I believe the best Italian sub near you is at…

If you change your mind and want pizza instead, I can also tell you the best pizza near you.

What makes a great Italian sub?

As long as it’s delicious, there is no wrong way to make an Italian sub. But, having eating many, many Italian subs in my life I believe the following items are what make a truly great sandwich.

Freshly cut, high quality cold cuts

The best Italian subs use cold cuts that are sliced to order. After cold cuts are sliced, they dry out and lose flavor. I’ve had bad subs where the only problem is tasteless cold cuts. So disappointing!

It takes a lot of time to slice cold cuts just for one sandwich, so many shops slice ahead of time. Ideally, the cold cuts are sliced the same day. Most supermarkets slice to order at their deli counter, which is why you can get a surprisingly good sandwich from there!

There is a full list of common cold cuts in my Italian Sub Recipe.

Great bread

The bread is almost as important as the cold cuts. The ideal bread for an Italian sub is a roll that has a slightly crisp crust and tender inside. You want enough crust to hold up to wet toppings like dressing and tomatoes. But, if the crust is too chewy it will cause your fillings to squirt out when you take a bite.

French bread works well. Baguettes are a little too firm, but also work if that’s all you have.

Great dressing

The best dressing for an Italian sub is some combination of vinegar and oil. The vinegar provides a sour kick that cuts through the richness of the cold cuts. My favorite is an Italian dressing. Here is a recipe for my homemade sub dressing.

Mustard is also a great dressing because it also contains vinegar. I usually avoid mayonnaise because the cold cuts have enough fat, but it can help provide moisture if you have mostly dry ingredients.

Great toppings

Toppings can make or break a sandwich. I look for toppings that bring texture as well as taste. For example, pepperoncini bring a tart, slightly spicy flavor, but also a great crunch. My favorites are:

• Pepperoncini – Tart and spicy with a nice crunch. Best sliced thinly.
• Raw onions – Aromatic and sharp with a nice crunch. Best sliced super thin.
• Roasted red peppers – Sweet and juicy.

More Suggestions Near You

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The main cause of a mushy meatloaf is too much bread and milk for the amount of meat. To fix the issue, try reducing the amount of bread and milk by half. Another fix is to double the amount of meat.

If your recipe does not use bread and milk, read on for other ideas to solve your problem.

Reduce the meatloaf filler

Bread is the classic meatloaf filler, but there are many recipes that call for other fillers. Crackers, breadcrumbs, and oatmeal all make excellent meatloaf when used in the right proportion. Regardless of which filler you use, too much can make for a mushy meatloaf.

You should reduce the amount of filler in your recipe. This will create a meatloaf with a firmer texture. In addition to reducing the filler, you will need to reduce the amount of moisture as well.

Reduce the liquids

If you reduce the amount of filler in your meatloaf, you will also need to reduce the amount of liquids. Some liquid ingredients add flavor, like soy sauce, ketchup and worcestershire sauce. Other liquids are for moisture, like milk and water. You should reduce the liquids that provide moisture by the same ratio as you reduced your filler. So, if you cut the amount of breadcrumbs in your recipe by half, also reduce the amount of milk by half.

Add more eggs

Its fairly standard to add one egg per pound of meat. If your recipe doesn’t call for an egg, you can try adding one. If you’re already adding eggs, you could try adding another. It’s unlikely that it’s going to solve a problem with an extremely mushy meatloaf. But, it will create a slightly firmer structure that holds together better when slicing.

Use the inverted loaf pan or free form method

One possible problem with a mushy meatloaf is that not enough of the liquids are able to drain during cooking. This happens with the classic loaf pan method. Because standard loaf pans don’t have drain holes, your meatloaf ends up simmering in liquids rather than baking.

There are two different methods of baking that will allow more liquids to drain off during cooking. The free form baking method uses a sheet pan with no mold, which allows more liquids to drain out of the meatloaf during cooking. The inverted loaf pan uses a standard loaf pan inverted to preserve the shape of the meatloaf but while still allowing the liquids to drain off.

Both methods are described in our Ultimate Guide To Meatloaf.

Cook it longer

A mushy meatloaf is unlikely to be caused by undercooking. But, you can definitely tighten up a meatloaf a bit by cooking it longer.

