Kenji’s Meatloaf

Kenji’s Meatloaf is a recipe created by Kenji Lopez-Alt, the Chief Culinary Advisor at Serious Eats.

Meatloaf is a traditional American dish that is typically made by mixing ground meat such as beef and pork with other ingredients such as breadcrumbs, eggs, onions, and seasonings.  The mixture is then shaped into a loaf and baked in the oven.  While the number of variations of meatloaf recipes is endless, what Kenji has done is to scientifically analyze each ingredient to determine what it brings to the dish and then then to suggest what the best use of each might be and why.

Some of Kenji’s suggestions are unique compared to other meatloaf recipes.  He recommends not using veal because it doesn’t have as much flavor as beef and pork. He then adds powdered gelatin to make up for what went away with the veal. Carrots, celery, and onions are still in there, but other seasonings include Marmite and soy sauce.

The recipe included below is simply a rewrite of Kenji’s recipe.  I like to include the mis en place portion of the ingredients in the preparation steps because that’s where I do them.  I also like to break the preparation instructions down into individual steps.  While this makes for what looks like a longer recipe, the effort is still the same and it’s helpful for communication if you’re cooking with others.

I’ve made one deviation from Kenji’s recipe, and that’s to mince the garlic before putting it in the food processor.  When it was called for, I found that there was too little volume in the food processor to break the garlic down into a puree with having to endlessly scrape down the sides.  Mincing the garlic makes it so that the food processor is pureeing already mushy ingredients.

I also chopped my carrots, celery, and onions a little more finely than it looks like Kenji did.  By finely chopping and then doing just a quick pulse in the food processor I have better control over the size of pieces.

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Notes:

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Equipment that I used:

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Kenji’s Meatloaf

Out of the endless varieties of meatloaf recipes, this one has a unique origin.  J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, the Chief Culinary Advisor at Serious Eats, did a scientific analysis of meatloaf ingredients and then developed a recipe from what he found was the best use of each ingredient.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chicken or beef stock
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 ounce unflavored gelatin 2 packets; about 1 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
• 2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread
• 4 ounces button or cremini mushrooms
• 3 anchovy filets
• 1/2 teaspoon marmite
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 1 small onion
• 1 small carrot about 1/2 cup when peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk celery about 1/2 cup when chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 ounces freshly ground pork see note
• 1 1/4 pounds freshly ground beef see note
• 2 large eggs
• 4 ounces cheddar, provolone, Monterey Jack, or Muenster cheese (about 1 cup when grated)
• flat-leaf parsley 1/4 cup after chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Mis en Place

• Place 1/2 cup stock into a 2- or 4-cup liquid measuring cup
• Add 1/4 cup buttermilk to the measuring cup and stir to combine.
• Sprinkle 1/2 ounce (2 packets; about 1 1/2 tablespoons) unflavored gelatin over the stock and buttermilk.
• Set the stock and buttermilk aside.
• Roughly chop 1 small onion (about 3/4 cup) and place in a small bowl.
• Peel and roughly chop 1 carrot (about 1/2 cup) and add to the bowl with the onion.
• Roughly chop 1 stalk of celery (about 1/2 cup) and add to the bowl with the onion.
• Remove the crusts from 2 slices of bread, tear into rough pieces, and place in a food processor.
• Clean 4 ounces of mushrooms and place into the food processor with the bread.
• Pulse the bread and mushrooms until finely chopped.
• Transfer the bread and mushrooms to bowl that is large enough to combine everything later.
• Add 3 anchovy filets to the food processor.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of marmite to the food processor.
• Add 2 teaspoons (10ml) of soy sauce to the food processor.
• Add 1 teaspoon of paprika to the food processor.
• Add 2 medium cloves of garlic to the food processor.
• Pulse until reduced to a fine paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the onion, carrot, and celery and to the food processor.
• Pulse until finely chopped but not pureed.
• Place 12 ounces of freshly ground pork into a medium bowl.
• Add 1 1/4 pounds of freshly ground beef to the bowl with the ground pork.
• Add 2 large eggs to the bowl with the ground meat.
• Finely grate 4 ounces (about 1 cup) of cheddar, provolone, Monterey Jack, or Muenster cheese, and add to the bowl with the ground meat.
• Finely mince 1/4 cup of fresh parsley and add to the bowl with the ground meat.
• Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt to the bowl with the ground meat.
• Grind 1 teaspoon of black pepper into the bowl with the ground meat.
• Set aside 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.

Building the Meatloaf

• Heat the butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming.
• Add the chopped vegetable mixture and cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until it is softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes; the mixture should start to darken a bit.
• Stir in the buttermilk mixture, bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the vegetable and buttermilk mixture to the bowl with the mushrooms and bread.
• Stir the vegetables and bread thoroughly to combine.
• Let the stand until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
• After the vegetables and bread mixture has cooled, add the ground meat to the bowl.
• With clean hands, gently mix until everything is thoroughly combined and homogeneous; it will be fairly loose.
• Pull off a teaspoon-sized portion of the mixture, place it on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave it on high power until cooked through, about 15 seconds. Taste the cooked piece for seasoning and add more salt and/or pepper as desired.
• Transfer the mixture to a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan, being sure that no air bubbles get trapped underneath. (You may have some extra mix, depending on the capacity of your pan; this can be cooked in a ramekin or free-form next to the loaf.)
• Tear off a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to line a rimmed baking sheet and use it to tightly cover the meatloaf, crimping it around the edges of the pan.
• Refrigerate the meatloaf for one hour or up to 2 days.

Baking the Meatloaf

• Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Remove the meatloaf from the refrigerator.
• Without removing the foil cover, carefully invert the meatloaf onto a rimmed baking sheet.
• Loosen the foil and spread it out, leaving the pan on top of the meatloaf (see note).
• Fold up the edges of the foil to trap the liquid that escapes from the meatloaf while baking.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the meatloaf from the oven and unfold the foil laying it flat.
• Use a thin metal spatula to lift an edge of the inverted loaf pan, jiggling it until it slides off the meatloaf easily, and use oven mitts or a folded kitchen towel to remove the pan, leaving the meatloaf on the center of the foil.
• Return the meatloaf to the oven and bake until the center of the meatloaf registers 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 40 minutes longer. There will be quite a bit of exuded juices; this is OK.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Increase the oven temperature to 500°F.
• Meanwhile, Make the Glaze: Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and pepper in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is homogeneous, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Use a brush to apply some glaze to the meatloaf in a thin, even layer, then return it to the oven and bake for 3 minutes.
• Glaze again and bake for 3 minutes longer.
• Glaze one more time and bake until the glaze is beginning to bubble and is a deep burnished brown, about 4 minutes longer.
• Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
• Slice and serve with any extra glaze and mustard or ketchup as desired.