What makes meatloaf stick together?

Question

I can make a good tasting meatloaf but it always seems to crumble. Am I adding too much egg, too big of bread crumbs, or just using to greasy of burger (80%), not mixing enough? I don't know......

I want to know what it takes to make a loaf that can be sliced thin as I am a big fan of left over meatloaf sandwiches.

Answer 1

This you never read.

Cook it in water until done. It will retain it's shape and you only need to bake it of. You will get a nice brown skin without breaking.

In my book the only way of making it to 'survive' thin slicing.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Dad's Meatloaf with Tomato Relish Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence



Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
User Rating:




Tomato Relish:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Meatloaf:
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
1/4 cup whole milk
11/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
3 eggs
Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 bacon slices


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.

Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meat loaf together.

This is where you get your hands dirty! In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.

Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Transfer the meat mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.

Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every now and then to insure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side. Unbelievably moist!

Answer 4

I think you have to mix it thoroughly, so everything is blended and it's of an even consistency, and the bread crumbs should be very fine, not just broken up bread. If it is just lightly mixed, it won't hold together well. But I'm intrigued by the suggestion that it be steamed or boiled first.and then browned in the oven...

Answer 5

Tyler Florence Meat Loaf

Answer 6

It should be the egg holding it together. You might have too many bread crumbs or they could be too big. I add a couple of glugs of milk and squish it up really well with my hands.

Answer 7

Eggs,bread crumbs and crackers

Answer 8

Eggs with the bread crumbs

Answer 9

You should use another egg, the protein in the eggs should coagulate when you cook it, bringing everything together better.

Answer 10

the egg should hold it together. make sure you aren't over-cooking