# Meatloaf: Tomato sauce, or brown gravy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 14, 2020, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382 "2020-01-14T00:25:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/41 "2020-01-14T16:25:24Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Do you prefer meatloaf with tomato sauce I would do anything for loaf, but I won’t do that. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/42 "2020-01-14T16:31:07Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m not objecting to the idea of V-8 juice in meatloaf. But how does it qualify as a substitute for the eggs? The point of adding eggs to the mix is to bind the loaf together as it cooks. Juice is not going to do that; if anything it’s going to have the opposite effect. The thick juice bound it as well as an egg would’ve. No idea why. I’m not a food scientist, but I play one on TV. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/43 "2020-01-14T16:38:10Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > The thick juice bound it as well as an egg would’ve. No idea why. I’m assuming you had bread crumbs in the loaf? That might have had something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/44 "2020-01-14T16:44:47Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’m assuming you had bread crumbs in the loaf? That might have had something to do with it. Yeah, I always use breadcrumbs. No breadcrumbs means you just fixed yourself a giant roasted hamburger. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/45 "2020-01-14T17:14:59Z")
Of the two, brown gravy. I have never put tomato sauce on meatloaf. But I often will use a lot of ketchup ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/46 "2020-01-14T17:24:29Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > No breadcrumbs means you just fixed yourself a giant roasted hamburger. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/47 "2020-01-14T17:36:16Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Worcestershire sauce. Seriously. +1 ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/48 "2020-01-14T17:37:27Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > A glaze of ketchup, cumin, honey, Worcestershire and hot sauce. Don’t judge me. Want. Give. Now. Please. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/49 "2020-01-14T17:44:18Z")
Ketchup. If it’s a ground-turkey meatloaf, plain. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/50 "2020-01-14T19:11:54Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Gravy when it’s hot. > Ketchup on cold meatloaf sandwiches. Oh, yeah. Catsup was made for meatloaf sammys. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/51 "2020-01-14T19:14:16Z")
I prefer a good bbq sauce - which may put it in the ‘ketchup’ category - and then cook it on a grill /in a smoker. I also tend to make them ‘personal’ sized (in a muffin tin) - so that individuals can decide to add/subtract things like peppers/onions/etc. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/52 "2020-01-14T19:40:33Z")
Neither. I sometimes, but not always, put homemade ketchup (not much like the store version) in the meatloaf mix. And cold leftover meatloaf sometimes gets a dressing of some sort on the sandwich it’s probably eaten in; though what it is varies depending on what mood I’m in. But meatloaf fresh from the oven IMO doesn’t need anything on it. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/53 "2020-01-14T19:59:45Z")
Okay, I’m not a meatloaf guy, so please explain to me: If you make it with gravy, where does the gravy come from? I always assumed that meatloaf was only made with tomato sauce (i.e., ketchup) and we all know where that comes from (a bottle). If you make it with gravy, do you make gravy ahead of time, or use gravy from a jar or a powder, or what? Because meatloaf with brown gravy actually sounds pretty good. (White gravy sounds intriguing too, but I’ve never seen a recipe for that.) ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/54 "2020-01-14T20:08:03Z")
If we’re going outside of the two choices, I’d go with horseradish sauce or even just prepared horseradish. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/55 "2020-01-14T21:33:40Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Recipe, please? ½ cup ketchup 1 tsp ground cumin dash Worcestershire sauce dash hot pepper sauce 1 TBSP honey Free-form the loaf onto a baking sheet, or form into a loaf pan and turn it out onto a baking sheet. Insert a meat thermometer at the middle of the loaf, and about halfway through. Place the pan in the oven. After ten minutes, brush the glaze all over the meatloaf and allow to roast until an internal temperature of 155F has been reached. **Rough Draft** : If you roast your meat loaf without shoving it into a bread pan, you’ll have plenty of drippings to make gravy from. Or you can just use butter and make a pan gravy with flour and chicken stock. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/56 "2020-01-14T21:40:12Z")
Or you can just rip open a packet of McCormick’s Brown Gravy Mix. It’s _meatloaf_, fer Ghu’s sake! ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/57 "2020-01-14T21:43:27Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > If you roast your meat loaf without shoving it into a bread pan, you’ll have plenty of drippings to make gravy from. Or you can just use butter and make a pan gravy with flour and chicken stock. Ah, I see. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/58 "2020-01-14T21:44:33Z")
I find the poll results appalling. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/59 "2020-01-14T23:03:01Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I like it with either tomato sauce or gravy. > > Don’t care for it plain, though. > > Two out of three ain’t bad. > mmm > [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I grew up with tomato sauce but I can imagine some kind of worcestershire concoction might be okay. Maybe even a tacoesque sauce and served with yellow rice. > But gravy? > No, I won’t do that. I can’t lie. I can’t tell you I’d eat something I won’t. No matter how I try I’ll never be able. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382/60 "2020-01-15T00:03:22Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I find the poll results appalling. Tastelessness knows no bounds. Food pervos FTW! Maybe the problem is the meat. Beef? Pork? Fowl? Squirrel? Coon? Does armadillo meatloaf require Cholula sauce? Let’s say I toss a net from my cabin porch, snag a deer, get it butchered, and add onions and breadcrumbs, what would be the best sauce? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meatloaf-tomato-sauce-or-brown-gravy/846382.md?page=4)