As temperature increases, the meat fibers contract and squeeze out moisture. This happens most commonly with steaks, which is why a rare steak is much juicier than one that is well done. The same thing happens to meatloaf.

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Adobada means “marinated” in Spanish and is a dish that originated in Mexico. It is based on pork, dried red chiles and spices and can be braised or grilled. Adovada refers to a dish from New Mexico that also contains pork but features local New Mexico dried red chiles and is always braised.

Both dishes have a rich chile flavor however the Mexican variation is often more complex with the addition of more ingredients. The New Mexico variety is generally much simpler and is focused on the pure taste of the chiles and meat.

Adobada is pronounced ah-doh-BAH-duh. Adovada is pronounced nearly the same, ah-doh-VAH-duh. The variations in spelling are because the letters B and V in Spanish are essentially pronounced the same. Both sound somewhere between the sounds of B and V in English. You can hear the pronunciation here.

Adobada

Carne adobada can be found over most parts of Mexico. In some areas it may be called carne enchilada or cecina enchilada. The marinade is also very similar to that used for al pastor, but the cooking method is very different.

Adobada has a deep, earthy flavor from toasted guajillo chiles. It’s also rich and complex from the spices used.

Meat for Adobada

A braised adobada often starts with a pork shoulder cut into large cubes, but can also include pork ribs. This is a good preparation for tough cuts of pork.

Grilled adobada often starts with thinly sliced pork shoulder or leg. The thin slices cook quickly and take on a nice char when cooked over hot coals or on a griddle pan.

Adobada spices

The main spice used in adobada is the guajillo chile. It’s one of the most commonly used chiles in Mexico. It has a small amount of heat and provides a flavorful backbone for many Mexican dishes.

When compared to recipes for adovada, adobada generally contains a lot more ingredients. Common additional ingredients include vinegar, oregano, garlic, cumin, thyme, cloves, bay, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and achiote.

Is adobada spicy?

Adobada is not very spicy. The heat level can vary based on the chiles used, however. Most adobada will be made from guajillo chiles which are considered to be fairly mild. If you are extremely sensitive to spicy food you might want to try something else, but most people would consider adobada to be mild.

How to serve adobada

A braised adobada is great served with a side of rice and beans and warm tortillas.

Grilled adobada is often used a filling for tacos.

How to make adobada

The easiest way to understand the adobada preparation is to watch a video. The best adobada videos are in Spanish, though. Below is a video from one of my favorite cooking YouTubers. You can turn on English auto-generated subtitles if you don’t speak Spanish.

Adovada

The New Mexican adovada is a very simple dish that showcases one of New Mexico’s finest products, which are it’s chile peppers. The New Mexico red chiles used are not very hot but have a bright flavor and color. Chiles are often toasted before rehydrating to deepen the flavor. With adovada it’s best to leave the chiles untoasted to preserve the brightness.

Adovada is often much simpler than the Mexican dish on which it is based but generally contains pork, red chiles, garlic, oregano and cumin. The spices are very similar to those used for American chili. The flavor is bright from the New Mexican chiles and subtly complex.

Meat for adovada

Pork shoulder is the preferred cut for adovada. I would start with a boneless shoulder and cut into 1-1/2″ cubes. There is no need to brown the pork at the start of the recipe, as is common with stews. The focal point of this dish is the red chiles, so there isn’t a need to develop any deep meat flavors before adding the rest of the ingredients.

This video below is a great, well-tested adovada recipe.

Which one is better?

There is really no sense in trying to compare adobada and adovada. Both are amazing! Below is my recipe for Mexican-style adobada.

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Grilled Pork Adobada

Pork marinated in a flavorful red chile paste.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword adobada, pork, tacos

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork shoulder or loin sliced thinly
• 3 tbsp dark red chile powder guajillo, ancho, or other dark red chile
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp mexican oregano
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/4 cup vinegar white or apple cider
• black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Slice the pork into 1/4 inch slices and set aside. 
• Mix the remaining ingredients except for the vinegar. 
• Add vinegar until you end up with a paste about as thick as gravy. 
• Add the pork and mix with your hands until you coat all of the pork.
• Fire up the grill and cook uncovered over high heat for a few minutes on each side. 

