Zombie Meatloaf � Better Than Brains

After seeing various versions of this Halloween-themed, zombie meatloaf on social media over the years, I decided it was time to post my very own. I�ve seen many approaches to this; such as covered in �blood,� or mummified in strips of pastry, but the ones wrapped in bacon always looked the most realistic, and the most appetizing.

Ironically, �appetizing� is the last thing you want this to look like, but if we�re going to do some kind of gimmicky, holiday recipe, it might as well taste great, and this most certainly did. It�s been a while since I posted a meatloaf recipe, and I was very happy with how this one came out. You can use a food processor make chopping the mushrooms a bit easier, but don�t leave them out. They add a lot of flavor, as well as help keep the meat moist, and tender. 

By the way, if you're trapped in one of these households where certain people don�t eat mushrooms, add them anyway, since they�ll never be able to tell they�re in there. Then, next week, after they�ve eaten this, and loved it, you can come clean. Trick or treat, indeed.

Having said that, this zombification will work with any of your favorite meatloaf recipes, and you won�t be hurting my feelings. Much. Regardless of what you use, I really hope you give this fun-to-make, even funner-to-eat, zombie meatloaf a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 large portions:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup diced celery

1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion

8 ounces brown mushrooms, chopped fine

3 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 pounds ground beef

3 teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons milk or buttermilk

1 large beaten egg

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1 pound strip bacon for  zombie �facial muscles�

1 onion for eyes and teeth

- Bake at 325 F. for about 1 hour, or to an internal temp of 155 F.

- I went for a realistic muscular look, but if you�d rather have something that looks like crispy bacon, go ahead and put foil over the eyes and teeth, and pop this under a hot broiler, until it looks just right.

- Serve with �blood sauce,� which is made with equal parts SFQ bbq sauce and ketchup, spiked with hot sauce.