Week #8 – December 23

This week took some research because we had a Monday evening event with friends coming over after. They were to join us for Meatloaf Monday. The piles of recipes did not contain a crockpot recipe for meatloaf, so I employed my friend Melissa’s recipe at this point, called Millennial Meatloaf.

Even though she is a self-professed millennial, the first person to grab her phone to fact check or look up what we need in a meeting, she has cute recipe cards and even wrote out very detailed instructions for me. A true to the heart millennial might have just texted to me, use Pinterest. I appreciate her lemony effort.   First, I had to reactivate a very old Pinterest account. I added one word and ended up with “The Best Crockpot Meatloaf Recipe” See? Even Pinterest claims to have the best meatloaf recipe. I do like Melissa’s thinking on “easy and quick” though.

This recipe from “The Chunky Chef” offered this information.   A meatloaf cooked in the crockpot is not as difficult to ‘mess up’ and be dry or tough.  Wait! I had not messed up any meatloaf to this point, had I?  Maybe I had no idea and did. I love the helpful hints throughout this recipe. For example, ground beef is best if ‘80/20 or 85/15’. Fat content always improves the odds, right?  ‘Use hands to mix’. Yep, learned this in Week #5.  Inspired, I added to my skills by watching some videos on mincing onions. It was not very helpful. People like me cannot use knives safely to cut tiny pieces. Others have recommended I try a grater or food processor.   I found both these to make the onions wet and slimy. I am sure I am not executing the suggestions correctly. One more comment. I think we all can agree we can trust someone called ‘The Chunky Chef’. So, here it is.

Best Crockpot Meatloaf Recipe

By: The Chunky Chef

Meatloaf
2 lbs. of ground beef
1 large yellow onion, finely minced
2 boxes (6 oz. each) dried stuffing mix. (I like the savory herbs variety)
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
2 T. glaze (see below)
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. black pepper

Brown Sugar Ketchup Glaze
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 T. finely minced onion
1 T. yellow mustard
2 t. white vinegar
1/2 t. black pepper

1. Line crock pot with foil. Heavy duty works well. Lightly spray with non-stick cooking oil.
2. Combine all ketchup glaze ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk and set aside.
3. Add ground beef, minced onion, stuffing mix, milk, eggs, 2 T. of glaze, salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix until well combined.
4. Shape into an oval-like shape and place in foil lined crock pot. Top with 1/2 cup of the glaze, cover, and cook on low for 6 hours (3 hours on high).
5. When finished cooking, carefully lift out the meatloaf, using the foil overhang, and place on baking sheet. Top with 2/3 cup of the glaze and broil until glaze is sticky and bubbly.
6. Serve sliced with remaining glaze sauce served on the side for drizzling.

You are more than welcome to search for this recipe on www.chunkychef.com.  It really was a great way to keep Meatloaf Monday going and cook while I was not home. Six adults, including Jana and her family, tried this recipe. It seemed to get very good reviews. A young man who joined the McVettas gave it a 9.7.  He lives on his own and likely does not get too many home-cooked meals or he was trying to impress. Either way, it was so nice of him. Terry was only slightly less impressed at 9.2.   This would move “The Chunky Chef” into 3^rd place, with mine still inappropriately sitting at a 10. You know what would be fun? To slip mine in now and see what he ranks it. Would he even recognize it? I might have to do that to spice up the January doldrums.