Notes

• The marinade should be thick enough to stick to the pork well.  Because the mixture acts almost more like a rub than a marinade, you can just put this straight onto the grill.
• Ideally, you should heat the grill to hot enough so you can char each side without drying out the meat.  If you don’t think your grill gets that hot, try just cooking on one side until the meat is cooked through and then remove (without ever flipping over).

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This simple recipe for baby back pork ribs can be made entirely in an oven, but are even better on an outdoor grill. The ribs are rubbed with spices before pre-cooking in the oven. Later, they are coated with BBQ sauce and then either broiled in the oven, or grilled to a beautiful dark mahogany.

Baby back ribs are ideal for this recipe because they are meaty and more tender than other rib cuts, which keeps the cooking time down. They’re also easier to cut, so you don’t blow your Pro BBQ image at the end by fumbling through the final cutting. They’re a little more expensive than the other cuts, but they’re worth it. If you cheap out and get something else, you’ll just need to pre-cook them in the oven for an extra 1/2 hour.

Shopping List

Here is what you need to get from the store:

• Baby back ribs – Plan on each rack feeding 2-3 people.
• BBQ rub – You should be able to find this in the supermarket. Otherwise there is a recipe below. The average sized container of this probably will cover 4 racks.
• BBQ sauce – You can definitely find this at the store. Count on one bottle per two racks of ribs. Any brand that looks Pro.
• Aluminum foil – The heavy duty stuff is easier to work with, but the regular stuff is ok.
• Baking sheet – The ribs will be wrapped in foil but you still need something under them in the oven.

Prepare the Ribs

Lay out a sheet of foil about twice as long as a rack of ribs. Place the ribs on the foil rib side down. Cover the meaty side with the bbq rub. Flip over and cover the bone side. Now wrap the ribs tightly with the foil keeping the meat side down. Your goal is to avoid any leaks. Now repeat with all the racks. The ribs should now sit at least an hour, but could go into the fridge for 48 hours.

Pre-Cook the Ribs

Preheat your oven to 300. Place the ribs on a baking sheet, keeping the ribs with the meaty side down. Bake for 1 hour. This will yield ribs that are tender but still a bit snappy. This is how the pros do it. If you insist on them falling off the bone, you can cook them for an extra 30 min. But, falling off the bone ribs are a sure sign of a rookie, so I would avoid that. If you used another cut of ribs, then add 30 min.

Now that the ribs are pre-cooked, you have a few options. They can be finished off under the broiler or on the grill immediately. They can sit for an hour or two. Or, they can be refrigerated for a couple days. This allows you to prep them ahead and finish them whenever you like. A pro would cook them before his guests arrive.

Finish the Ribs

When you’re ready to eat, fire up the broiler or grill. While that heats up, unwrap the ribs and carefully drain off the juices into container. (There’s a bonus use for that below for the true pros.)

Give the ribs a light shake of the BBQ rub again just on the meaty side. Place under the broiler or on the grill. Let them get a little color before coating with a light coating of bbq sauce. Turn them occasionally and continue coating with sauce. If grilling, keep the heat to medium or lower so they don’t burn. Give them at least 20 min on the grill. If they were refrigerated you’ll want to go at least 30 min to make sure they’re hot all the way through.

Serving like a Pro

A pro would now cut the ribs into two rib sections so it’s easier for guests to grab them. What kind of monster would only take one rib anyway, right?

Bonus Pro Sauce

To really look like a pro, you need a home made sauce, right? Wrong. You just need to look like you made a home made sauce. Here is how you do it.

Take the juices from pre-cooking the ribs and put them into a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer uncovered until they reduce to about 1/4 of the original volume. It should get quite a bit thicker but be careful that it doesn’t burn. Once it’s reduced, a bunch of bottled BBQ sauce into the saucepan and heat it until it simmers. Pro sauce is always a bit thinner than store bought sauce, so that’s what you’re going for.

Serve it in a bowl on the table. Use it to grill the ribs. Hide the bottles of sauce so no one knows you didn’t make it. When they ask if it’s home made, you can say “yes” because you did make it. Sort of.

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BBQ Rub

This is a classic BBQ rub for pork ribs. You should cover your ribs with this the day before cooking. You can also put this in a shaker on the table for the dry bbq snobs at your party.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown sugar light or dark
• 2 tbsp kosher salt or 1/2 as much table salt
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp onion powder or granulated
• 1 tbsp garlic powder or granulated
• 1 tbsp black pepper ground

Instructions

• Mix and shake on ribs before cooking and after cooking. Put on the table to use as a seasoning.

