Moist Sous Vide Meatloaf
Equipment
- Non-stick pan
- Large Bowl
- Sous Vide Immersion Circulator
- Cooking Container
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp light olive oil
- 2 stalks celery diced small
- 1 medium onion diced small
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 lb ground beef 85% lean
- 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 cup ketchup, bbq or desired sauce
Instructions
- Prepare sous vide machine in a large pot water bath and set to 153°F. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and milk to soak. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a non-stick pan to medium heat. Add celery and onion. Cook until fragrant and soft, about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in seasoning and tomato paste. Let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, mix together beef, sausage, bread crumbs, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until well incorporated. Mix in cooked veggies, then form into 2 rounded rectangular loaves.
- Place a loaf sideways into vacuum sealer roll/pouch with one end sealed. Cut opposite end about 4” from loaf. Set the vacuum sealer to the moist mode and seal meatloaf. Repeat for the other loaf.
- Submerge loaves into a water bath and sous vide 153°F for 75 minutes, or until slightly firm and some clear juices have formed in pouches.
- Remove from water and let sit 15 minutes. Open pouches, drain liquid and place loaves on a baking sheet.
- Coat tops with sauce and broil for 2-3 minutes until heated. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
- Breadcrumbs and milk: Breadcrumbs creates extra space and air between the meat proteins, it also holds some of the fat from the meat. Otherwise you’d be basically cooking a big burger. Soak them ahead of time in milk to create more moisture and volume.
- Mix in eggs: Adding eggs helps hold everything together.
- Add vegetables such as onions, celery and carrots: this creates soft areas in the loaf as well. Cook them ahead of time to prevent crunchy bits.
- Use fattier meats: Normally I prefer cooking with lean 93% beef, but 85% creates a more moist meatloaf, even if a lot of the fat drains out during cooking. Incorporating ground sausage into the beef adds a nice variety of flavor and texture.
- Cook using sous vide at 153°F for 75 minutes: Instead of baking in an oven and risking overcooked meatloaf. The meatloaf will cook only to the set temp.
- Coat with sauce and broil: Since the sous vide does not brown meats, adding the glaze and this step at the end will create a traditional coating that comes from roasting.
