Beef and Pork Meatloaf

This also makes outstanding meatloaf sandwiches the next day. Great on an onion roll.

Meatloaf is one of those quintessential comfort foods, but there is no reason it needs to come together like your grandmother made – unless she made it like this. So many of the old recipes resulted in a dense, heavy loaf, which tasted great but sat in your stomach for days after. This one is lighter, less dense, more textured, and amazingly good.

SOFTWARE

·         1 lb. ground sirloin

·         1 lb. ground pork

·         2 c. Panko

·         1/2 white onion, finely chopped

·         1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

·         1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

·         1/2 c. heavy cream

·         2 eggs

·         1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

·         3 T. BBQ sauce (may I recommend Sweet Baby Ray’s?) plus more for the glaze

·         3 T. Dijon mustard

·         2 T. Worcestershire sauce

·         1 T. Italian seasoning

·         1 t. dried parsley

·         2 t. Kosher salt

·         1 t. freshly ground pepper

METHOD

1.      Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.      Mix together all the ingredients (yes, all of them) in a large bowl. Use your hands so you don’t overwork the mixture.

3.      Using a spray oil, coat the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.

4.      Form the mixture into a loaf about 10 inches long and 6 inches wide. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.

5.      Remove the foil and brush additional BBQ sauce across the top and sides.

6.      Stick in a probe thermometer so the tip rests in the middle of the loaf. Bake until the thermometer reaches 150 degrees – about 45-50 minutes.

7.      Remove from the oven and rest for 10-15 minutes.

8.      Slice and serve with additional sauce and cheese.

9.      Enjoy.

VARIATIONS

Yes, there are as many meatloaf variations as stars in the sky, including some others on this website (search “meatloaf”). But try this first and see if you don’t find it to be unique from what grandma made. No diss, granny.