Notes

This should be enough for one rack of ribs with some extra. Increase according to how many racks you’re cooking.

It’s fine if you don’t have all the ingredients. As long as you have the sugar and salt, the rest is optional. 

The post Simple baby back pork ribs in the oven appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

This coleslaw recipe features finely sliced cabbage and onion in a light and creamy dressing. The dressing is very lightly sweet and tart and will complement any pulled pork sandwich. The method of prepping the cabbage will leave the perfect amount of crunch.

I wish I could take full credit for this recipe. It’s based on one by Serious Eats that I thought was awesome, but a bit too flavorful to go on a pulled pork sandwich. I tweaked their recipe quite a few times until I came up with this variation that is just about perfect to me. I’ve made this same recipe many times to eat with fried chicken sandwiches and other BBQ meals and it always gets rave reviews.

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Creamy coleslaw for pulled pork

This coleslaw is designed to be the perfect topping (or side dish) for a BBQ pulled pork sandwich. It has a light, creamy dressing and won't get nearly as watery as other coleslaw recipes because of the preparation of the cabbage.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword barbeque, bbq, coleslaw, pulled pork

Ingredients

• 1 head (~3lbs) green cabbage sliced thinly, or pre-sliced cabbage
• 1 whole white onion sliced as thinly as you can
• 1 cup sugar white granulated
• 1/2 cup kosher salt or 1/4 cup table salt
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup vinegar white or apple cider
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp black pepper ground, to taste

Instructions

• In a very large mixing bowl, combine the sliced cabbage and onion with the sugar and salt. Massage the mixture by squeezing the cabbage and onion between your fingers until the cabbage starts to feel wet. Do this for about 5 minutes and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Rinse and drain the cabbage. Dry it well with paper towels.
• Mix the remaining ingredients into a large serving bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the cabbage and mix. Let sit for an hour (or up to 24 hours) before serving.

Notes

The initial massaging of the cabbage with sugar and salt does two things. It draws water out of the cabbage so it doesn’t get as watery after adding the dressing. It also seasons the cabbage so that it has just the right amount of salt all the way through the cabbage (not just in the dressing).

You shouldn’t need to add any salt to the dressing, but if the finished coleslaw tastes like it needs more salt, it’s fine to add some.

The post Coleslaw recipe for pulled pork appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

The best binder for making a meatloaf is whatever you already have in your kitchen. It is an excellent use for stale bread and crackers, old breadcrumbs, oatmeal, unsweetened cereal and even leftover potatoes.

Bread is the most popular meatloaf binder

Bread is one of the best and most popular binders for meatloaf. Probably because we always have lots of stale bread around. Bread works just as well whether it’s fresh, stale or dry. Any break you use should be cut or torn into very small pieces or run through a food processor. You will also need to adjust the amount of liquid in your recipe to compensate for moisture in the bread.

As with most binders, you’ll want to use 1/2 to 1 cup of bread per pound of meat. More bread will result in a softer, more tender meatloaf. Less bread and your meatloaf will be firmer.

A good guide for adjusting the amount of liquid is that dry bread will need about twice as much liquid as fresh bread. You can easily adjust by knowing that your binder and liquid together should be the consistency of a paste. There should be no extra liquid after mixing your bread and liquids together. If there is, pour it off.

Breadcrumbs work too

Breadcrumbs work very similar to dry bread in meatloaf. The main thing to pay attention to is whether the breadcrumbs have added salt or spices. If you made them homemade then you can use them the same way as with dry bread. If they’re store bought, you should taste them and make sure the flavor will work and then adjust the salt accordingly.

Panko is a Japanese variety of breadcrumbs that also works well for meatloaf. They may or may not have added salt, use them cautiously. They take longer to absorb liquids that other breadcrumbs so you may need to soak them longer to gauge the consistency. You are also looking for the consistency of a paste once the liquids have been fully absorbed.

Crackers are also great

Crackers behave just like breadcrumbs in meatloaf. They can be fresh or stale and work just as well. They always have added salt so reduce the total amount of salt if you’re using a recipe that normally uses a binder without added salt. Crackers also need to be crushed or run through a food processor before using. To crush by hand you can put them in a zipper bag and use something heavy like a skillet or rolling pin to gently crush them.

