We just bought a buffalo. An entire buffalo. It’s currently in our freezer (and a few other people’s freezers!) since the thing was 1100 pounds. Holy Tatonka, Batman!
Buying an entire pastured animal is pretty exciting, especially because it’s such a nutrient-dense food, but a little bit daunting. Sometimes you feel like you will be eating that type of meat forever. Especially ground. There’s a lot of ground buffalo that comes with buying the whole animal! So, creativity is pretty important because one can only eat so many burgers and taco salads.
Not all meatloaf recipes work well with pastured animals. They are typically a bit leaner- especially buffalo- so it’s important to use a good balance of seasonings and a kick-ass sauce. I think mashed potatoes are a must with meatloaf, but we also love it with creamed spinach, roasted root vegetables, or both. Using homemade ketchup makes this sauce even better!
- M E A T L O A F
- ½ onion, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and broken
- 3 whole cloves garlic
- ½ red bell pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 pounds pastured ground beef or buffalo
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 egg
- S A U C E
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Dash Worcestershire sauce
- Dash hot pepper sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a food processor bowl, combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Place in a large bowl. Add black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, thyme, and ground beef. Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt. Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat.
- Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan, and make a deep groove down the center lengthwise. Bake in oven for 60 minutes.
- While meatloaf is cooking, combine the ketchup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey.
- After 60 minutes, drain fat from loaf pan. Pour half the sauce over top of the meatloaf and return to oven until an instant read thermometer reads 150 (which in my oven takes about 15 minutes) or until desired doneness is reached.
- Let meatloaf rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Pour additional sauce on slices as desired.
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown
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