I was going to mention this in my original post, but I somehow still find it a bit much in meatloaf. I’m not entirely sure why, as I like it in hamburgers. I think it’s because the panade in a meatloaf makes it pretty juicy and tender to begin with, and maybe it absorbs some of the oil or something? It just ends up with a heavy, greasy mouthfeel in a way that a 70-30 burger does quite (or perhaps the greasiness of the burger is offset by the bun and the fact that I make really thin burgers at this fat level.)
I use a very lean mixture of ground pork along with the 70/30, along with oats. It doesn’t turn out too greasy at all and is uber-cheap. Learned the recipe from my mother (as did most of us, I suspect) and it is one that can get you through the end of the month with dinner and sandwiches when the money is tight.
Speaking of which, I’ve found that my meatloaf holds together for meatloaf sandwiches better than some made with less fat. YMMV.
Well, with lean pork and 70-30, I assume you’re ending up somewhere closer to 20% rather than 30% fat range., depending on how much of each and how lean the pork is. That works fine for me for meatloaf.
I don’t find a rack to be necessary with the mix I use. There’s not a lot of runoff. I like using a baking dish because the meatloaf then gets nicely browned all over.
Damn, now I’m craving a meatloaf sandwich.
Me, too. Guess what just got added to the menu for this week?
Eh. There’s nothing gained in letting fatty meat stew in its own grease.
I used 70/30 ground beef to make satin balls, a dog food supplement, for my elderly, underweight dog.
StG
I eat as high fat as possible. So, I will use it for burgers, taco meat, etc.
Is the contention that 70/30 or 73/27 is not as appetizing/edible as 80/20 or that one would just rather eat lower fat content? I don’t think I notice much difference, and since I’m not looking to purposely eat low fat when I eat beef, if I see 2 packages sitting next to each other and one is 73/27 and it’s 2.99/lb and the other is $5.49/lb for 80/20, it’s just get the cheaper one. If I’m using ground beef at all, I don’t think I’m creating culinary art. I used to be one of those 90/10 or 93/7 or 96/4 people, but in that case it seemed like a pointless exercise of sacrificing taste for little or no health benefit.
Good lord someone is trying to rip you off if the price difference is like that!
But, yeah, I have pretty much zero use for anything leaner than about 85%. I’m racking my brain trying to think of the last time I even used anything that lean.
Years ago I made meat loaf with oatmeal following the recipe on the Quaker oats container–I don’t know what I did wrong and I’m usually a successful cook but it was inedible and had a slimy texture. I probably used a high fat ground beef since I was a poor graduate student at the time. Any ideas on what could have gone wrong?
I wish I could find that ratio! Everything here is “lean,” because, ya’ know, it’s healthy (rather than tasty).
The first thing I’d try with 70/30 is hamburgers.
Word.
Also, chili recipes. The fat? Meh- it cooks off as I brown it before dumping into the crock pot of chili and any extra fat rises, or becomes part of the flavor.
You can only trap so much fat in a dish - certain french recipes aside. Using some filler to trap some fat in a meat loaf is one thing; trying to catch two cups and hold it in a two pound loaf is another. Really fatty mixes need some drain space.
I’ll raise you some good old Mexican carnitas…