Recipe: Best-Ever Meat Loaf Recipes - The Perfect Meat Loaf with Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze, Lolly's Meatloaf with Chili Grape Glaze, 72 Market Street Meatloaf with Meatloaf Gravy

The Perfect Meat Loaf with Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze
Posted by Joel
From: The Perfect Recipe by Pam Anderson
Serves: 6-8

If you like, you can double the glaze and omit the bacon topping from the loaf. Brush on half the glaze before baking, and the other half during the last 15minutes of baking time.

Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze
1/4 cup ketchup or chili sauce
2 Tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cider or white vinegar

Meat Loaf
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1/2 cup milk, buttermilk or low-fat plain yogurt
1 pound ground chuck
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
2/3 cup quick oatmeal or saltine crackers crushed
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
6-8 ounces thin-sliced bacon (8-9 slices)

1. Glaze: Mix all ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Meat Loaf: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and garlic, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes; set aside to cool.

3. Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire, pepper sauce and milk or yogurt. In a large bowl add egg mixture to the ground chuck, ground veal and ground pork. Next add the oatmeal or crackers (depending upon what you have decided to add), parsley, cooked onion and garlic; mix with a fork until evenly blended and meat mixture does not stick to bowl. (If mixture does stick, add additional milk, a couple tablespoons at a time, and continue stirring until mixture stops sticking.)

4. Turn the meat mixture onto a work surface. With wet hands, pat mixture into a loaf approximately 9x5 inches.

5. To bake free-form: Cover a wire rack with foil; prick foil in several places with a fork to allow drainage. Place rack on a shallow roasting pan lined with foil for easy cleanup. Set formed loaf on rack. Brush loaf with all of glaze, then arrange bacon slices, crosswise, over loaf, overlapping them slightly and tucking them under the loaf to prevent curling.

6. Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 F., about 1 hour. Cool for at least 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

7. To bake in a loaf pan: Omit bacon and double glaze. Turn meat mixture into a loaf pan WITH a PERFORATED bottom, fitted with a drip pan. Use a fork to pull mixture away from pan sides. Brush mixture with half of the glaze. Bake until glaze is set, about 45 minutes. Brush with remaining glaze and continue to bake until second coat has set and loaf registers 160 F about 15 minutes longer.

Lolly's Meatloaf with Chili Grape Glaze
From: Gina,Fla

FOR THE GLAZE:
4 Tbsp. chili sauce
2 Tbsp. grape jelly
FOR THE MEATLOAF:
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 lb. ground beef
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups Italian Bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 large garlic clove
4 springs fresh parsley
4 fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup A1 Bold Steak Sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

TO PREPARE THE GLAZE:
Place chili sauce and grape jelly in a bowl and whisk to blend well. Set aside.

TO PREPARE THE MEATLOAF:
Place beef in large glass bowl. Mix with eggs, crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Blend with a wooden spoon at first. Set aside.

Place the chopped onion, peppers, garlic, parsley and basil in food processor. Process till minced fine.

Add the onion mixture to the meat mixture along with the ketchup, steak sauce, salt and pepper. Shape into a loaf on a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. After 40 minutes, glaze meatloaf and continue baking, glaze again 10 minutes later. When done, let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

72 Market Street Meatloaf with Meatloaf Gravy
This recipe by 72's first chef, Leonard Schwartz, remains the restaurant's most popular dish. After you try it we are certain it will become one of your favorites at home as well. It's also great for sandwiches too!

Servings: 6

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup minced green onion
3/4 cup minced white onion
1/2 cup minced carrot
1/2 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork sausage, with no herbs or seasonings added
3 /4 cup prepared bread crumbs
Meat Loaf Gravy (recipe follows)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Heat the butter in a heavy skillet and add the green onion, white onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until the moisture has evaporated. Cool.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cumin, and eggs and mix well. Add the ketchup and half and half. Blend thoroughly.

4. Add the ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, and the vegetable mixture. It might be easier to mix this with your hands.

5. Grease a loaf pan and add the meat mixture, pressing it into the corners. Put the loaf pan in a larger pan filled 1-inch-high with boiling water. Cook at 350 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Meat Loaf Gravy.

Meat Loaf Gravy
Servings: 10

2 tablespoons butter
4 shallots, minced
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
Dash of crushed peppercorns
1/4 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped yellow bell peppers
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup veal or beef stock
1 cup chicken stock
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
Salt and pepper

1. In a heavy pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter, and saut the shallots, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, and red and yellow bell peppers over medium-high heat for 3 minutes.

2. Add the wine and simmer over high heat until reduced by three-fourths, to make a glaze.

3. Add the beef stock and chicken stock, and simmer, uncovered, over high heat until reduced by one-fourth.

4. Add the tomatoes and bring to a slow simmer. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

5. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Strain, discarding bay leaf and thyme before serving.