Meat loaf

[wallie]

I am looking for a good meat loaf recipe similar to spam.
Any ideas welcome.

wallie

[wheels]

Wallie>
There's a load of luncheon meat recipes on Len Poli's site:

http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage%20recipes.htm#LUNCHEON

One of these may make a good starting point for experiment.
Phil

[Ianinfrance]

Err. Wallie old chap....

A good meatloaf isn't anything LIKE spam. The better the meatloaf, the less it resembles spam in my view. Which is not a snide way pf saying that spam is awful but it's made of chopped reconstituted pork and has a texture faintly reminiscent of ham, while meatloaf is made from minced beef (sometimes with a little pork) and has a totally different texture.

I can't help you with a spam look-alike, but I can wax lyrical about meat loaf, so which do you want?

[Griselda]

I am looking for a good meat loaf recipe similar to spam.
Any ideas welcome.

wallie

Yes, I think I know what you are looking for. My recipe as follows:

450gr of beef, ground, not too lean
450gr of pork, ground (ca 60% lean)
100gr of pure pork fat, preferably back fat, ground coarsely or cut into little bits (alternatively belly will do too)

*****Mix well and place into freezer for ~30-45mins ******

4 eggs, well whipped
12 - 15gr salt
~4gr pepper (I like it peppery)
Spices and herbs as you like

Now, mix everything very very well into your meat mixture, so that your mixture gets stiff and rubbery (when you get there you will know). Now poor the whole mixture into a well buttered backing tin. I use two bread tins, fits perfectly. Place into a 180�C preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour, until the surface has a nice dark brown colour and the and the side of the 'meat-loaf' has loosened itself about 5mm from the tin sides.

Remove from oven and place some alu-foil over it. Place a chopping board onto the alu-foil and put some weight (three or four plates) on it to press it. Let it cool over night, preferably, after reaching room temperature in the fridge.

It will have a similar consistent to spam and taste the way you have spiced it. I love it, and so do my mates

Enjoy

[spudeye]

Hi
Have a question about placing the chopping board & weight on top when loaf is cooling..
Is the idea to hold the loaf mixture together when cooling so the Loaf when cut it's less likely to crumble..
Any question , same sorta thing but I have been making sausage rolls and they shrink after cooling. Have the same trouble with every recipe I use, mostly am using a force meat type of Chicken & cheese. Beef mince, minced pork and the likes..
Have tried adding water, less egg, more egg, bread crumbs, no crumbs,, has me bugger really does.
thanks Graham

[Griselda]

Yes, it does have something to do with the crumbliness of the end product. Things that warm up expand, and when the cool they shrink. From my observations I gather that the texture becomes crumbly due to the product, when cooling shrinking and not forming a solid consistency. The result is that, if you cut a slice from your meat loaf you will find that it is layered rather than solid.

The weight will put pressure onto the loaf and the end result will be a more firm loaf as those layers are pressed together. I have also observed that some juices are pressed out of the loaf when it is warm and slowly absorbed again when cooled down. I come to this conclusion because the end product is always nice and moist and the juice pressed out is gone. Therefore I do not think it evaporated, also because the foil tray I use cools down within one minute.

With your pies, is it your pastry that shrinks?

[spudeye]

Griselda
Pls forgive me, asked a question then didnt reply.
The Pastry does expand while cooking, doest burst up just expands nicely, so expecting that this is normal. The Loaf or force meat always shrinks.
I have made many more batches since I posted the 1st post and adding the weight at cooling has tightened the texture and allows better slicing. The biggest thing for me though is have started sending the mixture thu a blender and the results are fantastic. Comes out like a Luncheon like Len's recipes, have even stuffed some into large casings and poached.. umm
Thanks for the help.
Graham

[Griselda]

Graham
Glad it worked for you. I am currently forced to put my meat experiments on hold as my studies have been seriously hard throughout the whole summer. I wasn't even able to make sausages for any bbqs we had. Anyhow, now winter is approaching and the lovely winter sausages will have to be made. I am already thinking of possible new recipes. hmmmm...
Uuups, I am supposed to be thinking about my exam coming up in October...

Catch you later, after my exams.

Griselda