Nearly any crackers will work. Here are a few ideas:

• Ritz Crackers
• Cheez-Its
• Saltines
• Matzo

Cereal Grains work great

Cereal grains work really well as a meatloaf binder but you need to adjust your recipe differently for each. Here are some cereal grains that work well. You’ll want to process most of these through a food processor so they resemble the texture of breadcrumbs. Most don’t have added salt so make sure your final recipe has enough.

• Oatmeal – Instant oatmeal can be used without processing. Run traditional oats through a food processor or else it may not cook thoroughly.
• Instant rice – Rice must be the instant type and must be processed unless you’re ok with big pieces of rice in your meatloaf. That might ok, though.
• Instant barley – Barley must also be the instant type to cook through properly.
• Corn flakes – Any low sugar breakfast cereal could work, but just watch out for any with a lot of sugar or flavors that would not taste good in a meatloaf.

I hope this goes without saying, but you will NOT be happy if you make a meatloaf using apple and cinnamon oatmeal, or Fruity Pebbles. Stick with unflavored cereal grains.

Potatoes totally work as a meatloaf binder

Yes, potatoes totally work. It’s a great way to get rid of a small amount of leftover mashed or boiled potatoes. You can also use instant potato flakes. As with breadcrumbs, shoot for a paste consistency and watch out for added salt. You should add an extra egg to your recipe when substituting potatoes because they do not hold a meatloaf together quite as well as the other options.

Great meatloaf resources

• The Ultimate Guide to Meatloaf
• Improved Betty Crocker home-style meatloaf recipe
• The best binder for meatloaf?
• Getting a deep, brown crust on meatloaf
• How many pans do you need to make a meatloaf?
• Serious Eats Food Lab
• Turkey Meatloaf from America’s Test Kitchen (YouTube)

The post The best binder for meatloaf is already in your kitchen appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

The key steps to get an amazing meatloaf crust on your meatloaf are:

• Add baking soda to the meatloaf
• Brush the meatloaf with oil before baking
• Increase the temperature of the oven
• Add the glaze after the crust has formed

You can use any or all of these techniques to get that ultra brown crust you’re looking for.

Baking soda increases browning

Baking soda increases the ph level, which increases the maillard reaction. This is a scientific way of saying that adding baking soda to meat makes it brown faster. This works for lots of things, including meatloaf. Baking soda can impact the flavor of your meatloaf if you use too much.

Since you only need the baking soda for browning you don’t need to mix it into the meat. Mix the baking soda with water and brush it on the meatloaf before baking. This will help the crust form a deep, dark layer.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to about 2 tablespoons of water per pound of meat. For example, for a meatloaf with 2 lbs of meat, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to 4 tablespoons of water. After you have formed the loaf, brush it with the mixture and let it sit for at least 10 minutes (or up to 30 minutes) before baking.

Oil helps the crust form

Brushing the meatloaf with a thin coat of oil before baking helps drive off the moisture from the surface of the meatloaf. This allows the surface temperature of the meatloaf to rise. This in turn increases crust formation.

You can use any neutral oil such as vegetable, canola, safflower or olive oil. Use a pastry brush or something similar to coat the meatloaf on all exposed sides before baking.

If you are using the baking soda trick above, add the oil right before putting into the oven.

Increase the oven temperature

Moisture is one of the enemies of a good meatloaf crust. The crust will not start forming until the surface is completely dry. A higher oven temperature will drive off moisture on the surface of the meatloaf faster. This will allow the meatloaf to spend more time browning.

The best browning occurs when the oven temperature is above 400 degrees. Every meatloaf recipe behaves differently so you may need to do some experimenting. Try your existing recipe at 425 and see how well it browns. You can always turn the oven temperature down if it starts getting too brown before it’s done.

Glaze after the crust forms

Glazing a meatloaf before baking will prevent a crust from forming. Instead of glazing your meatloaf before baking, wait until 10 minutes before it’s done. This works best when using a high temperature oven (425+) as it allows the glaze to set quickly once it’s been added.

Another option is glaze the meatloaf after it’s done. To avoid a glaze that’s cold and wet, cook the glaze on the stove until it reduces by 1/3 and keep it warm. Then add the glaze right after removing from the oven. The heat of the meatloaf will set the glaze slightly, but it will already be thick from reducing.

