Likely this is not what you want....but you can cut it down!! LOL! Each "batch" will serve 25 to 30...so 1/2 a "batch" would be family sized.
MEAT LOAF FOR 150
26 ½ pounds of ground beef
Mix in about 5 pound batches, Eye ball it!
For each 5 pounds of meat
Add 2 cups bread crumbs
5 eggs
3 cups of chopped onions sautéed a bit in oil until softÂ( or 1 ½ cups sautéed chopped onions)
1 1/2 cups of water with 1 rounded T. of beef stock granules and 1 T wÂshire
3 teaspoons of salt
1 tsp of pepperÂ.and seasonings
2 T dark grainy mustard
Mix wellÂadding more water if needed
Form into loaf and place into baking pan and bake 1 ½ hours at 350Âuntil inside is 160

Repeat 4 times!!

Hi Marilyn --

This recipe for meat loaf from epicurious is by far the best I've ever made... Moist, flavorful... Just fantastic. Many other people on that site agreed, as it has a three and a half (out of four) fork rating and a 90% would make again rating...

Individual Meatloaves with Bacon Crisps

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 45 min
Makes 4 servings

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (from 2 slices firm white sandwich bread)
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 lb meatloaf mix or equal parts ground beef chuck, pork, and veal
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons distilled white or cider vinegar
4 bacon slices, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer

Put oven rack in middle positionand preheat oven to 400°F. Line a shallow baking pan with foil.

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 10-inch skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until just softened, about 4 minutes.

Stir together bread crumbs,milk, eggs, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Gently combine meat if necessary, then add to bread-crumb mixture along with onion mixture and gently knead with your hands until just combined. (Mixture will be moist. Wipe out skillet and reserve.)

Using a 1-cup measure, drop slightly rounded cups of mixture into baking pan and lightly pat to form 4 domes.

Stir together ketchup and vinegar and spoon over mounds. Bake meatloaves until center of each loaf registers 155°F on thermometer, about 25 minutes.

While meatloaves bake, cook bacon in skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Turn on broiler and broil meatloaves 2 to 3 inches from heat until glaze is slightly caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve meatloaves topped with bacon.

Emily's notes -- I use salsa rather than the ketchup mixture, and I just put the bacon on the top as they bake and skip the whole extra making the bacon ahead of time step. Works great.

This one is the best for us. I make it flat in a casserole dish, not high in a loafpan, so it's easier to serve and everyone gets a taste of the topping. I've been making it since 1963.

Here's a link to the recipe and a previous thread about this meatloaf.

SharonCb

Here is a link that might be useful: World's Best Meatloaf

If it was a tightly packed, solid loaf, most likely she used oatmeal as the filler.

You mentioned you want a 'tightly packed' meatloaf. For years my mom couldn't understand why mine was tightly packed and hers fell apart upon slicing.
My method is pretty basic, in that-no matter what ingredients you choose to use? Don't overpower it with lots of catsup, steak sauce, etc. Add 1 heaping TBS of horseradish for a punch, 1 egg per pound of hamburg and I use Italian flavored breadcrumbs..1 cup per 2lbs of meat. Now..my secret? Once you have thoroughly mixed the meatloaf and placed in the baking pan..WHACK IT!! LOL! I use the flat of my hand and slap it all over-to compress it tightly. 2/3rds of the baking time-I remove from the oven & drain excess grease & place back in the oven to complete baking time.

I also slap my meat loaf....never thought of it as a secret...just something my mother did....and I do too.
When we were making that meat loaf for 150 at the church, someone else was doing the mixing, and I would help lift it into the pan.....and slap it good! LOL! It does get all the air spaces out!
Linda C

Good point, Linda. We all have little tricks of the trade that we take for granted, only to find---often to our surprise---that not everyone uses them.

Reminds me of that great line in "The Cowboys" where the would-be trail cook is describing how to make an apple pie. He finishes by saying, "cut three slashes in the crust; one to let out the steam, and two because that's how your Momma always did it."

Here's the one my family likes - my Mom made hers just like this, but she used cornflake crumbs instead of oatmeal. In a pinch I've also made it with saltine or ritz cracker crumbs instead.

Becky
Lompoc, CA

* Exported from MasterCook *

Meat Loaf

Recipe By :Becky Chatham
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :1:45
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion -- chopped
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup catsup
1/4 cup mustard
1 egg -- beaten
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Form into a loaf shape and bake in 9 x 13 pan at 350F for about 1 1/2 hours.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I slap my meatloaf too! I didn't even realize until reading this thread that I always slap it...LOL

My kind of thread - talking about beating our meat

This is the Meatloaf recipe I use:

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

==================
My version of a meatloaf that I had in Magnolia's Restaurant in Charleston, SC. When we got home from vacation I set out to duplicate it because it was the first meatloaf I found that I actually liked. It was different because Magnolia's grilled the slices before serving and it didn't contain ketchup or tomato sauce like so many meatloaf recipes do.

1 1/2 pounds ground veal or mixture of beef and veal

1 small onion finely chopped
1 to 2 cloves of garlic
2 slices Italian/French Bread soaked in milk
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoons of dried herbs,
(sage and Thyme, a small amount of rosemary
olive oil

Sauce

Green peppercorns
mushroons
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
. Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add minced garlic and saute for
30 seconds. Do not brown garlic

Soak bread in milk

In a large bowl add meat, dijon mustard, chopped parsley, herbs, onions
and garlic and mix with hands. Squeeze bread to break up and add milk
and bread to mixture. Add eggs. Mix well and season with salt and
pepper. Saute a small piece to check for seasoning. Adjust to taste.

Shape meatloaf into a rectangle about 8 X 4 x 3 inches high and place
in a small roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes and then add a small
amount of broth to the pan to prevent the bottom from becoming to
brown. Bake another 30 minutes and baste with the pan juices. Add
more broth if necessary. Cook another 10 minutes or until the meatloaf
is nicely browned.

Let cool and wrap in foil and refrigerate. Reserve pan juices.

Make a sauce by adding some green peppercorns and sauted mushrooms to
the pan juices.

Heat grill

Slice meatloaf into 1/2 inch thick slices and grill on both sides until
nicely marked and hot.

Serve with mashed potatoes

we both love meatloaf and i tend to get in a rut when making it. thanx sharon fl for the tip about using horseradish in it--i had done that a couple of times and we liked the flavor it added but i'd forgotten that...and i'd never grilled meat loaf until i tried ann's recipe a few years go--that was a fun touch! and becky's recipe reminds me that ted really enjoys some mustard mixed in!

having said all that, we had leftover meatloaf for dinner last night, once again using sharon cb's "world's best" recipe. if you need a covered dish for a buffet, use it to make meatballs and after cooking, serve them simmering in your favorite barbecue sauce.

I can vouch for SharonCb's meatloaf being delicious!

This was the first meatloaf I ever really liked:
Mix in the Bowl Meatloaf
1 1/2 lb ground beef
2/3c soft bread crumbs
1c milk
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1T dehydrated chopped onion
1/2 tsp sage
topping:
3T brown sugar
1/4 catsup
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Mix first 8` ingredients and place in loaf pan. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over meatloaf. Bake for 1 hr at 400°
From the Officer's Wives Club Quick and Easy Dishes Cookbook
RL`