Proudly Your Grandmother’s Meatloaf
I loved my Bub (short for Bubba/Babushka) and she made kick ass meatloaf. I will never forget the time I was in 9th grade and she packed her killer meatloaf for my lunch. Side note: when my mom and stepdad would travel for extended periods of time, usually I’d stay with my Bub (my dad’s mom). My Bub had a knack for cooking comfort food and she was never afraid of garlic and onions… or liver for that matter— but we’re not going there today.
Okay, back to the story. I was staying at Bub’s and she made one of her staples — meatloaf. And without a doubt, I was taking that for lunch the next day. 8 a.m. rolls around and she’s dropping me off in her Pontiac (the ultimate Bubmobile). She sends me off with a lipstick kiss and a brown paper bag filled with meatloaf, I toss the brown bag in my locker and head on my merry way to class. Next thing I know, it’s around noon and everyone is let out for lunch — we were a small high school okay?! — and the hallway reeked of my Bub’s meatloaf. Kids were literally keeling over from the intense garlic, onion, ketchup smell. My locker mate (who I happened to have a crush on at the time) yelled, “WHAT THE HELL IS THAT AWFUL SMELL?!” I was mortified, but I also loved my Bub’s meatloaf — what was a girl to do?
Now as a confident *young* adult — haha — I am trying to recreate my Bub’s recipe. Unfortunately, I never got my hands on that special recipe book, so I made this recipe up that — smells — and tastes like the masterpiece she used to make.
Servings: 6
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
Meatloaf
2 pounds of ground beef
2 eggs
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion chopped
½ cup of milk
1 cup of bread crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon of steak seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons of worcheshire sauce
Sauce
1 cup of ketchup
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of dried mustard
2 tablespoons of dry red wine (because why not have a glass of wine while you cook)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9 X 13 pan.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, eggs, garlic, onion, milk, bread crumbs, parsley, steak seasoning, teaspoon salt, teaspoon pepper, worcheshire sauce. Knead until mixed well. Form loaf on greased pan.
In a bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, red wine. Mix well and pour on top of your meatloaf, making sure all surface areas are covered.
Put the glazed meatloaf in the oven for 45 minutes at 375. Then increase the heat to 400 for 20 minutes. Meatloaf should reach 160F internally. Cooking it low and slow is the best way to ensure a juicy meatloaf.
Serve
Slice your meatloaf in 1 inch serving pieces. Pair with mashed potatoes, peas, corn, or any other comfort food that makes you think of your grandma and serve!
If you’ve tried this meatloaf recipe or have specific ingredients you like to use, please share in the comments below!
Cheers,
JJ