beer & brats meatloaf

With baseball season well underway, this is the perfect meatloaf to have while watching America's favorite pastime, because the combination of beer and bratwurst is a timeless American food combo! 

If I ever have flavored potato chips(I'm not talking about sour cream and onion chips here, people)- I gotta turn it into a meatloaf. Potato chips are great binders in a meatloaf because they crush up easily to the point where they're just as small as breadcrumbs. Plus, you don't even need a food processor to crush the chips- all you need is your fist and a Ziploc bag! 

This meatloaf definitely tasted cheesy from the beer cheese dip(another timeless combination) and salty from the bratwurst. Beery not so much. A Beer & Brats potato chip definitely has a beery, malty note in its taste though, along with cheese. 

The dip may have melted in the oven during the cooking process, but it's mustardy flavor definitely lived on in the finished product. 

If you have seen my other beef meatloaf videos, I usually use 93% ground beef, but the leanest ground beef my local supermarket had at the time I went shopping was 90%, which is why you should not cut into the meatloaf immediately after cooking. You don't want the fat and juices oozing out the meatloaf, as much as it looks cool, because then you'll end up with a dry meatloaf and even I don't enjoy dry meatloaves!

My dad said the meatloaf was beefy and cheesy, but not beery. 

HELPFUL LINKS: 

​Beer Cheese Dip: https://www.amazon.com/Resident-Chef-Gourmet-Beer-Cheddar/dp/B06XC82DCK/ref=sr_tnr_p_1_6523482011_1_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1494171037&sr=1-1&

​Beer & Brats Potato Chips: https://www.amazon.com/Brats-Flavored-Potato-Chips-2-75oz/dp/B06XFVDHBQ/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1494171081&sr=8-1&

You will need: 

For the cooking equipment: 

A large bowl
Nonstick cooking spray
A loaf pan

For the meatloaf: 

2/3 tbsp. onion powder
2 beaten and whisked eggs
1/2 cup beer cheese dip(see HELPFUL LINKS)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 cup crushed Beer & Brats Potato Chips(see HELPFUL LINKS)
1 lb. 90% ground beef
2 bratwurst links, whole

1. Put the first 7 ingredients into a large bowl. Mix all the ingredients up until you get a firm mixture. 
2. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Put half the meatloaf mixture into the loaf pan. Top the mixture in the loaf pan with the bratwurst links. Cover the bratwurst links with the rest of the meatloaf mixture. 
4. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 60-65 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the meatloaf rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to ensure the juices seep into the meat.
5. Bon appetit! 


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