Grandma's Meat Loaf

Grandma’s meatloaf sticks to the old-school formula and works because of it. Ground beef gets bound with one egg and a cup of crisp rice cereal (cheaper and more reliable than bread crumbs) plus chopped onion. The glaze is the real star: brown sugar, ketchup, dry mustard, and a tiny pinch of nutmeg whisked together, half mixed into the meat and the other half poured over the loaf before baking.

A splash of water around the pan keeps the loaf from drying out during the long, low bake. The result slices clean and the sweet-tangy crust caramelizes into the meat below.

Pro Tips

• Mix the meat just enough to combine. Overworked ground beef makes a tough, bouncy meatloaf instead of tender.
• Use 80/20 ground beef. Leaner beef bakes dry; fattier beef shrinks too much in the pan.
• The rice cereal absorbs juices like bread crumbs but doesn’t go gummy. Don’t substitute fresh bread or the texture turns dense.
• Mince the onion as finely as possible. Big chunks stay raw at the long, low bake; fine mince melts into the meat.
• Let the meatloaf rest 10 minutes before slicing. Cutting straight from the oven and the slices fall apart; rested they hold their shape.

Variations

• Top with bacon strips before baking for a smoky, salty crust.
• Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or a splash of beef broth to the meat mix for deeper savory flavor.
• Swap a third of the ground beef for ground pork or veal for a more tender, traditional meatloaf texture.