I call it All-Day meatloaf because it takes the better part of a day to make it. It’s worth it. Even more so the next day. Slow cooking in a water bath is the key.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, 80/20
1 pound ground pork, 80/20
1 pound ground veal
Four thick rashers of bacon
2 medium carrots
2 stalks celery
2 medium yellow onions
2 cloves garlic
1 TBS butter
1 fresh Anaheim chile, roasted, peeled and seeded
3 cups beef stock
1 cup plus 3 TBS red wine
1 tsp poultry seasoning (pre-packed plend including sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram and nutmeg)
Pinch cayenne
1/4 tsp allspice
6 bay leaves
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
½ cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
Cornstarch
Two aluminum loaf pans
Bain marie
Preheat oven to 325 F
Cut one onion, one stalk of celery, one onion, the garlic and the roasted chile into a brunoise – a very fine dice.
Sauté over medium heat in butter until very translucent. Add the Worcestershire sauce, poultry seasoning, allspice, cayenne and ½ cup of the red wine. Continue to cook until the liquid is reduced to about four tablespoons. Cool.
Mix the ground meats, then add the cooled vegetables and remaining cooking liquid. Add the two eggs and bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Take a small piece of the mix, flatten and fry in a bit of oil to test seasonings. Add salt and fresh-ground black pepper accordingly.
Lay two rashers of bacon in the bottom of two aluminum loaf pans. Divide the meat mixture evenly between them, and put the bay leaves atop.
Prep the bain marie by bringing two quarts of water to the boil. Place the loaf pans in a small roasting pan, then carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is at least 1” deep. Place in the oven. Bake until internal temperature reaches 155 F; residual heat will bring it the rest of the way. The meat loaf should be cooked through after about 90 minutes. Remove and set to cool.
For the gravy:
Slice the remaining vegetation. Spoon off 3 TBS of fat from the cooling meat loaf pans. Don’t worry if a bit of the liquid comes with it.
Start by sautéing the onions in the fat over medium heat. When translucent, add the carrots and celery. Stir constantly; you want to keep any caramelizing liquid from the loaf pans from burning.
Deglaze with remaining 1/2 cup of red wine and the beef stock. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, stirring occasionally. Add more beef stock or water when the liquid reduces to the point where the veggies are at the surface.
After stripping off as much fat as possible, pour off the remaining liquid in the loaf pans into the gravy mix. When the veggies in the gravy mix pan are very tender, puree in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender. By this time the fiber in the vegetation should make things quite thick – but even so, make a slurry with the remaining wine and cornstarch. Stir in to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
Place a generous dose of gravy in a large sauté pan and slice meat loaf. Reheat in the gravy. Serve.
Slice the remaining in subsequent days, and grill on rye bread with sliced muenster cheese and cranberry jelly. It may be even better that way.