Meatloaf
Based on a recipe and ideas by J. Kenji López-Alt.
Ingredients
Gelatin Mix
- ½ cup chicken stock low-sodium; homemade, instant, or store-bought
- ¼ cup buttermilk whole fat
- 1 oz unflavored gelatin powder 4 packets; about 3 tablespoons (original used half this)
Filling
- 2 slices bread high-quality white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into rough pieces
- 4 oz dried mushrooms (original used fresh mushrooms, button or cremini, cleaned)
Umami Bombs
- 2 oz tin anchovies and oil (original used 3 ea. anchovies, filets, about a quarter of a 2 oz tin)
- ½ tsp Marmite
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (original used regular paprika)
- 2 cloves garlic (about 2 tsp) roughly chopped
Mirepox (N.B. my "soup vegetable mix" works great)
- ¾ cup onion roughly chopped
- ½ cup carrot roughly chopped
- ½ cup celery stalks roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Meat
- 12 oz pork coarsely ground
- 20 oz beef coarsely ground
Meat Add-ins
- 2 large eggs
- 4 oz cheese (about 1 cup) Cheddar, Provolone, Monterey Jack, or Muenster, finely grated
- ¼ cup parsley finely minced (cut back a bit on this if you use my "soup vegetable mix")
- 1 tbsp koshering salt
- 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
(Optional) Glaze
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Clean, chop, and mise en place everything.Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the chicken stock and buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top.Set aside.
- Add the anchovies, Marmite, soy sauce, paprika, and garlic to the processor bowl and pulse until reduced to a fine paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.Add the onion, carrot, and celery and pulse until finely chopped but not puréed.
- Heat the butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming.Add the chopped vegetable mixture and cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until it is softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes; the mixture should start to darken a bit.Stir in the buttermilk mixture, bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms and bread, stir thoroughly to combine, and let stand until cool enough to handle (about 10 minutes).
- Add the meat mixture to the bowl, along with the eggs, cheese, parsley, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.With clean hands, mix gently until everything is thoroughly combined and homogeneous; it will be fairly loose.
- Transfer the mixture to a metal bread pan, being sure that no air bubbles get trapped underneath. (You may have some extra mix, depending on the capacity of your pan; this can be cooked in a ramekin or free-form next to the loaf.)Tear off a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to line a rimmed baking sheet and use it to tightly cover the meatloaf, crimping it around the edges of the pan (I often use 2-4 layers)You can refrigerate the meatloaf for up to 2 days. The mixture also freezes and defrosts fine. The mixture’s also awesome for meatballs.
- Remove the meatloaf from the refrigerator and, without removing the foil cover, carefully invert it onto the rimmed baking sheet.Loosen the foil and spread it out, leaving the pan on top of the meatloaf.Fold up the edges of the foil to trap the liquid that escapes from the meatloaf while baking.Bake until just beginning to set (the top should feel firm to the touch), about 30 minutes.
- Use a thin metal spatula to lift an edge of the inverted loaf pan, jiggling it until it slides off the meatloaf easily, and use oven mitts or a folded kitchen towel to remove the pan, leaving the meatloaf on the center of the foil.Return to the oven and bake until the center of the meatloaf registers 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 40 minutes longer. There will be quite a bit of exuded juices; this is OK.Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes.Increase the oven temperature to 500°F.
- Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and pepper in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is homogeneous, about 2 minutes.Remove from the heat.
- Use a brush to apply some glaze to the meatloaf in a thin, even layer, then return it to the oven and bake for 3 to 4 minutes until set.Glaze again and bake for 3 to 4 minutes longer.Glaze one more time and bake until the glaze is beginning to bubble and is a deep burnished brown, about 4 to 5 minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.Slice and serve with any extra glaze and mustard or ketchup as desired.