Good Eats Meat Loaf

This is a super dish!  It lives up to the expectations that comes with any Alton Brown recipe.  I followed it exactly the first time I made it, but this time I made just a few exchanges of ingredients.  I used green pepper instead of red pepper, since the price difference was significant.  Also, in my mind when I was remembering this recipe it was half ground pork, half ground beef.  So, I decided to make it when I found some ground pork on sale at the grocery store.  I didn't check the recipe again until the night before I was going to make it and discovered it actually called for half ground sirloin, half ground chuck.  I used the pork/beef mixture anyway and we both thought it turned out just fine.  

It is great as leftovers too.  Our favorite way to "re-purpose" it is to use it in a grilled cheese sandwich.  Mmmmmmm, so good.  Actually, my memories of the last grilled cheese/meatloaf sandwich are what prompted me to make the recipe again!

Good Eats Meat Loaf

from foodnetwork.com, recipe by Alton Brown

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Yield: 6-8 servings

6 ounces garlic flavored croutons

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

1 carrot, peeled and broken

3 whole cloves garlic

1/2 red bell pepper, roughly chopped

18 ounces ground chuck

18 ounces ground sirloin

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg

For the glaze:

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon ground cumin

dash Worcestershire sauce

dash hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a food processor bowl combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder and thyme.  pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture.  Place this mixture into a large bowl.
• Combine the onion, carrot, garlic and pepper in the food processor bowl.  Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed.  Add the vegetable mixture, ground sirloin and ground chuck with the bread crumb mixture.  Season with the kosher salt, add the egg and thoroughly combine, but avoid squeezing the meat.  
• Pack this mixture into a loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf.   Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Insert a temperature probe at a 45 degree angle into the top of the meatloaf.  Avoid touching the bottom of the tray with the probe. Set the probe for 155 degrees.
• Combine the ketchup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey.  Brush the glaze onto the meatloaf after it has been cooking for about 10 minutes.