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Grandpa Mark’s Meatloaf

by Jamie
My father-in-law (Grandpa Mark) was a really great guy. He was all about family and spent the better part of his life raising 8 children.
August 13, 1994 my wedding day and the day I got hitched to this great Eskelson family.
That’s a lot of kids no matter how you look at it! 
 
 He wasn’t really a fashionable sort of fellow….
More like a 
get in there and work….
 
and build things like this….
 
and that.
 
He was the kind of guy that liked to ride around in a back hoe….digging and moving things around, and making life more pleasant than he found it.
 
He suffered from Congestive Heart Failure for more than twenty years, which included all of the time I knew him. Towards the end of his life he spent a lot of time at the computer, researching and writing and learning about new things. You could call him pretty much any time of day and know that he would 
…be at his computer….
…and at your service….
Always willing to answer any question, or help solve any problem.
This good man found a lot of great recipes while he sat at his computer. This wonderful Meatloaf is one of them. 
It is hands down the best meatloaf I’ve ever had.
Hope your family loves it as much as we all do. 
 
The view from Grandpa Mark’s Bear Lake Cabin. 
Photo by Grandpa Mark himself.
Sure wish he were around to give me some 
photography tips
and parenting advice
and to help me figure out the technical side of blogging
(he would have been all over that kind of a project)
and to visit with
and to see my kids grow up
and to visit with
and to visit with
and to visit with…..
He knew a lot of good stuff.
 
1. Place all loaf ingredients in a large bowl. Get your hands in there and mix it all up together. You want all of the ingredients to be incorporated well.  (Don’t be shy now….touching ground beef will not kill you. If you lick your fingers after you have been smashing it all together…you most likely will kill over dead immediately, or so I’ve heard. Please refrain from licking raw hamburger off your fingers. Your immediate death is something I don’t want on my conscience. However if you decide to lick raw hamburger and you do indeed kill over…give Grandpa Mark a kiss for me when you see him.)
2. Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the bottom. 
3. Form your meat mixture into two loaves. Place them on top of the brown sugar leaving a little alley way between them. (Wash your hands…do not lick them.)
 
4. Pour your ketchup between the loaves….. 
 
 and around the sides of the loaves.
5. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 for 40 minutes, or until the inside of the loaf is no longer pink. 
6. Remove the pan from the oven, take off the foil and spoon the sauce over the tops of the loaves. Return to the oven and bake for about 3-5 more minutes.
7. Take the pan out of the oven and let the loaves rest for about 5 minutes. Then slice and serve. 

Enjoy!

Grandpa Mark's Meatloaf

Serves: 12 servings (you could half the recipe) Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat
Rating: 4.5/5
( 2 voted )

Ingredients

  • The Loaf:
  • 2 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 2 sleeves saltine crackers, crushed into tiny pieces
  • 4 eggs
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 T honey mustard
  • 1/2 C ketchup
  • 1 t Worcestershire
  •  The Sauce:
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 1 C ketchup

Instructions

1. Place all loaf ingredients in a large bowl. Get your hands in there and mix it all up together. You want all of the ingredients to be incorporated well.  
2. Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the bottom. 
3. Form your meat mixture into two loaves. Place them on top of the brown sugar leaving a little alley way between them. (Wash your hands...do not lick them.)
4. Pour your ketchup between the loaves and around the sides of the loaves.
5. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 for 40 minutes, or until the inside of the loaf is no longer pink. 
6. Remove the pan from the oven, take off the foil and spoon the sauce over the tops of the loaves. Return to the oven and bake for about 3-5 more minutes.
7. Take the pan out of the oven and let the loaves rest for about 5 minutes. Then slice and serve. 

Enjoy!


Recipe from my father in law, Mark Eskelson

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64 comments

Kay July 20, 2018 - 4:24 pm

Can’t wait to make this meatloaf. Sounds incredible!

Reply
Mary Lotempio March 25, 2019 - 7:38 pm

I’m a year seeing and getting this recipe, but i’m glad I did. I love meatloaf, and this one looks so good. Making it soon!

Reply
Charlotte September 16, 2019 - 9:42 pm

Hi, the recipe sounds great. I do have a question, however – you mentioned to pour the sauce over the loaves. So, what sauce are you referring to – the ketchup? Thank you so much!

Reply
Karen March 13, 2021 - 6:16 pm

I made this meatloaf for my family and they absolutely loved it! It was so moist and flavorful.
I only had two pounds of ground beef, and only used two eggs. But was so moist. Thank you so much for sharing! This will be made again and again.

Reply
Mary Lotempio March 14, 2021 - 7:27 am

First , I also got married in 1994. 2-18-94. Meat loaf, I truly love, but have never made a good one. This looks so good, and I just took ground beef from freezer, and i’m making this recipe this afternoon. Can’t wait to try it!

Reply
Cindy April 3, 2023 - 9:03 am

April 2023: I really enjoyed you sharing about Grandpa Mark. I especially laughed about out loud when I read the part about licking your fingers. I jump to the recipe and bypass the blogs, however, yours was a pleasure to read.
Thank you for the recipe and for the humor. I am excited to try it out.

Reply
Jamie April 4, 2023 - 10:38 am

Thank you for your kind words, Cindy. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
~Jamie

Reply
Barb November 3, 2023 - 6:27 am

I love that tribute Jamie. I miss him because he was often like a father to me.

Reply
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