Meatloaf

also called meat loaf · glazed meatloaf · ketchup-glazed meatloaf · meatloaf plate

The table

Bake it free-form on a sheet pan rather than in a loaf tin. A tin steams the sides and gives the fat nowhere to go; on a flat pan the whole outside browns and the glaze sets rather than pooling.
3 slices(torn)white sandwich breadsoak the bread 10 minmix by hand, lightlyshape into a loafglaze, bake 350°F 1 hr
3/4 cup(180 mL)whole milk
1 large(finely diced)yellow onionsweat 8 min, then cool
2 ribs(finely diced)celery
3 cloves(minced)garlic
2 Tbs(28 g)unsalted butter
1 1/2 lb(680 g; 80/20)ground beef
1/2 lb(225 g)ground pork
2large eggs
2 tspkosher salt
1 tspblack pepper
1 tspdried thyme
1 TbsWorcestershire sauce
1/2 cup(120 mL)ketchup
2 Tbs(25 g)light brown sugar
1 Tbscider vinegar
Rest the loaf ten minutes before it is cut. Sliced straight out of the oven it falls apart on the spatula a meat-and-three plate is served in slices rather than in pieces
Tap anything to cross it off.

What to lay out

Everything the recipe asks for, sitting under the step that eats it. Tick each one as you measure it.18 things to get out.

Pans and tools

Before anything else

2soak the bread 10 min

3sweat 8 min, then cool

4mix by hand, lightly

goes in with what steps 2 and 3 made

6glaze, bake 350°F 1 hr

goes in with what step 5 made

Cooking it

Start to finish is the longest chain through the table, so branches that overlap are counted once. That is why the waits add up to more than the clock — and it only holds if you get them going together.

Tap a step when it is done; the next one lights up.

The clock

Start to finish
at least 1 hr 10 mintwo waits that overlap count once
Needs you
none givenof the steps that give a time

2 of the 5 steps never say how long they take, so both numbers are floors. The recipe itself says 1 hr 45 min.

  1. soak the bread 10 min

    10 minwalk awayfrom the start

  2. sweat 8 min, then cool

    8 minwalk away(read off the step)from the start

  3. mix by hand, lightly

    not timed10 min in

  4. shape into a loaf

    not timed10 min in

  5. glaze, bake 350°F 1 hr

    1 hrwalk away10 min in

Drawn to scale, so a long wait really does take up the room it takes. The shortest stretches keep a sliver so they stay visible; their times are printed beside them. Bars that line up are happening at the same time. The minutes are always the recipe’s own; a dashed edge means we worked out from the step whether you have to be there, and a dotted one means nothing was said, so we assumed you are standing over it.

You'll need sheet pan

Goes with

See how it is written
>> title: Meatloaf
>> category: Stews & Braises
>> tags: beef, pork, baked, southern, glaze
>> counters: Meat and Three, Diner
>> aka: meat loaf, glazed meatloaf, ketchup-glazed meatloaf, meatloaf plate
>> servings: 8
>> time: 1 hr 45 min
>> pairs-with: cream-gravy, macaroni-and-cheese, green-beans, stewed-squash
>> step.1: Bake it free-form on a sheet pan rather than in a loaf tin. A tin steams the sides and gives the fat nowhere to go; on a flat pan the whole outside browns and the glaze sets rather than pooling.
>> step.2: soak the bread 10 min
>> step.3: sweat 8 min, then cool
>> step.4: mix by hand, lightly
>> step.5: shape into a loaf
>> step.6: glaze, bake 350°F 1 hr

Bake it free-form on a sheet pan rather than in a loaf tin. A tin steams the sides and gives the fat nowhere to go; on a flat pan the whole outside browns and the glaze sets rather than pooling.

Soak @white sandwich bread{3%slices}(torn) in @whole milk{3/4%cup}(180 mL) for ~soak{10%min}.

Sweat @yellow onion{1%large}(finely diced), @celery{2%ribs}(finely diced), @garlic{3%cloves}(minced) in @unsalted butter{2%Tbs}(28 g) for ~sweat{8%min}.

Mix @&(~2)soaked bread{}, @&(~1)cooled vegetables{} with @ground beef{1 1/2%lb}(680 g; 80/20), @ground pork{1/2%lb}(225 g), @large eggs{2}, @kosher salt{2%tsp}, @black pepper{1%tsp}, @dried thyme{1%tsp}, @Worcestershire sauce{1%Tbs}.

Shape @&(~1)meatloaf mixture{} into a loaf on a #sheet pan{}, no taller than three inches.

Bake @&(~1)shaped loaf{} at 350°F (175°C) under @ketchup{1/2%cup}(120 mL), @light brown sugar{2%Tbs}(25 g), @cider vinegar{1%Tbs} for ~bake{60%min}.

Rest the loaf ten minutes before it is cut. Sliced straight out of the oven it falls apart on the spatula, and a meat-and-three plate is served in slices rather than in pieces.