Kind of keto meatloaf campground recipe

First off, a few warnings.

• I have not ever followed a keto diet. So I am certainly no expert. I understand the basics.

• This recipe is only “kind of” keto - the topping sauce contains sugar (even in the ketchup). Sugar takes your body out of ketosis.

As the year grows older and the days grow shorter and colder, we look to hot comfort food to fill up our bellies and warm up our bodies. Rather than turning to sugar-filled options, I crave hot, meaty meals.

So, as I sat with the calendar planning meals and making our shopping list, I dreamed of hot, comforting meals. And meatloaf really fits this bill.

No cauliflower!

You may already know that I have been experimenting with a lot of cauliflower recipes, and meatloaf could be served with riced or mashed cauliflower. However, we also really like to cube and cook a rutabaga and a few parsnips, with a bunch of garlic, and mash those together for a delicious side dish that goes great with many meat dishes.

Low carb eating

Here is the part where I once again bore you by saying that Tony and I cut back on our carb intake this year, so I’ve been looking for recipes to satisfy some cravings while not completely carb-loading.

That means we don’t keep things in the house that used to be considered staples. Things like potatoes, rice, bread, flour, bread crumbs, pasta… and other things not really relevant to this post.

Meatloaf is so versatile

Meatloaf can really be made so many different ways. Any kind of meat will work and I have used various combinations of ground beef, turkey, chicken, and pork. Also, I have used a lot of different flavor profiles, with Rotel not always important to the recipe. It just seemed like a good idea, and it turned out that it was!

The attached recipe is the one I use, but honestly when we used to eat such things I have used bread, bread crumbs, crackers, rice, or couscous as binders in my meatloaf. Now, I use crushed pork rinds. The other important binder is the egg. And, I don’t know the science of it, but when I learned to add milk to my meatloaf it vastly improved the texture. So, don’t skip that!

Similarly, there are many ways to cook a meatloaf. The photo on the recipe shows a meatloaf that I was able to spread pretty thin in the air fryer. This makes for a shorter cook time, so if you are in a rush that’s a tip for you. Remember that you want the loaf to cook all the way through! We really like this infrared thermometer gun.

Disclosure

I didn't make my own sauce this time. We happened to have some BBQ sauce, and not have any brown sugar, in the house so I used that. I prefer the sauce I make, but sometimes ya gotta use what you have.

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Beef

1 lb Ground Pork

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 can Rotel tomato and peppers

1 Egg

2 cups Pork Rinds, measure then crush

1/3 cup Milk

3 TBSP Nutritional Yeast

Topping

1/2 cup Ketchup

2-3 TBSP Brown sugar (to taste)

1 tsp Mustard

The meat

• Mix together the meat, egg, spices, milk, and crushed pork rinds

• Form the mixture into the pan or baking dish( See cooking methods section)

The topping

• Combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard in a small bowl

• Bush the topping mixture onto the top of the loaf

• Note: in a pinch, just use some BBQ sauce!

Cooking methods

NOTE: INTERNAL TEMPERATURE of 145°F indicates that the meat is thoroughly cooked.
Use a meat thermometer inserted to the center of the loaf to check temperature.

• Bake at 350°F for up to an hour

• Use bake setting on air fryer at about 325°F for 30-40 minutes

• Cook in cast iron dutch oven over a propane fire, or embedded in coals

• Wrap in foil and cook over a campfire - low and slow so the meat cooks through!

NOTE: the topping sauce is not keto, because of the sugar (even in the ketchup). Sugar takes your body out of ketosis. That’s why this recipe is called “Kind of Keto”