Someone's probably already thought of this

NibbleMeThis · March 2008

I'm smoking my first meatloaf today and as I got ready, I had a quandry.

I didn't want for the loaf to sit in a drip pan because it would "fry" on the bottom in it's own rendered fat but only bake on top. I ran into this the first time I ever cooked a fatty. But the loaf wasn't firm enough to set in a v-rack over a drip pan. So......

I set 4 brackets in an aluminum pan

I used an ice pick (a la Basic Instinct) and punched holes in the bottom of a second pan

I placed the "holy" pan on top of the brackets on the other pan

This lets the loaf bake in the top pan while the rendered fat collects in the pan below.

Like I said, someone else has probably already thought of something like this, but I thought it was a good idea. One note, make sure the brackets don't contain zinc.

Eggtucky · March 2008

Excellent idea swib..but I'm curious...I have not made a meatloaf on the egg..but why wouldnt you cook it same as a fatty?? I just put the fatty on the grate over a drip pan with the plate setter holding the drip pan and cook away..would a meatloaf not cook the same??

Beanie-Bean · March 2008

Very resourceful, Chris. Those half trays will get expensive. I've used something from wally world that looks like a wide-gapped screen called a grill topper. This will work for fatties, and will probably work for meatloaves just the same. They're less than $1, too. Let me go snap a quick pic and I'll post it on the forum for you shortly.

RRP · March 2008

Chris - looks like your idea would certainly work. OTOH it's hard to beat one of these wire meat loaf baskets for letting the grease render out and at the same time receive smoke on all surfaces. I use a foil covered plate setter to keep the grease out of the fire. Works well for me...

here were result results

NibbleMeThis · March 2008

I was worried that if I used just the v-rack or the grate, that the weight of the meat loaf would sink partially down through the grate. I have done 1 lb fatties directly on the grate, but this meat loaf weighed over 3 lbs.

I had refrigerated the meatloaf for 2 hours trying to firm it up, but it was still a bit too soft to go on the v-rack or on the grate. It might have worked, but I didn't want to find out the hard way

Maybe if I can let it refrigerate longer next time I could try that.

Have a great weekend!

NibbleMeThis · March 2008

Consider me sold! Where'd you get that?

NibbleMeThis · March 2008

Thanks, Mike! That's not a bad idea.

Beanie-Bean · March 2008

Chris,

Here you go:

1 lb Jimmy Dean shown for reference.

Eggtucky · March 2008

yep..I use grill toppers like this for abts and such..they are cheap..can get em at wally world, dollar store, etc..work well and let the heat circ around the meat..

Eggtucky · March 2008

dunno where he got it..but i'm headed to amazon

RRP · March 2008

Here you go - it's about three fourths the way down the page on the right. These guys have lots of goodies plus a good source for rubs and sauces from all over the country too. Besides they have some of the lowest S & H charges of any internet shop.
http://www.hawgeyesbbq.com/BBQ-Accessories.html

Beanie-Bean · March 2008

Cool stuff there...thanks for the link, Ron!

stike · March 2008

don't worry about zinc. that's internet bunkum.

if you can get zinc to off gas in the egg, i'll give you a thousand bucks.

(and, one more time everybody.... the carbon monoxide which you generate every cook is far more likely [and actually able to] to kill you than any metal in your egg. and for some reason you aren't worried about that...)

NibbleMeThis · March 2008

I thought that was the case (internet bunk) but you got my curiousity up, so I pulled out some of my old college textbooks.

What I have usually heard in the "don't do this or you'll grow extra fingers and then die" warnings was not as much an inhalation hazard, rather ingestion. The odd thing is that the NIOSH Pocket Guide only addresses inhalation as a route of exposure. But Basics of Toxicology (Chris Kent) points out that you would have to eat at least 200mg in a single dose to observe any of the symptoms. I could probably file the metal pieces over the food and not ingest that much

(joking.....no one try that to get a little 'extra' zinc in your diet! )

Of course, CO is another thing altogether. I won't even cook next to the garage overhang for that reason. I certainly would put a smoldering egg back into a closed garage, just to be on the safe side.

You know how those stores use a propane fueled floor buffer? I once did an air sampling on one that was in good shape. The CO readings came back under the 8 hr time weighted average, but not by much. I'm sure one in bad shape would put off a lot more.

ILL--EGGER · March 2008

I just made my first meat 'egged' loaf last weekend and used my stainless steel basket. Not the cheapest eggcessary out there, at around $20, but a darn usefull one that I use all the time for all sorts of cooks. Here are a couple pictures of it in action:

And here is the same basket with onions and greenpeppers to go with bratwurst...

FlaMike · March 2008

Here's my setup. Works great. Drip pan on platesetter below grid.

stike · March 2008

why do folks shoot zinc up their nose (zicam) or take zinc pills then if it's going to kill you?
you can buy zinc in 25 to 30mg pills and take it as a diet supplement for crying out loud. hahaha

the thing you really want to watch out for is dihydrogen monoxide. too much will kill you, not enough will kill you. it eats metal, too. watch out.

Someone's probably already thought of this

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