THE MEATLOAF CONTEST
Norman Van Aken, © 2013
The Pier House ‘Meatloaf Contest’ was inspired one fateful afternoon by my dear friend Danny Mc Hugh. But it was most decidedly not a culinary head to head but a head to head of another order altogether. This one involved men and a kind of out gunning that belongs safely in the chapter named “The Pier House” and far from the world of recipes!
Yield: Serves 6-8
Meat mixture:
1# beef chuck, ground
1# pork, ground
1 large sweet onion, peeled and diced small
1 large carrot, peeled and diced small
2 Tablespoons Roasted Garlic oil
½ # mushrooms, sliced
3 Tablespoons blended oil
2 Tablespoons of Roasted Garlic, mashed
¼ Cup tomato paste
2 Tablespoons Pick-a-peppa
2 eggs
½ Cup Panko
½ Cup buttermilk
½ Tablespoons thyme, chopped
½ Tablespoons oregano, chopped
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper
Enough bacon strips to line loaf pan
salt and pepper to taste
Heat a medium sized pan and add in the blended oil over medium high heat and add in the onions and carrots. Allow to caramelize seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the vegetables from the pan to a bowl. Add in the Roasted Garlic Oil. Add in the mushrooms and sauté them until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool. In a small bowl whisk together the Roasted Garlic, tomato paste, Pick-a-Peppa and eggs. Now combine the vegetables and mushrooms with the ground meats in a bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients except bacon in a bowl and mix together by hand. Lay bacon strips in bottom of a loaf pan. Place meat mixture in pan and smooth out. Top with glaze. (Recipe below). Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour, or until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees. Allow to rest about 10 minutes to settle. Serve or Refrigerate until cool, preferably overnight. Cut out from loaf pan to serve.
Glaze:
½ Cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon Dry mustard
Combine in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
3.16.13
