Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

[Paswesley]

I have been reluctant to post in this section of the forum because some of you are chefs and professional cooks. I am just a guy who loves to cook comfort foods outdoors. I will now share this meatloaf with you. There is nothing scientific about it. I learned to cook while growing up watching my mother. She rarely used a recipe, so neither do I. Here is how I prepared and cooked my meatloaf. I stabilized Mable (my 23" OTB) at 320 degrees. I am using Royal Oak lump (made in USA bag) that I got from Wal-Mart. I added a small chunk (fist sized) of well-seasoned Wild Cherry heartwood to a full basket of the lump. While Mable was warming up, I prepared the meatloaf. None of the materials used, except the ground beef and eggs, were measured, so approximate amounts are given. 6 lbs. of 90/10 ground beef that I got from Sams Club 6 medium organic eggs 2 heaping tsps. Lawry's Seasoning Salt 1 Tbs. cumin/curry powder mix (the curry powder contains coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and red pepper) 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup powdered sweet cream buttermilk (I get mine from the Amish market in Annapolis.) 2 Tbs. garlic powder 2 Tbs. dried minced onions 1/4 cup French's prepared mustard 1/2 cup seedless raisins I started by scrambling the eggs well and added in all of the dry ingredients (except the flour) and the mustard. I beat this for about 45 seconds by hand until well distributed throughout the egg mixture. Then, I put the hamburger (about 65 degrees internal) into the bowl and mixed it thoroughly by hand until well mixed. Finally, I added the flour and raisins and hand mixed. The mixture was shaped into a loaf and placed into a 14 by 8 bread pan. The pan was greased on the bottom and sides with 1/2 tsp. of bacon drippings. This is a pic of the loaf when it was first placed into Mable. Internal temp was 65 degrees and Mable was stable at 320.

[Paswesley]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

Here is a pic of the meatloaf after Masterpiece BBQ sauce has been brushed on. About ready to take off. Yummy! BTW, the bitter melon, butternut squash and long beans in the background were picked from our backyard garden earlier this afternoon.

[mguerra]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

Reluctant?! Pas, that's what these forums are for! We're not all pro's, just KK enthusiasts. Please post any and all random thoughts, precision ideas, and everything in between. That goes for all of you, by the way. POST!!!!

The worst that can possibly happen is we might annoy someone. Everybody has something positive to contribute.

Great meatloaf idea, BTW...

[Paswesley]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

Thanks, Doc. I feel better about posting. BTW, my wife, who is not a fan of meatloaf, said that this was the best that she has ever eaten. It was absolutely delicious, moist and so fragrant. Give it a try sometime. Again, I appreciate the kind thoughts. Paswesley

[MadMedik]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

You inspire me...i have been wanting to do meatloaf on the KK. Tried once, but the recipe sucked and it was not very good. This sounds good. Have you considered cooking it directly on the grill, not using a pan? The one I did i used parchment paper as the "tray". That worked, as i had very little leakage/dripping from the meatloaf. Yours looks very moist and tasty....

[mguerra]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

Best meatloaf I ever ate we made on our KK!

[Loquitur]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

I love your recipe posts, Paswesley - please don't feel hesitant. I go to the recipes on this forum before anywhere else when I'm looking for inspiration or just something new. The combination of mustard and raisins sounds very interesting so I will definitely try this meatloaf. And, I get the biggest kick out of the huge quantities you cook!!!

[Paswesley]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

@MadMedik:

Thanks for the kind words. That is a good idea, to use parchment. Do you enwrap the entire loaf and secure it? How do you keep the shape of the loaf using your technique?

@Loquitur:

I appreciate your post. We love meatloaf at our house. Your post caused me to recall that I left out an ingredient. Powdered buttermilk has been edited into the original post. As for the raisins, they were my wife's suggestion. She prefers meatloaf to a loin roast, and that is saying something! I have been resisting the addition of raisins to my recipe, but I threw some in yesterday. It was so good. You know, it never really occurred to me that I cook large amounts. I do it automatically. I have found, and my family concurs, that certain foods simply taste better as leftovers than in the original dish. There are many uses that leftovers may be put to. I just love meatloaf sandwiches, for example. Thanks, Anton

[Saison]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

Keep posting this stuff.

[mguerra]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

Raisins go great in ground beef dishes in general. My Mom makes a picadillo that is ground beef based and has plenty of raisins in it. They really make the dish.

[Loquitur]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

Doc - very interesting. Raisins in savory dishes is new to me except that my little old lady Italian neighbor up the street makes meatballs with raisins and pine nuts and they are delicious!!

[Paswesley]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

[fade:1nfgs285][/fade:1nfgs285]@mguerra:

You are so right, Doc. Raisins are one of nature's desserts, yet their unique flavor lends itself well to the main dish also. I had a weird thought about my next meatloaf. Have you ever cooked one with sweet crushed pineapple in it? I suspect it would be delicious.

Finally, do you, or does anyone, know of ways to use butternut squash with the KK? I have a bumper crop of butternut squashes this summer, as well as several large (14 lbs.) calabazas. For the unfamiliar, calabazas are Cuban pumpkins that are denser in texture and much sweeter than our pie type pumpkins. Calabaza tastes much like a butternut squash. I know that I can bake some pieces in Mable, but I am interested in other ways to cook it. Any ideas?

[mguerra]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

My grandmother used to make Calabacita con Puerco. Squash with pork. You cook up some pork and then cook the squash with mexican spices and the pork juice. Probably it is Cuban, or there is a Cuban version. Absolutely delish.

We cook squash on the KK exactly like you would in the oven, any kind of squash or pumpkin. Just do it exactly as you would inside, keeps the heat out of the house.

I forgot about the Calabacita until your post. I will make some with KK smoked pulled pork! My grandmother cooked the pork on the stove, I don't recall the cut, but I will make make a little modified version of it using the KK. The main spice is comino, cumin. If you want to try it just cook some squash, pork and comino any way you want to get an idea of it.

There are many recipes for it all over the net, they are all similar but different.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=c ... con+puerco

[Paswesley]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

Thnks, Doc. This sounds very delicious. I will do some experimenting. Thanks. Anton

[MadMedik]

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf

I place parchment paper down just big enough to cover the loaf with a few inches all way around showing. The loaf kept it's form or shape. It was pretty solid, not real moist. Not much of a chance it would flatten out or change shape. Not much taste either. Yours sounds much better!!