WEEK 39: YOUR BEST MEAT LOAF
Meat Loaf with Blackberry Barbecue Sauce
Photography by Sarah Shatz
BY DAX PHILLIPS | SERVES 6
A&M: Dax Phillips’s meat loaf hews closely to tradition, relying on the classic triumvirate of ground veal, beef, and pork; a little bread and milk; garlic, onion, and Worcestershire sauce. All are thoughtfully fused, producing a savory, light-textured loaf. Dax said, “If you’re truly looking for comfort, then come on in.” The standout here is the sauce, whose garlic, ginger, and cayenne make sparks fly around the berries. You’ll want to eat the sauce by the spoonful—enjoy the snap of the blackberry seeds!
BLACKBERRY BARBECUE SAUCE
2 small onions, peeled and quartered
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 cups blackberries, fresh or thawed frozen
½ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
MEAT LOAF
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
½ pound ground veal
½ cup diced yellow onion
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg, beaten
¾ cup whole milk
3 pieces white bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces
- To make the sauce: Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until nice and smooth. Add the sauce to a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until dark and thick. Stir and remove from the heat.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, use clean hands to combine all the meat loaf ingredients. Get in there, and get dirty and greasy from the meat. Place the meat loaf mixture in a 5 × 9-inch or other desired pan and shape it into a loaf. Pour about ½ cup of the barbecue sauce over the top. Bake the meat loaf for 1 to 1½ hours until just cooked through.
- Let the meat loaf cool for roughly 5 minutes. Meanwhile, warm up the rest of the barbecue sauce. Remove the loaf to a serving dish and drizzle some sauce on the top. Spread more sauce on each plate before slicing and serving.
Photography by Sarah Shatz
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
We halved the spices in the sauce because we’re wimps. Start with half and adjust to your taste. And don’t opt for lean meats unless you want a dry loaf.
Kevin Purdy: “I gave it a go, and the results were deelicious. I would consider, next time, letting the sauce reduce more before applying it as a kind of top glaze to the meat loaf, because it tends to break apart in the oven if it’s still carrying much blackberry liquid.”
ABOUT THE COOK
Dax Phillips is a director of technology in New Berlin, Wisconsin.
His top entertaining tip: “Make sure you have a great appetizer to start, and offer a few bottles of nice wine to loosen things up.”
Here’s his blog: Simple Comfort Food (www.simplecomfortfood.com).