Meatloaf
The mid-century Sunday supper: beef and pork bound with bread and milk, packed into a loaf tin, baked under a ketchup-and-brown-sugar glaze.
Overview
The mid-century Sunday supper that every American household above a certain age has its own version of. You soften onion and garlic in butter and let them cool, soak breadcrumbs in milk to a soft panade (this is the structural trick that keeps the loaf from going dense and bricklike), then mix everything into the beef and pork with egg, Worcestershire, mustard and a handful of fresh herbs. The mix goes loosely packed into a tin so it stays tender rather than tight, brushed thickly with a glaze of ketchup, brown sugar and a touch more Worcestershire, and into a moderate oven for the best part of an hour. You glaze again at the end and let it tan in the heat for fifteen more minutes until the top has gone deep mahogany and slightly tacky. Slice thick and serve with mashed potato and a green vegetable on the side. The leftover slab cold the next day in a sandwich is the dish's quiet second life.
Ingredients
Loaf
- 700 g beef mince (15-20% fat)
- 300 g pork mince (or 300 g more beef)
- 1 onion (large, finely chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 100 g dried breadcrumbs (panko or fine)
- 200 ml whole milk
- 2 eggs (large, lightly beaten)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Glaze
- 6 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Method
Stage 1 - Aromatics
- Melt the butter in a frying pan; soften the onion 8 minutes until pale gold.
- Add garlic; cook 30 seconds.
- Tip onto a plate to cool.
Stage 2 - Panade
- In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk; let sit 5 minutes until the breadcrumbs have absorbed all the liquid.
Stage 3 - Mix
- In a wide bowl, combine beef, pork, panade, cooled onion-garlic, eggs, Worcestershire, mustard, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper.
- Mix with hands gently until just combined. Don't overwork - heavy mixing makes a tight, dense loaf.
Stage 4 - Pack
- Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
- Pack loosely into a 23 x 13 cm loaf tin lined with baking paper (or shape free-form on a tray).
Stage 5 - Glaze
- Whisk ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire and vinegar.
- Brush half over the top of the loaf.
Stage 6 - Bake
- Bake 50 minutes. Brush with the remaining glaze.
- Return to the oven 15-20 more minutes - internal temperature 70°C in the centre, glaze dark and bubbling.
Stage 7 - Rest and slice
- Rest 10 minutes in the tin.
- Slice thick. Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Notes
- Panade not breadcrumbs: Soaking the crumbs in milk first gives a tender, juicy loaf. Tossing dry crumbs in gives a dry crumbly one.
- Don't overmix: Mix until just combined. Heavy kneading toughens the meat.
- Glaze twice: Once before, once midway. Single-glaze meatloaf has a thin pale top; double-glazed has the lacquer.
Storage
- Refrigerate 4 days; meatloaf sandwiches the next day are non-negotiable.
- Freezes 3 months whole or sliced.
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