REC: Cheddar Meat Loaf

"AutomaticDripCoffee" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

3 lb ground mixed meats (I use a combination lean beef and turkey)

Why the mixture? Won't all beef work, for example?

--
Bob
http://www.kanyak.com

Opinicus said:

"AutomaticDripCoffee" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

3 lb ground mixed meats (I use a combination lean beef and turkey)

Why the mixture? Won't all beef work, for example?

I can't answer for the original author, but I tend to mix meats for
cost savings and flavor. Ground beef doesn't have all that much
flavor, especially when it's very lean. So I buy the fattest (and
cheapest) ground beef I can get, usually the 75% lean. That happens
to be awfully fatty for something like a meatloaf, though -- you'll
get a shrunken little island of meat in a sea of fat and juices -- so
I mix it with venison (that I was given) and ground turkey (that's
usually much cheaper than any beef). Those lean out the mixture
without requiring me to pay through the nose for the leaner beef, and
they make the flavor more interesting.

On the other hand, if fat isn't a problem, as in burgers or meat that
I'm browning for a soup, I'll add ground pork sausage. That keeps the
fat content high and adds a lot more flavor than beef alone.
Unfortunately, most pork sausage you can buy at stores is nasty,
greasy stuff (greasy, not fatty; there's a difference); but mine comes
from my parents' farm through a local butcher.

--
Aaron -- 285/235/200 -- aaron.baugher.biz

Opinicus said:

"AutomaticDripCoffee" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

3 lb ground mixed meats (I use a combination lean beef and turkey)

Why the mixture? Won't all beef work, for example?

All beef works fine. I see it as a call for frugality - save the
cuttings from your other cooking in the freezer and when
you have enough grind them l all into a meatloaf. I also
see it as a call for variety - you see ground meat from a
type of animal you haven't tried lately so to keep the
cooking part simple you make meatloaf and see how you
like that sort of animal. Or as an adaptable recipe - use
the type you've got but don't worry what critter it came from.
That said I bet bird meat works fine but fish meat would
make for horrible meatloaf.

"Opinicus" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"AutomaticDripCoffee" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

3 lb ground mixed meats (I use a combination lean beef and turkey)

Why the mixture? Won't all beef work, for example?

--
Bob
http://www.kanyak.com

I remembered this episode on Meatloaf from America's Test Kitchen. Here's
what they said... (ignore any non-LC ingredient content...) LOL

Steve
-----------------------------------------------
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/login.asp?did=3227&LoginForm=recipe&iSeason=7

Glazed Meat Loaf or All Beef Meatloaf

The Problem: Every all-beef meat loaf we've tasted has had the same
problems--chewy texture and uninteresting flavor--making it more of a
hamburger in the shape of a log than an interesting meat loaf.

The Goal: In the past, when we wanted a great meat loaf, we turned to the
traditional meat-loaf mix of beef, pork, and veal. Could we create an
all-beef meat loaf to compete with this classic?

The Solution: The first part of the solution was to keep the "meat combo"
idea--only in this case using just beef, finding that equal parts of ground
chuck and sirloin provided just the right balance of juicy, tender meat and
assertive beefy flavor. Chicken broth was a surprisingly successful add-in;
it transformed the loaf from livery to savory (beef broth contributed a
metallic off-taste). We liked the idea of adding cheese for its flavor,
moisture, and binding quality, but we didn't want little pockets of cheese
that oozed unappealing liquid once the loaf was cut. We solved this problem
by grating the cheese and then freezing it to make it even more crumbly.
Saltines were the winning binder, helping to deliver a tender, cohesive
loaf. But our biggest challenge was texture: Traditional meat loaves made of
beef, pork, and veal have an unctuous texture (because of the gelatin in
veal) that was tricky to duplicate. Adding veal stock seemed unreasonable,
so we focused on the much more readily available powdered gelatin. A mere
half-teaspoon made the texture luxuriously smooth. We finished the meat loaf
with the classic flavors of sautéed onions, celery, garlic, and the
ever-popular ketchup glaze.

Scionyx said:

"Opinicus" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"AutomaticDripCoffee" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

3 lb ground mixed meats (I use a combination lean beef and turkey)

Why the mixture? Won't all beef work, for example?

--
Bob
http://www.kanyak.com

I remembered this episode on Meatloaf from America's Test Kitchen.
Here's
what they said... (ignore any non-LC ingredient content...) LOL

Steve
-----------------------------------------------
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/login.asp?did=3227&LoginForm=recipe&iSeason=7

Glazed Meat Loaf or All Beef Meatloaf

The Problem: Every all-beef meat loaf we've tasted has had the same
problems--chewy texture and uninteresting flavor--making it more of a
hamburger in the shape of a log than an interesting meat loaf.

The Goal: In the past, when we wanted a great meat loaf, we turned to the
traditional meat-loaf mix of beef, pork, and veal. Could we create an
all-beef meat loaf to compete with this classic?

The Solution: The first part of the solution was to keep the "meat combo"
idea--only in this case using just beef, finding that equal parts of
ground
chuck and sirloin provided just the right balance of juicy, tender meat
and
assertive beefy flavor. Chicken broth was a surprisingly successful
add-in;
it transformed the loaf from livery to savory (beef broth contributed a
metallic off-taste). We liked the idea of adding cheese for its flavor,
moisture, and binding quality, but we didn't want little pockets of
cheese
that oozed unappealing liquid once the loaf was cut. We solved this
problem
by grating the cheese and then freezing it to make it even more crumbly.
Saltines were the winning binder, helping to deliver a tender, cohesive
loaf. But our biggest challenge was texture: Traditional meat loaves
made of
beef, pork, and veal have an unctuous texture (because of the gelatin in
veal) that was tricky to duplicate. Adding veal stock seemed
unreasonable,
so we focused on the much more readily available powdered gelatin. A mere
half-teaspoon made the texture luxuriously smooth. We finished the meat
loaf
with the classic flavors of sautéed onions, celery, garlic, and the
ever-popular ketchup glaze.

The best meat loaf I've ever had uses all beef and gelatin. It's a
fantastic recipe from Cook's Illustrated. However, it's also a darned
hard recipe to make. (For instance, you have to reduce the sauce, put the
sauce on the meatloaf -- not once but twice -- while broiling.)

--
Bob in CT

Quoted message said:

The best meat loaf I've ever had uses all beef and gelatin. It's a
fantastic recipe from Cook's Illustrated. However, it's also a darned
hard recipe to make. (For instance, you have to reduce the sauce, put the
sauce on the meatloaf -- not once but twice -- while broiling.)

--
Bob in CT

Maybe that's what "unctuous" means.