Upside down baking

It’s tricky to get a deep crust when using the upside down baking method. This is my favorite method for cooking meatloaf. If you don’t know this method, see the ultimate guide to meatloaf.

Here are the steps when using this method…

• Do everything the same right up to putting the meatloaf into a 350 degree oven
• Mix your baking soda and water and have it ready
• Remove your meatloaf halfway through cooking
• Turn the oven temp up to 450
• Dry the meatloaf carefully with paper towels and then brush on the baking soda mixture
• Let the meatloaf sit out for 10 minute or longer if the oven hasn’t gotten to 450 yet
• Brush the meatloaf with oil just before putting back into the oven
• Reduce your glaze until thick and reserve
• Remove the meatloaf when the crust is as brown as you want it
• Glaze, or serve the glaze on the side.

Pan-fried Meatloaf Hack

You can pan-fry slices of meatloaf in a little oil just before serving. I do this all the time, especially with leftover meatloaf. I call this a hack because it isn’t about creating a crust on the entire loaf, but it is awesome if you love meatloaf with a crisp, dark exterior. An added bonus is that fried leftover meatloaf slices don’t fall apart as easily because of the crust they develop.

Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the slices of meatloaf carefully so they don’t fall apart or splash oil. Meatloaf slices tend to brown very fast, so watch them closely and resist the urge to use high heat. They’ll brown just fine on medium.

Great meatloaf resources

• The Ultimate Guide to Meatloaf
• Improved Betty Crocker home-style meatloaf recipe
• The best binder for meatloaf?
• Getting a deep, brown crust on meatloaf
• How many pans do you need to make a meatloaf?
• Serious Eats Food Lab
• Turkey Meatloaf from America’s Test Kitchen (YouTube)

The post Getting a deep, brown crust on meatloaf appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

home-style meatloaf

Our variation on the original still has an irresistible all-American flavor. We simply wanted to increase the deliciousness by 10x but still use ingredients you already have in your kitchen.

Why is this better than the original Betty Crocker meatloaf recipe?

1. We boosted the seasoning to bring out the true meatloaf flavor

The original recipe does not have enough salt to bring out the flavors properly. Using the right amount of salt is one of the things restaurants are really good at. To solve this, we added a bit of soy sauce and parmesan cheese. Besides adding salt, this also adds a depth of flavor not present in the original. The right amount of soy sauce in any meat-based dish improves the meatiness without tasting like soy sauce. And, parmesan cheese is just about the most powerful flavor enhancer that nearly everyone keeps in their pantry. Even the stuff in the green cardboard tube is fine for this!

2. We replaced the milk to make the meatloaf taste more meaty

Milk was used to add moisture to the original recipe. Milk adds a nice dairy component but it covers up the meatiness of the beef. Since the added parmesan cheese brings some dairy, we replaced the milk with stock to boost the pure flavor of the meat. Beef stock would be best, but chicken or pork stock would work. We always use beef stock from bouillon because it also adds a touch more salt.

3. We baked the meatloaf upside down to reduce the greasiness

Baking a meatloaf in a loaf pan leaves nowhere for the fat and meat juices to escape. This means your meatloaf is simmering rather than baking. To solve this we flipped the loaf pan upside down for the first half of the cooking. This maintains a perfect loaf shape, but allows the liquids to run off. Removing the loaf pan after the shape is set allows the meatloaf to be glazed and brown on all sides.

4. We turned three simple ingredients into a magical glaze

Finally, we boosted the sweet and sour flavor of the glaze by adding a small amount of brown sugar and vinegar. This glaze will have a shinier finish, will be a touch sweeter and will have a more powerful kick. It will taste like something special rather than dried-on ketchup. We think a shake of hot sauce would be a fine addition to this glaze if you like the heat.

We hope you enjoy this variation on a classic!

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Improved Betty Crocker Meatloaf

Simple tweaks on the original recipe to make this 10x better but just as easy to make.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword betty crocker, meatloaf

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef 80% – 90% lean
• 1/4 cup onion raw, chopped finely
• 2 eggs raw, beaten
• 1 cup bread crumbs, crackers or bread
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp Italian dried or other herb mix
• 1/2 cup stock
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vinegar

Instructions

• Mix everything except ketchup, sugar and vinegar
• Pack into loaf pan and bake upside down on a foil lined baking sheet for 30min at 425F
• Mix remaining ingredients to use as a glaze
• After 30min, carefully remove the loaf pan. Glaze meatloaf and return to oven for another 20min or until a meat thermometer reads at least 150 degrees.

