belize pig tail meatloaf

Pig tails taste like pork or bacon- because they came from a pig! When I tried this meatloaf after I finished recording this video, I realized it didn't taste very good. It was very salty, so I assumed it was from the potatoes and sweet potatoes(which really came from microwaveable steamed bags and there's got to be extra salt in it to preserve its flavor while in a frozen state). Other possibilities included the yucca chips and canned salmon.

But regardless of what was making the meatloaf too salty, I still wanted to salvage it so I doused the leftover meatloaf slices in honey, which offset the saltiness. Thanks to honey, this meatloaf won't go onto whatever Worst Recipes of 2016 video I end up creating at the end of the year. Not that this meatloaf is very healthy- it's far from it what with the starchy vegetables and pig tails. This meatloaf was so heavy, I could only stomach 2 oz. of it per meal, and leftover meatloaf doesn't last longer than 2 days. Well what about my dad? That option was off the table as he said the meatloaf was too fatty and he spit it into the trash can. :(

There were so many moving parts(ingredients) to this meatloaf, I forgot an ingredient(which is rare for the Meatloaf Princess)- bananas or plantains. Unfortunately, I only realized my omission once the meatloaf was in the oven- too late to add them to the inside of the meatloaves. So I did the next best thing- put sliced bananas on top of the meatloaf and form it in the shape of a smiley face. But you can learn from my mistake and remember to put plantains or bananas into your meatloaf mixture if you ever decide to make this meatloaf.

Yet after a year on YouTube, I have yet to hear anybody recreate one of my recipes and imitation is a sincere form of flattery(I think that's how the saying goes), so I decided to categorize all of the Meatloaf Princess videos for the immediate future under Entertainment instead of How To and Style(besides, I don't like associating myself with beauty vloggers. Yuck!) I wish YouTube had a Food category for videos though because then that's where all the channel's videos would go under. Also, I wish YouTube would let you choose more than one category for your videos. It's a tough call whether to classify your videos as How To and Style or Entertainment. But my YouTube idols, Epic Meal Time(https://www.youtube.com/user/EpicMealTime), categorize all their videos under Entertainment- even their "Handle It" recipe tutorials.

But anyway, let's address the elephant in the room- what would possess me to make a meatloaf out of pig tails based on the national dish of some random country!? Four months ago, I found pig tails at a supermarket so of course, I bought them- they're super cheap- $2 for 4 pig tails! Surprisingly, they have just as much meat and fat as bone. But then again pig tails are the closest body part of a pig to the rectum that you can eat without going all Fear Factor and eating pig bum. And yes, I would consider eating pig bum if I had the opportunity to find it. I don't think my dad would've appreciated it if I said on camera pig tails are the closest pork body part to its ass that you'll probably ever get a chance to eat in your lifetime.

I wanted to make a meatloaf out of pig tails instead of making a video very similar to the Chocolate Fried Pigs Feet(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwBtPsgeNAI&index=4&list=PLRnQh2M6nqyVxxHD__jO1eVICleNrj54B) I made two months prior to purchasing the tails. When I touched the pig tails, I realized they were very meaty, so I could remove the meat from the bone. But first I had to boil the pig tails for almost 2 and a half hours(if you include the time it takes to bring the water to a boil).

This recipe is based on the national dish of Belize- the Belizean Boil Up, which is basically a stew consisting of pig tails, fish, cocoa(the only cocoa I had was cocoa powder), and lots of starchy vegetables: http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/natl-belize.html

I mention in my video that the pig tails may crackle during the time the meatloaf is cooking in the oven. It turns out I didn't hear any crackling while it was in the oven. However, the leftover meatloaf was definitely crackling in the microwave.

And for the record, I've never been to Belize nor I am I of Belizean heritage.

Makes 8- 2 oz. slices of meatloaf
Total time: a little over 3 hours

You will need:

For the cooking equipment:

A large saucepot
A large bowl
A lasagna pan
Nonstick cooking spray

For boiling the pigs tails:

4 pig tails, rinsed
Enough water to submerge the pig tails in a saucepan
1 tbsp. of cocoa powder
Onion powder
Cayenne pepper

For the rest of the meatloaf ingredients:

2 raw, whisked eggs
2 chopped up, hard-boiled eggs
10 oz. of sweet potatoes
10 oz. of potatoes
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
Another 2 tbsp. of cocoa powder
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of onion powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 cup's worth of crushed yucca(cassava) chips
5 oz. of drained, canned salmon
2 chopped up bananas or plantains

1. Put the pig tails into the large saucepot and pour enough water into the saucepot to submerge them.
2. Bring the water and pigs tails to a boil on the stove. Cover the saucepot with a lid during the boiling process.
3. Once the water is boiling, continue to boil the pig tails 10-15 minutes before draining it. Keep the pot covered.
4. Clean your saucepot(by this point, it will have gunk on the rim of it. The gunk is probably pork fat, which I don't suggest you eat) and fill it with enough fresh water to submerge the pig tails again.
5. Repeat step 2. Add the cocoa powder(which will turn the liquid brown), cayenne pepper, and onion powder to the saucepot. Mix all the spices and powders into the water before the water boils.
6. Once the seasoned water is boiling, continue to boil the pig tails for another 2 hours. Keep the pot covered.
7. Stir the liquid and tails around every 10-15 minutes. The water will inevitably go down during the boiling process, so when it does, add 1 cup of water at a time until the water has fully submerged the tails.
8. Once the tails are done boiling, remove them from the saucepot and let them cool off on a plate for 10-15 minutes, or until you can safely remove the fat and meat from the bones without burning your fingers.
9. Remove the fat and meat from the tail bones once they're cool enough and put them into a large bowl. You can use a knife to remove the meat and fat from the bones if you're having a hard time.
10. Add the rest of the meatloaf ingredients to the large bowl.
11. Mix all the ingredients together until you get a firm meatloaf mixture.
12. Spray a lasagna pan with nonstick cooking spray.
13. Form 2 loaves.
14. Cook the meatloaves in a 375 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. Don't worry if you hear any crackling in the oven(or in the microwave as leftovers for that matter)- that's just the pig tails.
15.(Optional) Decorate the outside of the meatloaves with a smile made from chopped up bananas.
16. Bon appetit!