Meatloaf Plus One for Freezer
Awesome meatloaf will feed 6 if cooking the total amount of meat at once. I prefer to make this as directed and freeze half for another night.
Awesome meatloaf will feed 6 if cooking the total amount of meat at once. I prefer to make this as directed and freeze half for another night.
- Carbohydrate 10.5193919956314 g
- Cholesterol 455.314270533333 mg
- Fat 31.8989970641931 g
- Fiber 1.26813695751866 g
- Protein 40.0299004004569 g
- Saturated Fat 11.6701329850278 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (323g)
- Sodium 817.482907301056 mg
- Sugar 9.25125503811271 g
- Trans Fat 4.71918981260739 g
- Calories 497 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine all ingredients. (split into 2 loaves if freezing one.)
- Form loaf and put into center of casserole dish, this allows the excess fat to drain to the sides instead of sitting on top of the loaf.
- Bake 400 degrees for approx. 25 mins per pound covered.
- Last 10 minutes uncover and top with ketchup.
Standard recipes list the components required for assembly, but they rarely explain how mechanical manipulation alters the final density of ground meat. Overworking the proteins during mixing leads directly to a dense, sausage-like chew instead of a tender slice. Saltines and vegetables introduce pockets of air and moisture that disrupt tight protein bonds, keeping the interior light.
- Select ground beef containing at least fifteen to twenty percent fat to prevent the loaf from drying out during high-temperature baking.
- Crush the saltine crackers manually rather than processing them into a fine dust; coarser crumbs create irregular air pockets that yield a better crumb structure.
- Shape the mixture into a freestanding loaf placed directly in the center of a casserole dish rather than a loaf pan, allowing excess rendering fat to escape to the perimeter.
- Bake the covered loaf at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, calculating approximately twenty-five minutes per pound before removing the lid.
- Uncover the dish for the final ten minutes of cooking to let surface moisture evaporate while caramelizing the ketchup topping.
Freezing half the batch before cooking requires dividing the shaped loaf into two equal portions wrapped securely in plastic and foil. Proper raw meat storage in a standard freezer maintains quality for up to three months.
