Some food, some drink.

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Abstract: When you live with um, er... “particular” eaters, you have to steel yourself for the possibility of rejection. This however does not mean that experimentation is out. Once when my wife was unavailable for culinary comment, I took a chance and made meatloaf for dinner. Since then, it's become one of the most requested dishes in the house. Because this meatloaf is cooked in cast iron as opposed to a loaf pan, the grease drains off, the loaf bastes itself and in the process creates a lovely crust that folks will fight over on the way back for seconds.

Purpose: It's grilling season. So, why the hell am I writing about meatloaf? By way of a cast-iron skillet, we shun the loaf pan, and get some flexibility with respect to our cooking methods. If you have a reliable gas grill or that certain type of pellet-fed grill that is quite popular among the who's-who in HaysUSA (I don't have one), outdoor meatloaf is totally doable. Although the weather was rotten and I ended up using the oven during this last go-round, know that if you can control your grill temperature fairly well, this 'loaf does as beautifully on the grill as it does in the oven.

Observation: Well, lookie what we have here; a recipe that calls for packaged stuffing. This is a dish born out of necessity. If I woulda had panko on-hand at its inception, things might have been different. However, I had a hunch that instant stuffing was usable and the manufacturer's website confirmed it, so that's what I went with.

I know most meatloaf recipes ask for two types of meat. We are not big meat-eaters in our house, so two pounds of 'loaf isn't practical. Plus, my wife isn't all that crazy about crossing the streams where ground critter is concerned. If you want to work with a second pound, even if it's just to double the recipe, there's plenty of room in a twelve-inch skillet. Just take care to shape properly to promote even cooking. On the subject of shape, I like the 'trench' running down the middle of the 'loaf. It keeps the sauce from running all over the place, promotes even cooking, and works to keep everything under that crust moist, even if you overcook things a bit.

As for the sauce, I know that those ingredients look a lot like a barbeque sauce, and I'm inclined to agree. Just don't tell my wife, as it's the only barbeque sauce she'll eat. The thyme adds a nice twist to the flavor profile that pairs well with whatever it is that they put in packaged stuffing. Back on that subject - use whatever flavor you like. Like instant ramen, I'm not at all sure you could really tell the difference once you throw it all together.

Results: If you appreciate an even texture in your meatloaf, this recipe is for you. The finicky folk out there seem to shy away from anything with big ol' chunks of foreign vegetable matter in there. All the same, we get a wonderful tangy and savory flavor because we put a little extra love into the sauce, which brings the seasoning back up to par. If you buy good beef, you can still taste it here, as it doesn't get overwhelmed by things like bell pepper or that not-quite-cooked bit of carrot. Save the vegetables for the side-dish, and let this mahogany-crusted beauty take center-stage.

Everyone's got their own meatloaf, and everyone thinks theirs is the best. That's cool; no one's trying to raise a ruckus. I'm the first to admit that this recipe is pretty pedestrian. All the same, I encourage you to take your favorite recipe to the cast iron skillet. Using a turkey baster to skim off 'loaf grease is a bitch, and keeping around a specialized pan just to de-grease meatloaf is a bit ridiculous. Not only does a cast iron skillet provide more surface area for browning (the best part), but also frees you from the oven when its just too nice to be inside.

Gallery:

Eight years of use + zero soap has transformed this hunk of cast-iron into a thing of beauty.

Eight years of use + zero soap has transformed this hunk of cast-iron into a thing of beauty.

If your ground beef is packaged like this, chances are you bought local (wait for applause).

If your ground beef is packaged like this, chances are you bought local (wait for applause).

Give your 'loaf-binder time to re-adjust before adding the beef. Go make your sauce while you're waiting.

Give your 'loaf-binder time to re-adjust before adding the beef. Go make your sauce while you're waiting.

Everything you see here makes a wonderfully tangy and slightly sweet barbeq- err, "meatloaf" sauce.

Everything you see here makes a wonderfully tangy and slightly sweet barbeq- err, "meatloaf" sauce.

For those who have an aversion to touching raw meat with your hands, go get some help, 'cuz a spoon ain't gonna cut it here.

For those who have an aversion to touching raw meat with your hands, go get some help, 'cuz a spoon ain't gonna cut it here.

Slathered with sauce, the meatloaf goes into a 325F oven. If it wasn't so crappy out that day, we'd have done it on the gas grill instead.

Slathered with sauce, the meatloaf goes into a 325F oven. If it wasn't so crappy out that day, we'd have done it on the gas grill instead.

The paranoid can rejoice; we cooked the bejeezus out of this meatloaf. I went 15 minutes over an hour, as this is the way my wife likes it.

The paranoid can rejoice; we cooked the bejeezus out of this meatloaf. I went 15 minutes over an hour, as this is the way my wife likes it.

Note how very little grease we've got here. Also note we didn't have to squeegee any grease off the meatloaf itself.

Note how very little grease we've got here. Also note we didn't have to squeegee any grease off the meatloaf itself.

Overcooked (per my wife's request) and still plenty moist. Meatloaf doesn't get any sexier than this.

Overcooked (per my wife's request) and still plenty moist. Meatloaf doesn't get any sexier than this.