This my family’s favorite meatloaf recipe, of all time! What makes this taste so good is a combination of beef, veal and pork— pricier, but it doesn’t taste like a giant hamburger! Fresh marjoram and spices, hot sauce and herbs, and a fantastic glaze makes this so good— you really don’t need gravy. I also share a glazed carrots that makes this a “Retro Blue Plate Special”. Too see how I make this, please visit my foodblog (link provided under “Source Info”.
| 1 | Tbs olive oil |
| 1½ | cups onion, chopped |
| 3 | garlic cloves, minced |
| 2 | large eggs |
| ½ | cup milk |
| 2 | tsp dijon mustard |
| 1 | tsp hot sauce |
| 1½ | tsp fresh marjoram, or ½ teaspoon dried, crumbled |
| 1½ | tsp fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried, crumbled |
| salt and freshly ground pepper | |
| 1 | lb chuck |
| ½ | lb veal (optional. Use half pork and beef if you can't find ground veal or don't buy veal) |
| ½ | lb pork, twice-ground |
| 1½ | cups fresh bread crumbs |
| ¼ | cup fresh parsley, minced |
| ½ | cup ketchup |
| ¼ | cup light brown sugar |
| 1½ | Tbs cider vinegar |
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 In a skillet over moderate heat, add the oil. Heat the oil until hot, but not smoking. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
3 In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, and hot sauce together. Add marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper.In a large mixing bowl, combine the meats, egg-milk mixture, bread crumbs, parsley, and the cooked onion mixture.
4 In a small bowl stir together ketchup, sugar, and vinegar. Set aside.
5 Form 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture into a small patty, add it to a small oiled skillet, and cook until no longer pink. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
6 Transfer meat mixture to an oiled loaf pan.*
*NOTE: The best way to make the meatloaf is to use a baking sheet, lined with foil. Place a cooling rack on top. Cut a piece of foil to be larger than a the loaf— and shape the meat into a loaf. Using a metal skewer, poke holes along the foil…usually every other hole.
Place the shaped loaf on top of the foil. I prefer this method, as the loaf is less likely to “steam” in a loaf pan. You can also glaze all around the meatloaf, which is even better!
Brush meat with ketchup glaze.Bake in oven for about 45 minutes, until glaze has set.
7 Brush meat loaf with remaining glaze and bake for 15 minutes more; glaze again.
My oven takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach the desired doneness. Times do vary, so allow for that!
8 Internal temperature of loaf should be 160 degrees F.
NOTE: Sometimes, I freeze half of the mixture in a plastic lined loaf pan. Once it’s frozen, I remove the loaf and place it in a zip-loc bag, and the loaf is perfectly shaped. When ready to prepare, thaw in the refrigerator, make the glaze and bake as directed.
WITH THE OTHER HALF: I shape individual meat loafs, and bake as directed for 20 minutes. This speeds up the time, quite a bit.