Category Archives: Beef

Meatloaf, An American Classic Comfort Food

If your menu is ready to jump into the “way-back” time machine, Meatloaf is destined to be in your future.

How ground meats ended up molded, baked, then end up sliced on a dinner plate with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy we may never know.

And that most recipes have a baked on, sweet ketchup glaze is pure genius.

Many “oldsters” can remember their first taste of meatloaf being at an “old fashioned” lunch counter.

But what’s good is still good, and thankfully, meatloaf has stayed around for a long, long time.

It’s just not $.65 anymore.

Admittedly, there are so many different versions of this classic comfort food recipe that we’ve stopped counting but the general consensus is that among the ground meats is beef with possibly ground pork, veal (if you want to be more “gourmet”) and perhaps even ground turkey (if you’re a hipster).

In short, meatloaf is ground meats, egg, bread crumbs, some liquid and seasonings all baked in a free-form loaf shape or loaf shaped pan, thus, meat-loaf.

What we all need to personally decide on our own is; what meats, liquids, seasonings, (and Red Goose Spice has a pretty special one), or additional garnishments like vegetables are in this loaf and finally.

Even how many eggs.

Oh….and what about this ketchup thing? Well, you can add it both into the meat mixture and on top later, or, just on top. Another decision to make.

All of these variables and the amounts thereof, give you a number of possible outcomes only a math whiz might cipher.

So, if you don’t have a favorite family recipe, or, one passed down from a long-retired Chef mentor, we have a pretty much, straight down the middle recipe for you here.

One with 3 meats and a ketchup glaze.

We’ve chosen to give you a smaller size recipe here to allow the opportunity to experiment with it before you scale it up.

Classic Meatloaf with Ketchup Glaze

Makes One Large Meatloaf  9” x 5” x 4” or 6 Servings

1 Lb.          Ground Beef (Lean)

1 Lb.          Ground Pork

1 Lb.           Ground Veal

2 Cups        Dried Bread Crumbs

¼ Cup         Dry Parsley Flakes

4                  Ex. Large Eggs, Beaten

½ Cup         Milk or Half & Half

2 Cups        Onion, Chopped Fine

½ Cup         Green Bell Pepper, Chopped Fine

1 TBSP       Fresh Garlic, Chopped

1 Cup          Ketchup, Most Use Heinz

3 TBSP       Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP        Red Goose Meatloaf Seasoning

1 TBSP       Light Brown Sugar

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. then line a 9” x 5” x 4” loaf pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray it lightly with a non-stick vegetable spray.
  2. Combine the 3 meats, bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk onion, green pepper, garlic, 1/2 cup of the ketchup, 2 tablespoons of the Worcestershire, about 2 tablespoons of the Red Goose Meatloaf Seasoning. Using your hands, (or a paddle attachment on a mixer), mix together until well combined. It is important to knead it a bit until sticky so that the resulting baked meatloaf will not crumble when sliced.
  3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared meat loaf pan and make a slight indentation running down the middle rather than mounding it like a finished loaf of bread. (As the meat cooks, it will rise in the center anyway). Bake the meatloaf for about 40 minutes.
  4. After 30 to 35 minutes, remove the loaf from the oven. Stir the brown sugar together with the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup and 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce and brush the top and sides of the meatloaf all over with the mixture, being liberal.
  5. Return to the loaf to the oven and bake until the glaze starts to caramelize and a thermometer inserted in the center of the meatloaf registers 160 to 165 F, about 25 minutes more.
  6. Remove the loaf from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
NOTES:
  • It’s best to place a second sheet pan underneath the loaf pan to prevent any juices from the loaf to make a mess of your oven.
  • This recipe works equally well with 3 lbs. of ground beef or, a half and half mixture of beef and pork.
  • The bread crumbs need to be the dry kind which is necessary to properly absorb the eggs and milk. You can choose between plain and Italian bread crumbs.Meat

Just where, and how, did Corned Beef get its name?

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, we’ll spare you all of the usual traditional Irish phrases and “corny” or should we say “corned-e” history lessons.

Save one.

Did you know that the word “corned” in reference to the popular curing of meats actually comes NOT from the residents of Cornwall, England, (the Cornish), but, (according to most historians), from the fact that the original meats used in this preservation process, were preserved using, among other ingredients, salt.

Not just any salt, but salt, potassium nitrate, the size of corn kernels.

This corn sized salt is supposedly responsible for the name “corned”.

Interestingly, it’s a phrase actually attributed to the English, not the Irish, even though the Irish were more well known for their salt cured and processed meat recipes.

Of course, today’s recipes still use salt, (most often kosher or sea salt to avoid the iodine taste), but it’s much finer.

We also, nowadays, use a different meat that was originally chosen by both the English and the Irish for “corning”, which was pork.

Usually from the belly.

In England, and throughout Britain, pork was cheap and plentiful for the commoners who prepared this dish.

Beef however, was a luxury.

All that changed when their migration to America began. Beef was more plentiful, and relatively cheap.

The switch was on.

One thing did stay the same. They stuck with the same primal cuts of beef, as they once used from the hog.

That is, the belly or brisket.

Corned beef was here to stay and became the preferred meat for this corned dish, now so closely associated with Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day.

What about Pastrami?

The difference between corned beef and pastrami.

There are a lot of similarities between corned beef and pastrami but there are some significant differences as well.

Here is a simple explanation:

The similarities are:

  • They come from the same “general” vicinity of the animal (the brisket or belly/navel/deckle/plate area). Corned beef almost exclusively from the brisket cut and pastrami mostly from the plate or navel area).
  • They are both cooked with moist heat (not roasted.)
  • Both are cured.
  • Both make iconic deli sandwiches!

The differences are:

  • Corned beef is boiled or simmered while pastrami is generally steamed.
  • Pastrami is smoked, corned beef is not
  • The seasonings are slightly different, generally, pastrami is a bit more seasoned and uses black pepper prominently.

Whether you enjoy preparing Corned Beef OR Pastrami, one of the things that you can always know is that the Red Goose Spice company not only has all the herbs and spices you need to create both of these amazing and historic dishes, but we carry a Pickling Spice Blend that is just outstanding!

This is no wimpy, off the supermarket shelf, down the middle of the road pickling spice recipe, but instead, chocked full of crushed bay leaves, cinnamon, mustard seed, allspice berries, whole black pepper, coriander, whole chiles, dill seed and whole cloves.

And amazing blend for amazing results.