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Post by Toby Benoit on Jul 4, 2011 1:04:57 GMT 12.75
Okay...so I tried a turkey meatloaf in a DO. It weren't a big loaf cause the DO ain't all that big. I took Paw's advice onmixing the loaf and adding a little chicken stock to it to keep it from drying out and it turned out perfect. If you like turkey meatloaf that is, lol. It were good, but it weren't the same...
Here's the question...I surrounded the loaf with chopped taters, bald-headed peas, chopped carrots and a chopped up onion.
The veggies dried out and the ones on the bottom scorched like a mofo, but the meat didn't.... I had the oven on 400 (I wanted to try it outside, BUT it was raining like a cow pissin' on a flat rock. The top layer of veggies weren't bad, but the closer to the bottom of the DO you went, the dryer and darker they got.
Reckon what went wrong? Next time, think I ought to add the veggies when the meat gets about half done or what? Also, it were on the middle rack of the oven, shoulda cooked evenly across the top and bottom hadn't it, or should I raise the rack?
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Post by Two Tales on Jul 4, 2011 4:54:20 GMT 12.75
electric or gas? yes this does make a difference...gas has a flow so the air is basically forced around (more even heating)...unless the electric has a fan then the heat has to come up and over the top in a transference method..ele...raise the rack..use a thermometer and lower your heat...cook for 1/2 hour at 400 then drop the heat to about 300 for the remainder of the cooking time...was the DO covered? if not there is at least part of the problem...need to keep the moisture in.. for a good portion of the cooking time only removing the cover to brown of the top...using turkey or other "lean" meats you need to add moisture to the pot to replace what isn't there...replacement could be anything from broth to wine..(although I don't know how the wine would work with the flavorers) just be sure that it is heated before adding it..(2 reasons, hot pot hot stock no temp change secondly if you use cold stock it'll shock the bottom of the pot and boils off too fast...) think of it this way a meat loaf done this way is nothing more than a pot roast made from ground meat and should be treated nearly the same when it comes to the veggies..and yes you can wait until the loaf is about half done (140-150*F) before adding them...
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Post by Paws on Jul 4, 2011 7:10:41 GMT 12.75
Well if the Dutch oven was preheated that would tend to offset the hi/lo up/down of an electric but the temperature is probably fifty degrees to high to start. You are right about he veggies. Plus if they surround the meat they will absorb the heat from the bottom and sides of the oven insulating the meat making it need to cook longer thus burning the veggies when the meat is finished. You can also use larger pieces of veggies and take them straight from the fridge to the pot when ready to put the heat to it. I tend to bake rather than broil meat loafs; ergo, they go on a shallow roasting pan usually on a rack. Only time they go in a pot is outside in the Dutch oven and then it is at least two times the size of the loaf. Taking a sedgeway back to TT, a good gravy will do the trick added to the pot about two thirds through the cooking. Prep it on top of the stove and pour it over the veggies and meat while still hot. Then they can finish of broiling and add flavor at the same time.
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Post by Toby Benoit on Jul 5, 2011 14:51:50 GMT 12.75
It's an electric oven, no fan. I did have it covered and I put quite a bit of chicken broth in the meatloaf, enough that it was almost soggy with it.
Lift the rack and lower the heat... I'll give it a shot again soon and see how it turns out. I think I will put the veggies in a bit later on after it's coocked awhile and put some more of the chicken stock in the pot when I do.
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Post by Paws on Jul 6, 2011 4:09:00 GMT 12.75
You want that rack pretty much centered. Make sure your oven is preheated. If that's a cast iron Dutch oven you might stick a trivet in it to set the meat on. I might even get me an exdtra hangy down oven thermometer and double check the temperature and get a fee for where she is turning on and off. Them ovens is just like a woman; real nice when they are warmed up and you need a little heat but not worth a damn when they are out of control!
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Post by Paws on Jul 6, 2011 4:35:09 GMT 12.75
You want that rack pretty much centered. Make sure your oven is preheated. If that's a cast iron Dutch oven you might stick a trivet in it to set the meat on. I might even get me an exdtra hangy down oven thermometer and double check the temperature and get a fee for where she is turning on and off. Them ovens is just like a woman; real nice when they are warmed up and you need a little heat but not worth a damn when they are out of control! Toby I just thought of something, either your top heating element is burnt out or you do not have one in the top. Many electrics have only a bottom element with a broiler under the oven that uses the same element for broiling. Soooooo..... your pre-heat and temperatue control will be critical. You know what I think that after about halfway cooked I'd throw an old wooden cutting board under the Dutch oven; if this scenario is accurate of course.
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Post by Toby Benoit on Jul 6, 2011 19:02:26 GMT 12.75
I do have a top element..dunno if it's working or not. Gonna check n see...
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