Wagyu Meatloaf
Heritage Meatloaf. Hear us out here! Not all loaves are the same.
We set out to create a better loaf starting with our rich Waygu ground beef that comes in patty form but is a feed-the-family workhorse, then raised the bar with high-quality ingredients and amped it all up with punches of umami.
To ensure we had a moister loaf (and an easy clean up), Chef Nick, our in-house chef, had a foolproof-technique. Once filled, tightly cover the loaf pan in foil. Place the pan foil side down on a sheet pan. This will help the loaf retain juices in the pan, ensuring that the loaf stays moist while it cooks. It will also keep the pan from being crusted in hard to clean burnt bits from after you crank the to glaze the loaf.
Ingredients:
For the Meatloaf
- 2lb Wagyu ground beef
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 packets gelatin
- 8oz container of shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and quartered
- 2 slices of sourdough bread, crust removed
- 4 anchovy filets
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 small spanish onion, roughly chopped
- 1 small carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 eggs
- 4 oz aged cheddar (like Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound), shredded
- ¼ cup minced parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Glaze
- 1 cup ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
Preparation:
In a measuring cup, add chicken stock and buttermilk and sprinkle two packets of gelatin over the top to bloom. Set aside.
In a food processor add mushrooms and bread and pulse until finely chopped. Remove to a large bowl and set aside.
In the food processor, add anchovy, worcestershire, soy, paprika, garlic, onion, carrot, and celery and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed.
In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium high heat and cook the chopped veggie mixture until soft, about 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the stock, buttermilk, and gelatin mixture to the pan, bring to a simmer, and reduce by half, about 10 minutes.
Add the cooked mixture to the bowl of bread and mushrooms and let stand to cool for 10 minutes.
Add the ground beef, eggs, cheddar, and parsley to the veggie mixture and mix together until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pack a standard loaf pan (8 ½” x 4 ½”) with the meat mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes (or up to two days before baking).
Tightly cover the loaf pan in foil. Place the pan foil side down on a sheet pan. This will help the loaf retain juices in the pan, ensuring that the loaf stays moist while it cooks. It will also keep the pan from being crusted in hard to clean burnt bits from after you crank the to glaze the loaf.
With the foil tightly wrapped around it, flip the loaf pan upside down on the sheet pan and bake for 30 mins.
Remove from the oven and carefully unwrap the foil from the loaf pan. Flatten the foil on the sheet pan to make a liner to collect the juices and drippings and keep them close to the loaf to retain moisture (this will also make clean-up very quick!). With a spatula and kitchen towel, carefully lift the loaf pan up and off the meatloaf leaving the loaf to bake free form on the foil.
Return the loaf to the oven for an additional 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze. Combine all the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and reduce slightly until syrupy. You will have more glaze to use as sauce for serving.
After 40 minutes, remove the loaf from the oven and increase the oven heat to 500ºF.
With a pastry brush, glaze the loaf with a thin layer of the sauce. Return it to the oven for 3 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven, glaze with another layer of sauce, roast for another 3 minute or until the loaf is nicely browned and lacquered, and remove from the oven again.
Let the loaf cool for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with extra reserved glaze and garnish with minced chives and mash potatoes, or a salad.