Alton Brown Meatloaf Recipe

Sliced alton brown meatloaf with veggies around it

There’s just no competing with the Alton Brown Meatloaf recipe. Fill your kitchen with magic with this best, scientifically engineered recipe by Mr. Brown.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Alton Brown recipes, copycat recipes, meatloaf recipes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 25

Servings people

Calories 572kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

6 ounces garlic flavored croutons
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 large yellow onion roughly chopped
1 carrot peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic peeled
1/2 red bell pepper
18 ounces ground chuck
18 ounces ground sirloin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 large egg

Topping:

1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon dried cumin
Dash hot sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to center position. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine the croutons (6 ounces), black pepper (1/2 teaspoon), cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon), chili powder (1 teaspoon), and thyme (1 teaspoon) in the bowl of food processor. Pulse until the mixture is a fine crumb. Pour the crumb mixture into a mixing bowl. Add onion (1/2 large), carrot (1), garlic (3 cloves), and red pepper (1/2) to the food processor and pulse until the vegetables are finely chopped (Don't over-pulse-since we don't want to go as far as puree). Add the chopped vegetables, chuck (18 ounces), sirloin (18 ounces), and salt (1 1/2 teaspoons) to the breadcrumbs and combine. Mix in the egg (1) and combine thoroughly, but don't squeeze the meat.
Press the mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to shape the meatloaf. Turn the meatloaf out onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Meanwhile, make the topping by combining ingredients in a small mixing bowl. After the meatloaf has been baked for 10 minutes, remove it from the oven and brush the ketchup mixture over the top and sides. Place back in the oven and bake until cooked through about 55-65 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 155°F (68°C). Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Line it – So much caramelization goes on in this recipe, which is what makes the covetable crispy bits on the outside of the meatloaf and thickens the glaze. What you don’t want is all that baking magic happening on top of your best baking dish. Either line the baking sheet with parchment paper or foil to make clean-up easier. If you skip this step, you’ll be tempted to toss that dish!
Glaze – Why don’t we glaze the meatloaf before putting it in the oven? Allowing just ten minutes in the oven for the outside of the meatloaf to dry out and seal in some of the juices means that tasty glaze will actually stay on top, not get watered down by the beefy liquids trying to escape during the cooking process.
Let It Rest – Once the meatloaf is finished baking, let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
Let’s talk leftovers – There’s always the classic meatloaf sandwich to make short work of any leftovers, and you can add it to a grilled cheese if you want to up your lunch game. It’s yummy crumbled up, though, in chili or stuffed into bell peppers and baked with a little cheese on top. You can also freeze it.

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