Meatloaf question

DavidR

I'm almost ready to light the egg, and put Cat's meatloaf, which has been chillin in the fridge, onto the fire. But I'm still not sure whether to do it direct or indirect. I'm thinking about using a plate setter.[p]Any thoughts?

Nature Boy

DavidR,
I have not done meatloaf yet, but I would think you would want some kind of indirect shield to prevent the bottom from burning.[p]Hopefully someone who REALLY knows will chime in before your cooking time. If not, go indirect![p]Cheers!
NB

Cat

DavidR,[p]No need for the plate setter. I just put the loaf on a shallow foil-lined pan to catch drips - this meatloaf releases a LOT of fat - and set the pan right on the grill.[p]Cathy

sprinter

DavidR,[p]I've cooked several and all have been indirect.[p]Troy

Cat

Nature Boy,[p]
Well, no records set...but close! Hope all's well.[p]Cathy

sprinter

Cat,[p]Dang, darn near took off your side mirrors on that post.[p]Troy

Cat

sprinter,[p]And all we did was offer David conflicting advice! Oh well, there are many paths to the same result. (Truth be told, I'm too lazy to drag out the plate setter most of the time.)[p]Cathy

Nature Boy

Cat,
I was hoping someone who knew the real deal would come along to help out before David got cooking! Looks like the bottom line is either way will git him some fine meatloaf.[p]All is not bad here. Hope you are stylin and smylin into the New Year!
NB

Cat

Doin' my best, Chris...same to you!

DavidR

Hey Cat, thanks for responding. I've already got the plate setter heating up on at 200*. I've got it in a shallow pan, but should I punch some holes in it, in order to let the drippings seep onto say, another drip pan in the setter, or is it alright lettin it sit in the fat?[p]Thank you and everyone else for responding so quickly.

Cat

DavidR,[p]It's fine to let it sit in the fat. The drips aren't that excessive; I just use the pan to avoid flare-ups. [p]Save some for lunch tomorrow. I almost like it better cold than hot![p]Cathy

Butch M

DavidR,
I am new user of the BGE. The meat loaf sounds great. Where did you find the recipe? I saw discussion about direct and indirect cooking. What is the difference and how do you do each? Where can I find this type of info?
Thank you so much. I am ready to cook.
Butch[p]

DavidR

Thanks Cathy. I'm about to put it on the grill. The timing is about perfect. My wife doesn't get home from work for another two hours. And just so you know, cold meatloaf sandwiches are my favorite. I can't wait to try yours.[p]Thanks again! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Wise One

ButchM, go to the top of the forum an dlook under the section "Submitted Recipes" You'll find some good stuff.

[ul][li]Cat's Meatloaf[/ul]

sdbelt

ButchM,[p]First, I would post your direct/indirect question as a seperate topic. When pressed for time, I often skip over posts made on a topic that I'm not familiar with or have little interest. This should get you the maximum responses and information.[p]However:[p] o Direct cooking is cooking done with the grill grate exposed to the fire directly.
o Indirect cooking is done with something placed between the fire and the grill grate. The two most common ways of going indirect are to either use the plate setter, turned upside down, or to get fire bricks and a second grill grate.[p]Each method has it's appropriate uses, and each method can yield excellent results when cooking the same item. Indirect cooking usually has a drip pan placed beneath the food, as it is often used when cooking low and slow foods that will drip a lot of fat. The fat is caught in the drip pan and flare ups are avoided.[p]Indirect cooking also yields more of an oven baked effect. Direct cooking yields a more broiler cooked effect. For example, direct cooking can sears burgers and steaks most excellently, while indirect cooking can yield awesome "lean" pulled pork and brisket. I see chicken cooked with success both ways, just sorta depends. I like fish cook direct.[p]For this meatloaf cook, I would have done it indirect. I would not have wanted the bottom of the pan to have cooked faster than the top of the pan, and since you can't turn meatloaf, indirect would make sense to me. Haven't done meatloaf on the Egg, however, so that's sort of an educated guess.[p]In summary, I chose direct cooking for anything I will turn (burger, steak, fish, chicken pieces (but not whole), etc.). I chose indirect cooking for anything I want to "set and forget".[p]Hope that helps![p]--sdb

DavidR

ButchM,[p]Click on the link below for Cat's meatloaf recipe. The difference between direct and indirect cooking is as follows:[p]Cook 'direct' when you have nothing between the fire and the food. You want the fire itself to affect the cooking. 'Indirect' is when you have a shield between the fire and the food. (plate setter, firebricks, etc.) Cook indirect when you want the egg to behave more like an oven, rather than a grill. Always cook indirect on low and slow cooks. (briskets, pork butts, etc.)

[ul][li]Cat's Eggfest Meatloaf[/ul]

DavidR

Wise One,[p]You were quicker on the draw. Off to the meatloaf!

Unknown

sdbelt,[p]Great post I knew this info but read your post anyway.
You should write a book [p]Happy Egging... BB

Shelby

DavidR,
I've done several...all direct @ 350* for about an hour and a half.