Mega meatloaf | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to make Jamie Oliver meatloaf? ›

Add to the bowl of onion with the oregano, mustard and minced beef. Crack in the egg and add a really good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. With clean hands, scrunch and mix it up well. Move the meat mixture to a board, then pat and mould it into a large, rugby-ball shape and rub over a little oil.

Bread crumbs serve as a binding agent for the loaf, helping it not crumble after it's cooked.

The only way to guarantee tender meat is not to overcook it. And that's a simple matter of using a thermometer when you bake the meatloaf. Milk does, on the other hand, add moisture and fat and is worth including for that fact alone.

The Basic Meatloaf Formula

All recipes for meatloaf start with the same basic formula: 2 pounds of ground meat and a “panade” made of bread or crackers soaked in milk. Along with a few eggs, this panade helps to hold the ground meat together and adds some essential moisture to the mix.

Not Cooking the Meatloaf Long Enough

Undercooking the meatloaf can also contribute to excess moisture. Make sure to cook the meatloaf thoroughly to evaporate any excess liquid. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temperature reaches at least 160°F.

If you don't have any bread, you can substitute it for breadcrumbs, crackers, cereal grains, oatmeal, instant rice, instant barley, or even potato flakes! However, bread is still the best choice of all the potential options.

Fewer eggs will create a denser and firmer meatloaf that will be more compact and easier to slice, but more eggs can create a more tender and light texture that allows the meatloaf to melt in your mouth.

Mixing your ingredients too much is a very common mistake that can really make for meatloaf with a tough, dry texture. Self-control is the key; once the ingredients are mixed in, stop. Remember, the meatloaf is going to be mixed more as it's shaped before baking.

Cool before slicing: Let the loaf cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. If you baked your meatloaf in a loaf pan, carefully drain off the liquid fat before transferring the meatloaf to a cutting board. Cut into thick slices and serve.

Should I saute onions before adding to meatloaf? ›

I later learned how I could avoid this problem and make a fully smooth meatloaf by pre-cooking any vegetables, especially the onion, before adding them to the ground meat. This way the meatloaf gets the flavor without the rawness -- a method from the smart people at Cook's Illustrated.

Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.

It does seem quite a lot of onion, but as the onions cook they shrink in volume and should become very soft and slightly caramelized. So the meatloaf will not have the assertive, sharp flavour of raw onion but instead a mellow and sweet background flavour.

Should I cook my meatloaf covered or uncovered? The meatloaf can be cooked uncovered. However, if you are concerned about it burning, you can cover the meatloaf with foil for the first 45 minutes and uncover it for the final 15 minutes to allow the meatloaf to brown on top.

Covering your meatloaf is a matter of preference. When you cover a meatloaf, the meat cooks more evenly thanks to the steam trapped inside the pan. The foil or lid also helps the meat retain its moisture, which is useful when cooking with lean meats (like chicken or turkey).