Andy Lien

In my book, there are metformin hydrochloride and weight loss four facets to meatloaf. Its moistness, its flavor, its crust-to-meat ratio, and its ability to make a good Meatloaf Sandwich. Because I am publishing this recipe on my blog, it is probably a pretty good indication that it meets–and exceeds–all of the criteria for a stellar meatloaf.

Moistness-wise (wow…I hate the word “moist” so much), it’s about fat content, baking method, and added liquid. I use nothing less fatty than 85/15 for ground beef. And, though it sits in its own fat, I always bake it in a cake pan (or loaf pan if the meatloaf is small enough…which this isn’t) rather than in foil on a broiler pan. The water is important, as are the eggs, for binding with the stuffing to make a cohesive block o’ beefness.

Flavor is crucial. With meatloaf, sometimes I prefer it doesn’t taste overwhelmingly like meat. I know, but I’m just not an “I’m gonna sit and eat me some meat” kind of gal. So, this has my favorite condiment in it (barbecue sauce), an onion (because I think they belong in everything), and the seasonings of the Stove Top Stuffing to help it out. I’m not sure if the flavor of stuffing is important. I use chicken, but I’d be interested to hear if you try out the cornbread or turkey varieties. Heck, you can even buy the generic stuff. What you want in that box is small seasoned dry bread cubes…the rest is up to you.

The crust-to-meat ratio is what enhances the flavor. I love the little-bit-burnt taste of the crust. Do not refer to the picture below to gauge the accurate amount of crust–that loaf was left in ten minutes too long (I blame the arrival of my dinner guests). But, you want the barbecue sauce on the outside of the meatloaf to be in there long enough for the sugar to start to burn just a tad bit. It makes for a more flavorful meatloaf experience. And, unlike my pictures below, I might even make the meatloaf a little flatter and wider…thereby giving even more surface area on which to form a nice caramelized crust. It makes for a better Meatloaf Sandwich, too.

Oh, the Meatloaf Sandwich. When done well, it is a thing of beauty. When not done well, it is best left unmentioned. So, let me tell you how I like my Meatloaf Sandwich: One heated slab of meatloaf between two slices of bread, one side with a thin layer of butter and one side with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Yum. It is sublime. The meatloaf in this recipe slices well–as long as you make the onion pieces small enough (smaller than in the pictures here). When the onion pieces cook, the onion seeps juice and make a little juice cocoon* in the meatloaf which, if too large, might cause cracking and endangers the integrity of the slices of meatloaf. If the slices of meatloaf are compromised, you may have a hot mess on your sandwich hands. And, like me, that might be completely fine…if I’m not in public.

After all of the details first, I give you the easy part. The recipe:

Stuffed Meatloaf
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 Box metformin hcl 850 mg Stove Top Stuffing, Chicken
1 Cup Water
2 Eggs
1 Medium Onion, minced
1/2 Cup Barbecue Sauce (mixed in)
1/2 Cup Barbecue Sauce (spread atop)
Salt & Pepper (sprinkled atop)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and pull out a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.
Mix together all of the ingredients.
Form into a loaf shape in the 9″ x 13″ pan.
Spread barbecue sauce all over loaf and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 1 hour.

THAT’S IT. If I had written it into a run-on sentence, it would’ve been ONE INSTRUCTION LONG. Wonderful. Enjoy.

It cooks through all moist and tasty and it’s enough to last a singleton a business week of suppers and meatloaf-sandwich lunches. Perfect. Just don’t do that. That’s a whole lot of red meat to consume in a short period of time. So, I’ll also mention the final factor in a good meatloaf:

It freezes well.

Have at it.

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*I hope to never utter the phrase “juice cocoon” in a food blog ever again. Between saying “moist” and saying “juice cocoon,” I don’t know what’s come over me.