Pellet Fan
Here's How I.... => Cook Beef => Topic started by: Maineac on November 19, 2017, 02:44:30 PM
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I had never been totally happy with any meatloaf I'd eaten as an adult, but up to 2010, when I retired, I had never been interested in cooking such things either. It seems to me that most people who make meatloaf want to throw as few ingredients as possible into a bowl, mix it up some, form a loaf, cover it with a ketchup concoction, and cook it. They want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen and I understand that.
Anyway, now that I cook some, I usually want what I'm cooking to be the best that I can deliver and that almost always involves extra time. I have the time so I'll spend it as I know many others here do. So for the better part of a year I struggled to create a decent meatloaf, one that required no glaze, one that needed only salt and pepper for adjustments. I didn't do very well with this challenge until I started introducing elements of my meatball recipe. Then it came together pretty quickly.
There are 18 ingredients, BUT... I always make a double batch which yields 4 loaves that I slice, vacuum seal, and freeze. This will be 8 meals for the wife and me. So the time it takes is well worth it. And this is the best meatloaf that we have ever had and it has never had any embellishments other than salt and pepper. I hope someone here tries it and likes it as much as we do.
The players -
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/The%20players%20-.jpg)
I sweat the veggies in bacon fat -
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/Sweat%20the%20veggies%20-.jpg)
Mix all the ingredients. Using stuffing mix for the panade allows you to work it as much as you want without it becoming too dense. -
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/Mix%20the%20ingredients%20-.jpg)
Make 4 loaves (double recipe) in small loaf tins and cool in the fridge until firm. -
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/Formed%20loaves%20-.jpg)
On the MAK ready for some smoke -
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/Ready%20for%20smoke%20-.jpg)
Finally at temp -
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/Smoking%20done%20-.jpg)
Ready to slice -
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/Ready%20to%20slice%20-.jpg)
My wife's homemade salsa is so good that we sometimes eat it as a veg. side. Time to eat -
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/Plated%20-.jpg)
Oh Yeah -
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/Oh%20yeah%20-.jpg)
No Glaze Meatloaf
* 1 pound ground beef (80% lean)
* 1 pound Jimmy Dean Regular sausage (see note)
* 4 oz prosciutto chopped fine
* 1 cup Italian or herb seasoned stuffing mix
* 1 cup buttermilk
* ½-3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
* ½-3/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper (or green)
* ½ cup finely chopped celery
* 2 extra large eggs beaten
* 1 ounce finely chopped flat leaf parsley (approx.1/2 cup)
* 1 cup grated parmesan reggiano cheese
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 4 teaspoons dried basil
* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
* 4 cloves minced garlic (20-30g)
* ½ teaspoon Accent (or not)
Gather all ingredients. Combine the stuffing mix and buttermilk and let set for at least 10 minutes. Sweat the onion and pepper in your choice of oil (I use bacon fat) for maybe 5-7 min. on med high heat. In a large bowl mix all ingredients well. Divide the mixture into two and form each into a loaf shape. I use a plastic lined small loaf tin. Put in fridge at least an hour to firm up before removing from tin. Cook in your cooker of choice at 350* to an internal temperature of 155-160 degrees. I usually cook a while at a lower temp to give it some smoke and then turn it up.
Note - Because I cook a double batch I use 1 pound of Jimmy Dean Regular and 1 pound of JD Hot and split them. This adds an element of heat which we enjoy. If I did a single batch today and wanted some heat I would probably add ½ teaspoon of cayenne, but it is great as is.
Thanks for looking.
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Oh yeah is right! I love meatloaf (comfort food) and it's so much better on the pit. Yours looks spectacular.
An excellent write-up, too.
Thanks.
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Very nice tutorial and appreciate all the pictures. There are many elements is your meatloaf which are similar to mine, although not quite as many veggies and a 3 to 1 beef to sausage ratio for me. Thanks for posting!
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Woe is me... I bow down to the master. :-[
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Looks great Maineac, I never would have tried cooking without it being in a pan. :clap:
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Oh yeah is right! I love meatloaf (comfort food) and it's so much better on the pit. Yours looks spectacular.
An excellent write-up, too.
