Go to the Recipe: Modernist Sous Vide Meatloaf
That is one beautiful meatloaf.
I had fun making this today. It’s a clever method and a good project for anyone who enjoys the satisfying nuances of modernist techniques… draping the perfectly sized gel glaze over the meat was literally the high point of my week. Can’t wait to play around with that trick on other things. Anyway, thanks for the great content as always.
It was a method I have used in the past for tasting menus, draping the sauce over lamb loin.
Yet another reason I'll be leaving ChefSteps. Why in the world would I want to purchase Sodium hexametaphosphate and Low-Acyl Gellan Gum F just to make this? I was excited to see the recipe until I went through the ingredient list.
Tj - have you tried it without the glaze? Like, sampled it? Or Kyl? Just wondering. Nothing I loathe more (on the meatloaf front) than so-called "typical" ketchup glaze on meatloaf. I can't imagine liking the gel glaze either (flavor-wise) all though it looks cool.
Dont worry Ed, they thought of you when crafting this recipe
You might not purchase them just to make this dish, but you might purchase them to make all kinds of cool stuff that includes this dish.
Why set the glaze only to shear it, add gelatin, and cook it? I'm not clear on what the gellan and gelatin additions are adding here.
The fact that they included these ingredients is the reason I haven’t left Chefsteps.
Hi Nate, The gellan is thickening the whole mix to the right glaze consistency and is thermo-irreversible so it won't loosen when it heats up but it will not set back up in a way you can handle it well after it shears. The gelatin helps set it into a sheet you can handle and drape, then will melt when heated.
Its a great meatloaf with out this glaze, and you can take the same method and apply the sheet glaze to what ever type you like.
I'm very excited to try this. I'm very glad CS goes back to it's roots using modernist techniques to level up classic recipes. This is exactly why i'm suscribing. What would happen if I omited the Sodium Hexametaphosphate?
For a high acid ingredient like ketchup it helps the gelling process, if you don't have it I would up the amounts of the gelan by 20% and add 2 sheets of gelatin.
Thank you. So, if I understand, the gellan allows you to make a gel that, when sheared, sets up into a very firm fluid gel, and the gelatin allows you to manipulate that fluid gel?
No kidding. 💯
What would happen if one made it without the SHMP? Could sodium citrate (which I have) be substituted?
It sure can.
Correct.
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What would you suggest for a replacement for someone who is mushroom intolerant? I'm thinking zucchini or some combo of zucchini/carrot/tomato?
Ultimately you can sub in anything that has little moisture left in it that will be comparable to the roasted shrooms. Sun dried tomatoes for sure, roasted beets or carrots. Squash may be too high moisture even when roasted. Shocked and squeezed dry greens would be nice too. Red skin potatoes?
Why do you shear the glaze in a food processor rather than a blender?
Would you use the same amount of sodium citrate?
Gonna be that guy... I substituted the beef with clam meat, jk. But I DID dumb this down a bit. No red wine, kinda duxelle the mushrooms or at least completely dry them out before pulverizing and adding to the blend. Some people hate mushroom texture, so I remove the texture.
This is my goto recipe for meatloaf now (for sandwiches). People really enjoy it. I scale it for 5lb beef & 5lb pork (10lb total weight).
Form and vacuum steel. Freeze. Cook thawed sous vide 150f for ~3 hours. Toast portions with a ketchup agrodolche glaze. Fry sauce made with bag "drippings", bacon, sweet onion, red leaf... Bob's your mother's brother.
Great baseline recipe. Props. And no offense to the modernist take, it just doesn't work for my current application.
