Crock-Pot Manly Meatloaf
This recipe is not for the faint of heart. My husband said he wanted meatloaf for dinner.
A “manly meatloaf” with enough for leftover meatloaf sandwiches for the next day.
Well we are a large family, so a regular meatloaf normally just feeds us for dinner and that’s it.
Not this recipe though…this one has plenty for dinner and leftovers. Get out your big crock-pot (6 quart or larger) for this one because it has 5 pounds of ground beef in it.
To create this recipe I took my grandmother’s meatloaf and my husband’s grandmother’s meatloaf recipes and sort of combined them. How can you go wrong with meatloaf recipes from your grandma?
And let me just tell you, this stuff is good too! The meatloaf comes out moist and tender (because it is is cooking away all day in a moist environment in the slow cooker) and full of flavor. There is onion, garlic, special seasonings and spices and then…this glorious meatloaf is glazed with a delicious sweet and tangy brown sugar/ketchup glaze that is perfect.
Of course you can cut the recipe in half if you want to. But if you have a crew to feed or want left overs for sandwiches or just to put the extra in the freezer for another meal (or two) give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
We have now made this recipe several times over, and let me tell you this is it folks…the best meatloaf I have ever had.
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Crock-Pot Manly Meatloaf |
Get out the big crock-pot for this recipe! I used a 7 quart crock-pot myself. I like to do a glaze on top of my meatloaf....to make just combine 1/2 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup brown sugar and spread over the meatloaf before cooking.
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| Rating |
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| Servings | 12People |
| Prep Time | 30Minutes |
| Cook Time | 6 - 8Hours |
- 5 Lbs. ground beef (lean)
- 4 Whole eggs (beaten)
- 2 Packages stuffing mix (such as Stove Top brand)
- 1 Cup water
- 1/4 Cup mustard
- 1/4 Cup ketchup
- 3 Cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 Teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Teaspoon dried rosemary
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Ingredients
Servings: People
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- Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
- Dump meat mixture into crock-pot and pat down evenly.
- If using glaze, glaze your meatloaf with ketchup and brown sugar mixture.
- Cover crock-pot with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve with your favorite side dishes. We enjoyed this with mashed potatoes and corn. Make meatloaf sandwiches or freeze leftovers for an extra meal or two.
Made this for my boyfriend and it is now the ONLY meatload recipe he wants to eat!!
Thanks Jennifer for dropping by and leaving a comment, I am glad your husband loved this meatloaf as much as mine does. It really is so good and makes a ton!
The last couple times I made meatloaf – it bombed. I had never made it in the crockpot, so I tried this.
I cut the recipe in half – and it was awesome !!!
Thanks for posting it…..
thank you becky. we aim to please.
I’ve got two big eaters in this house (football players!) who love meatloaf so I am eager to try this. I have a question: of I half the recipe, do I need to adjust the cook time? As the meat loaf won’t take up as much surface space in the crock pot. Thanks!
Hi Sarah, if you have big eaters this recipe is for YOU! This is one of my go-to recipes and we make it like once a month. We love it because it feeds our large crew plus some leftovers.
If you half the recipe you can cut down the cook time by about 1 to 1/2 hours. I have never cut the recipe in half myself but that should work just fine.
I asked my guys about trying a new meatloaf recipe this coming weekend that had FIVE pounds of beef in it. I mentioned cutting the recipe in half and they both said “Why?!” LOL so I’m going with the full recipe this weekend, I’ll comment on the results when they do! Thanks!!!
LOL that is awesome!
Lady Heidi recently posted…Crock-Pot Italian Wedding Soup
Just wondering if you just use the bread out of the stuffing mix or the seasoning packets as well?
You use both. I personally use Stove Top brand and the bread and seasoning is mixed together and not separate. But if the brand you use is separate you use both.
I may just have to try this. My husband and I were just talking about meatloaf. I love it and he doesn’t like it. I think he just hasn’t tried the right one yet. Lol If I can talk him into giving it a try then I will let you know what he thinks. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Let us know if your husband likes this one Stacy!
This awesome, but I added a brick of Monterey Jack cheese to the middle 🙂
~Tess
Oh that sounds good Tess!
This may be a silly question … what do we do to the garlic? Do I crush it or just chop it? Thanks!
I use minced garlic. I will adjust the recipe. Sorry about that!
Not a problem! I’m really looking forward to making this and wanted to make sure I got it all right!
I’m so excited to try this recipe!! But should I prepare the stuffing mix prior to adding it to the meatloaf?
You just add the dry stuffing mix to the meat mixture. It acts as the binding ingredient.
What about the grease from the hamburger meat? Is there alot?
The leaner your hamburger the less grease there is. However I just pull it out slices of the meatloaf and let them drain on a bit of paper towel is there is alot of extra grease. I try and use the leanest hamburger meat I can buy.
I really want to try this recipe but I have a question. Whenever I have made a meal in the crockpot I have cooked it in a liquid. Does this cook in a liquid as well, or do I just ace the meatloaf in the crockpot and cook without a liquid?
There is no liquid. The meat has enough fats and juices in it that it will make it’s own liquid as it cooks.
I make one like this add some cubed Monterey cheese and cheddar. It’s awesome!
Yum, the addition of some cheese sounds great Michell
I’ve never made meatloaf in a slow cooker before so I’m anxious to try this. I like using either a combo of 80/20 ground beef with mild sausage or a classic meatloaf mix of ground beef, pork, & veal…either of which would produce a bit more grease than 100% lean beef. Will the meat hold together well enough to use aluminum foil balls (a trick I learned when cooking fattier meats in the crock pot) underneath it to keep it out of any grease? Thanks for what sounds like a yummy recipe!!
This is a pretty sturdy meatloaf and I think it would hold up well with a rack under it…or your balled up foil trick. I try to avoid cooking with foil touching my food whenever possible and really need to invest in a rack that will fit in my slow cooker. I know they make them I just keep forgetting to order one.
I have to say that this is THE BEST meatloaf. There’s only two of us so I did cut the recipe in 1/2 The only change I made, as I had it on-hand ,was that I used 2 lbs of ground beef & the remaining 1/2 lb was Italian sausage. I definitely prefer the stuffing mix to the usual bread crumbs. Thanks for such a great recipe!!! :).
That just makes my day Karen to hear you say that. This recipe is one we make over and over again in our family. Always a hit and always plenty for our big family. I am going to be keeping my eyes peeled for a great Italian sausage deal so I can give your idea a try…it sound amazing!
I am going to try this!! Have you ever added onions and/or celery to this recipe?
Onions yes…celery no. Simply because I am not a big fan of celery. But I see no reason why the addition of celery would not work!