Thanks.
Paul, it is great comfort food, one of the best. One of the things I have done with it is cook it in a cylindrical shape so that I could slice off rounds to use on hamburger buns. A slice of cheese, tomato, or whatever, maybe some horsey sauce, and you've got an awesome sandwich.
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/On%20the%20MAK.jpg)
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/meatloaf.jpg)
(http://www.deansmiley.com/Files/Meatloaf/meatloaf2.jpg)
Thanks for the comments.
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Looks great Maineac, I never would have tried cooking without it being in a pan. :clap:
I have cooked them in a pan but only when it was bad weather and then only once. I like having all the surfaces exposed for the smoke and getting a good crust (not really bark). The loaf stays plenty moist.
Thanks for the comments.
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Those look unbelievable.
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Wow, round meatloaf! That must get a few comments! Very cool. :clap:
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There are many elements is your meatloaf which are similar to mine, although not quite as many veggies and a 3 to 1 beef to sausage ratio for me.
I tried a 2:1 beef to sausage ratio (like my meatballs) but I am really partial to Jimmy Dean sausage. I have tried to make a clone several times and I have come up with some very good sausage but it is not JD. The last time I tried, I was buying a pound of ground pork and found that it was like 20% more expensive than JD. Duh! Experimentation has ceased.
Thanks for the nice comments.
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FINALLY a meatloaf recipe worth trying and without that dreaded ketchup topping. Will try this in the very near future. Thanks Maineac.
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THAT's my kinda meatloaf (though the ingredients differ a bit). I usually make about 4-6 bread pans worth at a time.
I mix the ingredients the day before, load the pans and let fridge over night. They come out cold and are easily plopped on your mesh of choice. I typically smoke mine on low for a couple hrs, then bump the temp to 225 for the remainder. I may apply ketchup at the end because I see it as more traditional. French fries werk with ketchup after all. And it's not so much that it overpowers anything. Loaf and mashed taters with gray will quickly dissolve the ketchup taste. And loaf on a bun will still have a hint of sweet/tart on the sammich.
Rolled is something I've not tried and like the concept.
I think the bottom line is everyone loves a good loaf. Mix and match to yer hearts content, and it'll likely turn out wonderful. After all... why would you put something in a loaf you didn't like? ::)
Thanks Maineac. :lick:
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FINALLY a meatloaf recipe worth trying and without that dreaded ketchup topping. Will try this in the very near future. Thanks Maineac.
You're welcome. Please let us know what you think.
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I used this recipe last night and cooked it on my Kuma grill. I goofed up and put double the amount of parsley in the mix and I was worried the parsley might overpower the meat. The extra parsley did not affect the flavor at all. One thing my wife and I noticed was that the meatloaf was a little salty and I think it was because of the prosciutto. One tsp of salt is not very much at all for 2 pounds of meat. We both agreed that the meatloaf was delicious and I think the next time I make it I will just eliminate the teaspoon of salt. Thanks for sharing the recipe-its a winner!
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I used this recipe last night and cooked it on my Kuma grill. I goofed up and put double the amount of parsley in the mix and I was worried the parsley might overpower the meat. The extra parsley did not affect the flavor at all. One thing my wife and I noticed was that the meatloaf was a little salty and I think it was because of the prosciutto. One tsp of salt is not very much at all for 2 pounds of meat. We both agreed that the meatloaf was delicious and I think the next time I make it I will just eliminate the teaspoon of salt. Thanks for sharing the recipe-its a winner!
I'm glad you liked it. Thank goodness parsley is very forgiving!
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I've decided to make meatloaf tonight and while searching found this recipe that I like on this a post, but the numbers for the quantities are distorted, i.e.,•. HELP
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What's with the numbers used for the ingredients? Sorry for the duplicate response.
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The characters that you can't decipher were bullet points. At one time they were fine in the post.
So -
• ½-3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion = 1/2-3/4 cup
• ½-3/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper (or green)
• ½ cup finely chopped celery = 1/2 cup
The last one is • ½ teaspoon Accent (or not)
Sorry about that.
Dean
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I just saw this recipe and copied it as well.
I know there was a problem with fonts a while back, don't know if this thread was affected or not.
