You have to give me credit for the fact that I've been trying to change my opinion of this dish. Remember the Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis? We loved those. This recipe contained the word "chipotle," raising it up from "pass this page by," to, "let's give it a tab and see if I still want to make it at the end of the month."
As you can see, the end of the month is upon us and the tab remained, so meatloaf got its chance to prove itself once again.
The Process
Unlike many meatloaf recipes I've seen, this one begins with the blender. Into it you can dump barbecue sauce, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Let it whir until you have a nice smooth sauce.
Taste the sauce. Say, or at least think, "wow," since it is so good. Pour the sauce into a large bowl and add minced garlic and onion, ground beef and oats. Gently but thoroughly mix the stuff with your hands. Then lightly pat it into a loaf pan.
I've never heard of being gentle with beef before, but the last few recipes that have used it caution against handling it harshly. Supposedly ground beef has absorbed the personality of pie crust and if you're to rough with it, it goes all tough and heavy on you. So be gentle.
Cook the meatloaf for about an hour, adding ketchup near the end.
The Verdict
First, the confession. I didn't just use three tablespoons of ketchup on the meatloaf like the directions asked me to. I just squirted it out until it looked like the amount we'd like and then spread that around. I'd say there's a half cup on there. What can I say; meatloaf and ketchup go together.
Hubby and I both absolutely loved this. There is a bit of heat from the chipotles, but not so much that it overwhelms the whole meatloaf flavor. It just accents it delightfully. The meatloaf was so moist and tender that I couldn't get a whole piece to cut off, which is why you see a picture of it in the pan instead of on the plate
Just so you know, I can't believe I used the word "delightfully."
What I'd Do Different Next Time
In addition to continuing to use more ketchup than the recipe calls for, I would also add a bit of the adobo sauce to it and mix it in.
Smoky Chipotle Meat Loaf - print this recipe
from all*you Magazine, August 2011
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
2 canned chipotle chilies, seeded
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from canned chilies)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3 tablespoons ketchup
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mist a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
Combine barbecue sauce, chipotles, adobo sauce, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and add garlic, onion, beef and oats. Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands. Lightly pack mixture into loaf pan.
Bake for 45 minutes. Carefully spread ketchup on top and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center reaches 160ºF. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
For those who are curious and were kind enough to answer my facebook question regarding how you serve meatloaf leftovers; we simply repeated the meal. The meatloaf was just as good, if not better, the second day. Many thanks for all the great ideas though.
