I can remember countless times we had Meatloaf growing up and not really liking it that much. As an adult I avoided meatloaf because the thought of a pile of ground beef with ketchup on top wasn’t that appealing. So for years I never ate it.
John’s favorite meal…Meatloaf
While dating John I quickly realized Meatloaf is one of his favorite meals that his mom made and he is very particular about only eating it with red glaze vs brown glaze. So the journey began for the best tasting and easiest meatloaf recipe I could find.
Thanks to Pinterest I found it. I couldn’t believe how good this dish was. Over the years I have perfected the recipe with a couple tips.
The Secret to Great Meatloaf
- Use a variety of meats. This recipe includes pork, veal and ground beef. This can be slightly more in price but the taste is worth it.
- Use a kitchen aid mixture or something similar to thoroughly combine the three meats together. When mixed well use the mixer to incorporate remaining ingredients. This technique works better vs by hand.
- Use fresh thyme vs the dried ground spice.
- Marjoram in my opinion is a secret ingredient. I can’t explain it but there is something about this spice that elevates this entire recipe.
- You can shape this into a long loaf on a baking sheet however it can take up to 1.5-2 hours depending on your oven. So to save time cook them in small loaf pans. This cuts the cooking time in half.
- The glaze also kicks this recipe up a notch. It’s simple to make: ketchup, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. Consider substituting ketchup for Heintz Chili Sauce for a different flavor.
- Use a meat thermometer, it takes the guess work out of the cooking. You will know it’s done when interior temp is 160ยฐ
Ingredients
- MEATLOAF:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 pound chuck ground beef
- 1/2 pound veal
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
- GLAZE:
- 1/2 cup ketchup or Heintz Chili Sauce
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐ
- In a skillet over low to medium heat, add oil and heat the oil until hot. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
- In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs, milk, mustard and hot sauce together. Add marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- In a mixing bowl combine the meats, egg-milk mixture, bread crumbs, parsley and the cooked onion mixture. (I use my kitchen aid mixture)
- In a small bowl stir together ketchup, sugar and vinegar. Set aside.
- Transfer meat mixture to 4 small oiled loaf pans.
- Brush meat with ketchup glaze. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes until glaze has set.
- Brush meat loaf with remaining glaze and bake for an additional 15 minutes more glaze again. (Internal temperature of loaf should be 160ยฐ)
