James Beards Old Fashioned Meat Loaf Recipes

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meats, onions, carrots, and spices. Mix well.
• Add in the eggs, milk, bread crumbs, and mix well.
• Place half of the mixture on a greased, shallow baking pan. Place hard boiled eggs (without shells, of course) end-to-end in a line through the loaf. Place remaining amount of mixture on top and form into a loaf with your hands.
• Place strips of bacon atop loaf in an attractive criss-cross pattern.
• Bake at 350 F for 90-120 minutes, depending upon how thick you have formed the loaf.

Steps:

• Place the bread in a small bowl, pour the milk over the bread, and let soak for 5 minutes.
• Put the meat in a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients, including the milk-soaked bread.
• Do not squeeze the moisture out of the bread.
• Using clean hands or a large spoon, stir the mixture together until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
• Form the mixture into a loaf about 6 inches long and e inches wide and tall.
• Set aside while you mix the sauce ingredients, or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
• Stir together all the sauce ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and set the meat loaf in the sauce.
• Spoon some of the sauce over the top of the meat loaf to coat it.
• Cook the meat loaf on HIGH for 1 hour.
• Decrease heat to LOW and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat loaf registers 165 degrees, 5-6 hours.
• Using two long, wide spatulas, remove the meat loaf from the slow cooker, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
• Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
• Cut the meat loaf into ½ inch thick slices with a serrated knife.
• Serve with some of the sauce.