Anyway, should be safe to ignore that stuff.
I pasted the recipe into a Word document and just deleted the first 6 characters of those lines, and it looks like a normal recipe.
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Should be all fixed. Thanks for looking.
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Thanks for the clarification. I too am going to double the recipe and roll one in a frog mat.
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So to be clear, the recipe as written makes two small loaves and if you add the extra 1lb of sausage, you make four slightly smaller loaves ?
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As written makes (2) smaller loaves. But a double batch (2 x recipe) will make (4) loaves so I use (1) JD Regular and (1) JD Hot and mix them adding a little heat to each batch. I hope that makes sense.
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Got it, but each of the four loaves would be a little smaller than the size of one of the two loaves since you only adding 1lb to 2lbs+, if that makes sense.
Just thinking out loud here for next poker game...
I think I would just double everything and make two large loaves. Should be plenty for 8 people.
Also would split mixture in half and add some hot green chilies to one.
I use the Jimmie Dean Hot Sausage when I make meatballs but the green Chilies will kick it up a couple notches. ;D
We are in New Mexico, we like hot, and so do most of my friends.
My wife no so much, so one on the mild side for her and two others.
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I went back and edited my last post. What I'm talking about is making the recipe twice (4 loaves). Doing that I can add a little heat by adding half the JD Hot and half the JD Regular to each recipe batch, so the loaves will always be the same size.
I think my cylindrical loaves were a whole batch, one recipe, one cylinder. If I were only cooking for myself I would use all Jimmy Dean Hot but almost always someone else will be eating these so we keep it on the timid side.
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OK, gotcha now. Thanks for clearing that up for my feeble mind.
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Thanks for the clarification. I too am going to double the recipe and roll one in a frog mat.
Hugh, be sure to let it set up in good shape in the fridge or it won't want to stay round.
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will do. I have lots of frozen ground pork so I'm going to try my hand at DYI Jimmy Dean sausage. I've done it before and it turned out pretty darn good for breakfast.
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will do. I have lots of frozen ground pork so I'm going to try my hand at DYI Jimmy Dean sausage. I've done it before and it turned out pretty darn good for breakfast.
I too have tried many times to clone Jimmy, and while I have never even came close, I also made some darn fine breakfast sausage. Good luck!
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Meatloaf looks great. Any chance you would be willing to share your wife's salsa recipe?
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Before I tried the meatloaf I decided to sample my DYI Jimmy Dean sausage. It was OK but definitely not Jimmy Dean. So in order to give the recipe a valid shot, I had my better half pick up a couple of pounds of Jimmy Dean sausage. Will try the meatloaf either today or tomorrow. I have not fully recovered from my stroke so prolonged standing while chopping the ingredients is a challenge
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This is one of two that are on the grill
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Zowie! That looks good when raw.
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In all my attempts to clone one...This is the Jimmy Dean sausage recipe I have made that was closest for me.
16 ounces ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon rubbed dried sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon MSG (such as Accent Flavor Enhan
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Never cared that much for Jimmy Dean Sausage; we always bought Tennessee Pride.
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Zowie! That looks good when raw.
and it was very good cooked. I smoked on low for a couple of hours to an IT of 92°. then 325° to an IT of 163°. the vegtables were a little al Dente. probably should have smoked less and more at 325°.
Overall I'd say it was a success. Thanks for the recipe.
overal t was a success
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and it was very good cooked. I smoked on low for a couple of hours to an IT of 92°. then 325° to an IT of 163°. the vegtables were a little al Dente. probably should have smoked less and more at 325°.
Overall I'd say it was a success. Thanks for the recipe.
Glad you liked it. You might try sweating the veggies a little longer to fix that al dente. I've never had that. Thanks for trying it, Hugh, and posting your results.
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Now that’s a proper meatloaf!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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In all my attempts to clone one...This is the Jimmy Dean sausage recipe I have made that was closest for me.
16 ounces ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon rubbed dried sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon MSG (such as Accent Flavor Enhan
That's the copy cat I have too. I don't know what all it's missing but it's missing sugar for sure which is OK with me since that's the reason I've moved on to Williams sausage.