Meat Loaf: The Man, The Myth, The Recipe - 3/1/11

Gather your ingredients, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, find your biggest mixing bowl and a 9x3 loaf pan, and prepare to get your hands dirty.  Trust me, it's worth it.

2 pounds ground beef  (I like what Publix calls "market" beef.  Tasty.)
1 pound ground pork sausage.  (I use the store brand "hot".  It's not really hot, just tasty.)
2 eggs
4 oz. can fire-roasted diced green chiles, undrained
1 cup of Sabrett Pushcart Style onions in sauce (from a 16 oz. jar)
1 cup matzo meal
Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste

For the top of the loaf:
1/4 cup of the remaining Sabrett onions
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.  I like to start out using a wooden spoon to distribute the eggs and seasoning, but always switch to the best cooking tools in the kitchen - my hands.

Besides, who doesn't like to play with their food?  Once the meat is well combined, transfer the mixture into a 9x3 loaf pan, patting it down as you go to fill all the corners and edges.  Now, in a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup of Sabrett onions with the balsamic vinegar.  Spread over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake in the preheated oven until cooked throughout, 75 to 90 minutes.  Cover with a little aluminum foil and let rest around 20 minutes. When the meatloaf has cooled enough to handle, pour off the fat and juices into a small cup. You can make a little bit of gravy, or keep the juices to add to the meatloaf when you are warming it up.  You can slice it at this point, or refrigerate it until tomorrow.  Meatloaf, like stew and pot roast, improves with an overnight stay in the fridge.

Cook like there's nobody watching, and eat like it's heaven on earth.