It's Winter, It's Time for Meatloaf!!!

Mmmm, tasty Meatloaf!

Well Christmas and New Year's are over, and I have had about as much ham and turkey as I can take. Don't get me wrong I love turkey, and I really love ham, but there comes a time when you have to say no and shift gears.

It's wintertime and there's no better comfort food then meatloaf… simple, glorious, meatloaf.  My Mom used to make some of the best meatloaf I had every tasted, and I have to say, my wife made a meatloaf one time that I still dream about.

My local grocery store has great meatloaf but they put way, way, way too much dang ketchup on top of it.  I saw a recipe not too long ago online, and I thought I would adjust it a bit too suit my tastes and publish my version.

Here you go, this is a big one by the way, it should feed about five or six people to start with, and it'll leave plenty for sandwiches.

Here we go!!!

Ingredients

2 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

1 small onion

2 ribs of celery

4 green onions

½ green pepper

5 cloves of garlic

1 tbs salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tbs Tony Chachere's

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce

2 egg (beaten)

1 tsp hot sauce

1½ cup breadcrumbs

Glaze

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup ketchup

1 tbs Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp hot sauce

2 tbs Creole mustard

1 tsp Tony Chachere's

½ tsp allspice (opt)

½ tsp black pepper

Preparation

In a very large bowl, combine the pork and the beef together and mix well.  Rough chop up your small onion, green pepper, green onions, celery, and drop them, and your garlic cloves, into the food processor.  Give them a few good pulses until they're ground up pretty small, about the size of coleslaw.  Add them to your ground pork and beef.

Add your breadcrumbs, two beaten eggs, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and all your herbs and spices.  Now you need to mix the entire contents of the bowl together very well.  Gather the meat and everything up into a big ball and transfer it to a large cake pan you have lined with foil and sprayed the foil with cooking spray.

Make the glaze, by combining all ingredients in a bowl and make sure the brown sugar is dissolved well, stir until the glaze is smooth.  Set aside for now.

Smooth the loaf into a long, cylindrical, mound making sure it's neat and even.  This not only makes for a ice presentation, but helps it to cook evenly.  Put it in a 350º for 20 mins.

After 20 minutes, slide the meatloaf out and spoon the glaze over the top of it.  Spread this out with a spoon or brush until the entire loaf has a thin layer on the top and sides.  Now return the meatloaf to the over for 1 more hour, a thermometer should read 160º.

When it's done, wait 10 mins. after removing it from the oven before you cut it, so the juices won't run out.(Be careful when using your thermometer, once you pierce the outer layer, juices are gonna come oozing out of there and could make it dry.  You can plug the hole with the end of a wooden skewer.)

If you don't have a food processor, try your best to chop these veggies up as small as possible into a fine mince or use a grater.  These really do make this meatloaf recipe.  Be sure and try this, and don't let your meat loaf!