grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Best Meatloaf Ever. Period.

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Best meatloaf ever. Period.

Seriously. This is the best meatloaf ever. I found the recipe in one of my favorite old cookbooks—The Ozarks Collections (1987). So far, this cookbook has never let me down. It’s tagline is best recipes from the heritage and traditions of a storied region.

The Ozarks Collection

Gotta be good, right?

It is.

Annabelle knows. Look at her. She’s in a trance.

hands down the best meatloaf ever

I have three theories as to why this is the best ever.

  • The combination of ground round and sausage added extra taste.
  • Rather than breadcrumbs or crackers, this recipe includes quick oats. As a rule, starch absorbs moisture, but there’s something about the combination of oats and tomato sauce that keeps this meatloaf light and moist.
  • John cooked this meatloaf on the Big Green Egg which infused a rich smoky flavor.

[tweetthis]Whatever you planned to cook this weekend, make my #meatloaf instead! @biggreenegg #recipes #food #RecipeoftheDay [/tweetthis]

A little history… I imagined meatloaf was created during the Great Depression as a way to stretch a dollar and feed lots of mouths. And yes, it was popular then, but meatloaf actually dates back to the 1500s when Roman cooks added wine, bread, and nuts to meat patties. Yummmmmmm. Yum. Yum.

Comfort food for the generations.

Best Meatloaf Ever. Period.

Print Recipe
Servings: 8 large slices
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds ground round
  • 1 pound ground sausage mild
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 large green pepper chopped
  • 1 medium white onion chopped
  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1.5 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 15.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
  • 4 oz tomato sauce
  • For Basting:
  • Extra tomato sauce
  • Heinz Jalapeño ketchup

Method
 

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl (other than basting ingredients). Place in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. (You might think you have too much meat but mound it in the pan.) Cook on grill (indirect heat) approximately 1.5 hours until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.
  2. Combine a mixture of 3/4 parts tomato sauce and 1/4 parts ketchup in a small bowl. Spread over meatloaf and continue cooking on Big Green Egg for an additional 15 minutes until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Notes

The original recipe was written for a regular indoor oven at 350 degrees, with baking times of 1.5 to 2 hours until meatloaf pulls away from pan. If you cook in the oven, place on top of a cookie sheet to avoid spills.

amazing meatloaf on the Big Green Egg

It’s a work of art. I served it with pan fried squash and zucchini. But really, mashed potatoes would have been perfect.

Skip dessert and have a second piece.

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

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Comments

  2. Meatloaf may seem like an easy thing…but I’ve never found the perfect recipe. This just may be the one! I’ll be testing it soon!!

    Those old cookbooks contain some real treasures.

  4. The best ever. Period is right. My family asks me to make it now and I do and it almost melts in your mouth! Best ever. Bar None. Deliciously scrumptious! Thanks for sharing!

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