Meatloaf in the Crockpot
I love trying to adapt regular recipes for use in my crockpot, and one of my favorites is meatloaf. Though really it’s just as easy to do it in the oven, I like the easier clean up of using my slow cooker, along with the fact that I can get everything going in the morning (when I prefer cooking), and have it be done and ready to go by dinner.
Any meatloaf recipe should work. I like to use one pound of ground beef with one pound of ground turkey along with whatever else I feel like tossing in. Meatloaf is very forgiving. When I bake it in the oven I use actual diced onion, which helps keep it moist. In a crockpot that’s not really an issue so I take the lazy route and just use powder.
My biggest issue when I first started making it this way was how it would pretty much fall apart as I tried to get it out of the pot, so I’d end up just scooping it out instead of slicing it.
For a while I had wished there was some kind of rack that would fit in my crock that I could use to lift the meatloaf out when it was done, but nothing I had on hand would fit. Until it dawned on me that I could just make my own. Sometimes I’m not so swift.
In the bottom of the crock, place two lengths of aluminum foil that you just fold up to make strips. Make sure the strips are long enough that you can use them to grab when the time comes. The meatloaf goes right on top and then you can just bend the tops of the strips over the meatloaf a bit so you can put the lid on.
meatloaf is not always lovely
About an hour before the meatloaf is done, I airlift it to a plate, drain out all the liquid in the bottom of the crockpot using a ladle, and put the meatloaf back into the pot. I then add chili sauce to the top (or ketchup, whatever you use), and let it go for the remaining hour. I drain the liquid because I want the meatloaf to bake, not stew, and I’ve never had a problem with it not being moist enough.
When it’s time to eat, I airlift the meatloaf out one last time and let it rest on a plate for a few minutes before slicing. The foil shimmies right out from under the meatloaf, and you’re all set.
I never thought about making meatloaf in a crockpot!
[Reply]
Heather
February 9th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
Hi Wendy! It’s the only way I’ll do it now, partly because the house smells so good all day 😀
[Reply]