Meatloaf Challenge

Well, we did it again. This is Part 2 of our food challenge game with our friends Pat and Steve, Janet and Jeff, and Lisa. This challenge brought in a new contender, our friend Joanie and her hubby, Johnny. In our last challenge, the Rotisserie Chicken Challenge, it was about bringing the best rotisserie chicken you know of from a restaurant, store, or wherever…but you did not make it.

The rules this time were easy, you HAD to make the meatloaf at home on your own. All said and done, there were six meatloaves to try, although, Janet and Jeff pulled a good one and brought one from Safeway since in the rotisserie chicken challenge Annie had grabbed one from Smart & Final (amazingly, the one from Smart & Final won).

Joanie came in 1^st Place, Steve came in 2^nd, and Annie came in 3^rd. Great meatloaves were had and a meat coma was also had. Good times. A great night of food, wine, and friends. Below you will see the descriptions of each meatloaf as well as a slideshow of photos from the night.

Steve and Pat’s meatloaf (#6): 1 pound each of pork, turkey, and chicken. 3 chopped celery stocks, 3 eggs, 3 slices of soaked bread, and dried thyme. Mix together, season with salt and pepper and cook until internal temperature is 160.

Jeff and Janet’s meatloaf (#1 and #2): Italian bread crumbs, beef – turkey – pork – bacon, onions, garlic, and Montreal steak seasoning. Mix together, season well with salt and pepper and form into a loaf. Wrap the top in bacon strips. Cook at 350 until internal temp is 160. They also brought a store-bought meatloaf from Safeway as a joke because Annie had grabbed a rotisserie chicken from Smart & Final for our rotisserie chicken challenge…and that actually won.

Joanie’s meatloaf (#3): The Bacon-Ate-ER is a luscious feast of beef and pork with a touch of sweetness from brown sugar, maple syrup and bacon jam. Onions and bacon are caramelized together with a touch of brown sugar and maple syrup then set aside to candy into wonderfulness. When cooled the mixture is mixed into the beef and maple sausage mixture with an egg, bread crumbs and more maple syrup. Formed into a loaf and placed in a pan, it is topped with a healthy smear of Trader Joe’s Bacon jam and topped with a 2nd layer of Stonewall Kitchen CHILI bacon jam. IT should have been topped with Bacon-Cheddar cheese (from Trader Joe’s) but alas I was out!

Annie’s Traeger meatloaf (#4): Caramelize a chopped onion in butter. Add 8-10 cloves of garlic when the onions are getting brown. Add fresh sage and saute a bit longer. Mix together with: 2lbs ground beef, 1lb ground pork, 1 c breadcrumbs soaked in 1 c heavy cream, 1/2 lb bacon, chopped into small pieces. Season to taste with garlic salt and black pepper. Cook on the Traeger at 350 for about an hour and a half, or until internal temperature is 160.

Annie’s Second meatloaf (#5): Saute a yellow onion in butter. Add 10-12 cloves garlic minced. Add fresh thyme 1-2 tablespoons. Garlic salt and pepper. Add together with: Fire roasted, peeled, and chopped 2 Poblano chiles. Can of green roasted chilies, 2 lbs of ground turkey, 1 lb ground pork, whole tube of Soyrizo  (sautéed/browned), 1 cup bread crumbs soaked in 1 cup heavy cream, 3 eggs. Mix well and form into a meatloaf. Roast in 350 oven until internal temp is 160, about 2 hours (less time if you make it into 2 loaves).