The Best Meatloaf I've Ever Eaten

Most people are either meatloaf lovers, or haters. I am a meatloaf lover. I always have been. But now, I love it even more with this recipe. This meatloaf recipe has been on my list of things to try for a while now. So when I happened to have a couple lbs. of ground round in the fridge that I bought on sale, I jumped at the opportunity to make it.

I despise a crumbly meatloaf You know the kind, when you try to slice it the meat crumbles all over your fork and plate and you are left to pick up the little pieces. Not this meatloaf. The unflavored gelatin is the key in holding it together, as well as the eggs. So when I sliced a piece with my fork it stayed together all the way up to my mouth. Heaven. The glaze was tangy and delicious and a wonderful compliment. Although I did stray from the original recipe with the type of ground meat (I used 2lbs. ground round) it didn't matter one bit. I forsee this being my go to recipe for meatloaf in the years to come. Maybe next time I'll add a little more spices, but really it didn't need a thing.

All Beef Meatloaf

(cooks illustrated)

3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated on small holes of box grater (about 1 cup)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)

1 medium rib celery , chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)

1 medium clove garlic , minced (about 1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (powdered)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2/3 cup crushed saltines

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound ground chuck

1 pound ground sirloin

Glaze

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread cheese on plate and place in freezer until ready to use. Prepare baking sheet--cover a broiler pan or a cookie cooling rack with two layers of foil and punch holes in it so fat can drain. Then put pan or rack in another pan to catch drips and prevent your oven from smoking you out of the house.

2. Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown. Add garlic, and paprika and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to small bowl and set aside to cool.

3. Whisk broth and eggs in large bowl until combined. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, mustard, saltines, parsley, salt, pepper, and onion mixture. Crumble frozen cheese into coarse powder and sprinkle over mixture. Add ground meat; mix gently with hands until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Transfer meat to foil rectangle and shape into 10 by 6-inch oval about 2 inches high. Bake 55 to 65 minutes. Remove meat loaf from oven and turn on broiler.

4. While meat loaf cooks, combine ingredients for glaze in small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring, until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Spread half of glaze evenly over cooked meat loaf with rubber spatula; place under broiler and cook until glaze bubbles and begins to brown at edges, about 5 minutes. Remove meat loaf from oven and spread evenly with remaining glaze; place back under broiler and cook until glaze is again bubbling and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more. Let meat loaf cool about 20 minutes before slicing.