatloaves feature chorizo and ham along with the ground pork and beef, with peppers, olives, and jalapeños. Welsh meatloaf uses leeks, cider, and hardboiled eggs. Georgian meatloaf has ground lamb with dill and parsley. And Persian meatloaf contains ground meat (lamb, beef, poultry, or fish) with a coarsely grated apple and spices, which encases a filling of parsley, grated carrot, barberries, and hardboiled eggs. How about Asian style with ground turkey, pork with Asian flavors (hoisin or fish sauce), chopped water chestnuts, and grated ginger? If you’re trying to cut your meat intake, here’s a veggie-packed version.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite meatloaf recipe? How about sharing? Meat me halfway.

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