The Meatwave

New Years resolutions be damned! I ended the year a healthy 10 pounds lighter than I started it, so instead of resolving to eat better and shed extra weight, I'm going to take full comfort in gut busting winter fare. What says that better than meatloaf? Yes, nearly two pounds of sheer meat in a towering loaf with a sweet glaze is just the perfect meal where excess far outweighs nutritional value and, most importantly, tastes awesome.

Tasting awesome isn't a given for meatloaf though—I suffered so many bland and mushy meatloaves in my youth that I avoided them altogether for a large portion of my life. Even though I've found some tried and true recipes at this point, I'm still always experimenting with different additions to flavor the loaf. This time around, I subbed out my usual Saltine crackers—way better than breadcrumbs—for herb stuffing mix on whim when I saw it at the grocery.

In the name of flavor, I also took the extra step of sauteing the veggies prior to adding them into the mix. Onions, red peppers, and garlic were all given time in a hot pan to intensify and soften.

The veggies and stuffing mixture were then added into the meat trifecta that makes up meatloaf—ground beef chunk, veal, and pork. This balance of meats creates the perfect combo of flavor, juiciness, and tenderness in my opinion. The chuck does most of the work in the beefy flavor department, while the veal builds on that flavor in more nuanced way. The pork is good source of extra fat, which keeps the loaf moist during and after cooking.

Once meats and fillings were throughly combined, I used a pan merely to mold the loaf. This can be done freeform, of course, but I like the nice shape given the final product when using a mold. The one think you really don't want to do is to cook a meatloaf in the pan, which is a recipe for mushy meat and a missed opportunity for the addition of a tasty glaze.

While I've been all about the loaf in the winter, this is actually the first one I ever brought to the grill. I have my current interest in planking to thank for that, because a wood plank just happens to be the perfect size for a meatloaf, and the fact that it adds a light woodsy flavor is just an added bonus.

The meatloaf cooked over indirect heat until it just started to brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. I then brushed the entire thing with a simple, no-cook, barbecue sauce glaze. My glaze was the bare minimun of barbecue sauce—ketchup, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, and mustard—but feel free to use your favorite sauce here, it can only make it better

The meatloaf continued to cook until it hit 155 degrees in the center, which took around 45 minutes more. It emerged from the grill with the barbecue glaze beautifully baked in with some crisped browned spots where the loaf was exposed to more heat.

Man, this is the way to start a new year! The solid brick of meat was outstanding. The intense flavor of the glazed loaf overshadowed any woodsy notes from the plank, but some smoking wood that was thrown on the coals did lend a faint smokiness. The standout though was the herb stuffing, which brought a lot to the party and stood well against the beef. The barbecue sauce glaze also did wonders to make this meatloaf way better than average, adding a sweet tanginess I wanted to get in each bite. I was so proud of actually loosing weight this year, but now I'm even prouder of this meatloaf which helping put it back on.

Published on Wed Jan 2, 2013 by Joshua Bousel

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