Notes

Italian seasoning typically contains dried basil, oregano, and marjoram. You can use any seasonings you like. We really like thyme, sage, garlic and onion powder for this recipe.

The post Betty Crocker Meatloaf Recipe, but better appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

Meatloaf is one of the classic frugal main dishes of all time.  You take the most inexpensive cuts of meat you can get and then add inexpensive fillers to make it go even further.  In addition, you add finely minced vegetables so your kids won’t notice.  Whoever invented meatloaf was either exceptionally lucky or pure genius.  Below is my latest meatloaf recipe that I baked in a cast iron skillet.  So to answer the question above, I’d say “one”.  But the real question is what pans do you need to make a meatloaf, a roast, cornbread, a cake, fried eggs, bacon, hamburgers, etc…   My answer is “just my one cast iron skillet”.

Super Meaty Meatloaf

• 1lb ground beef
• 1lb ground pork
• 2 eggs
• 1T all purpose seasoning
• 1 onion, finely minced
• 2t thyme, dried
• 1T sage, rubbed
• 1t red chile flakes
• 1T parsley, dried (or 3T fresh, chopped)
• 4T ketchup (or catsup)
• salt and pepper (depending on how much salt is in the all purpose seasoning)

Mix all ingredients well and shape into a cylinder.  Place into a lighly oiled cast iron skillet and put into a 350F oven for 1 hour.  After about 40min coat with the ketchup.

You’ve probably noticed that this meatloaf is pretty much all meat.  I’m still doing the low carb thing and its working (down 15lbs so far!)  so I left out the bread/crackers in this one.  You could add in a few slices of bread torn into pieces with some milk to wet the bread.  Crackers would also work.  I’d probably not use more than a cup of crushed crackers or two cups of bread for this amount of meat.  The thyme and sage in this give a little hint of breakfast sausage flavor.  You could also leave those out and use breakfast sausage instead.

To keep this low carb, another nice addition would be some finely chopped mushrooms.  I’ve done that before and it comes out really great.  Just chop the mushrooms into small bits and then fry to remove most of the moisture.  Then just add them to the meatloaf.  You could also add italian seasoning mix (1T) and parmesan cheese (1/2 to 1 cup) to make the meatloaf taste like a giant meatball.  I could probably come up with an infinite number of possibilities.

I served this meatloaf with a Broccoli gratin, which I guess I should include:

Broccoli Gratin

• 3 cups broccoli, steamed until just tender
• 2T butter
• 1/2 medium onion, finely minced
• 1T whole grain mustard
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup gruyere, or other cheese, grated
• salt and pepper

Saute the onion in butter until soft, about 10min.  Add in the rest of the ingredients, except broccoli, and simmer over low heat until the cheese melts and you have a nice sauce.  Turn off the heat, add the broccoli and toss well.  Put into a baking pan (or another cast iron skillet!) and bake uncovered for about 30min on 350F.  Serve with meatloaf.

The post How many pans do you need (to make a meatloaf)? appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

One of the reasons this came out so well is that I cooked the short ribs long enough to kill the toughness but short enough to leave a really nice chewy texture.  So instead of the meat falling apart like eating pot roast or beef stew, it was like eating tender steak.  There was enough time for the flavors to come together and make a really nice sauce.

French Braised Short Ribs

• 2lbs short ribs cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 1T oil
• 1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
• 1T tomato paste
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 5 green olives, chopped
• 2t thyme
• 2t beef bouillon (or two cubes)
• 1 cup of water
• 10 mushrooms, sliced thickly
• salt and pepper

Brown the beef in the oil.  Let it get brown!  Add the onion half way through.  Add everything except the mushrooms and turn to low, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes.  Is the sauce is watery when you add the mushrooms, turn up the heat and leave the lid off.

Serve with a starch like mashed potatoes or over some noodles.  I ended up just eating it straight.  YUM!

The post French braised short ribs appeared first on Frugal Cooking.