Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

coal bucket meatloaf

Recipe by
Gina Davis
Cedar Bluff, VA

This is a simple SUPER TASTY Meatloaf but made to stand up to a Coal Bosses Bucket! My husband is a boss in the underground coal mines and he has a very hard time eating! He is 6'4 eating in 32 inches of coal top. He loves meatloaf sammys but could never keep them from falling apart in such limited space. So I took his challenge of making a ML that he could keep on his bread. My family would croak if I made one any other way now! The best part of this is the bread and the way it cooks in the loaf. I have used hotdog, hamburger,light, breads! Any bread you have going out of date will work.

yield 4 -6
prep time 15 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Bake

Ingredients For coal bucket meatloaf

  • 1 lb
    80/20 ground beef
  • 1 lg
    onion
  • 1 lg
    green pepper (yellow, red or orange)
  • 2 lg
    eggs
  • 1 can
    tomatoes whole or diced
  • 2 Tbsp
    tomato paste
  • 1
    sleeve saltine crackers crushed
  • 5 slice
    sandwich bread smooshed (or anyother bread you have on hand)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ketchup for topping meatloaf

How To Make coal bucket meatloaf

  • Yummy bread in the meatloaf!
    1
    In this meatloaf I used crusty french sub rolls that were getting a little to tough. Any bread will work great you just have to make sure you get it smooshed so it does not just absorbe all the oil and liquid and it keeps some of its texture. That is what the white parts are in the meatloaf it is the bread!
  • 2
    Preheat Oven To 350 Degree Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (If you want the burnt edges don't line your loaf pan or line it with foil)
  • 3
    In a large mixing bowl add ground beef, onion, peppers, canned tomatoes with the juice also. 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and salt and pepper then mix until combined. (I just go in with my fingers spread like a pitchfork and mix it until it comes together
  • 4
    In a small bowl beat eggs until they are fully combined (yolks and whites) add to bowl. Crush saltine crackers and add to bowl.
  • Smooshed French Sub Rolls
    5
    Now smoosh the bread tear it into smallish pieces and smoosh it into a ball! THE BEST part about this is I have used every kind of bread from sandwich bread to left over homemade biscuits I just ALWAYS smoosh it! And it all works and tastes great!! Add smooshed bread to bowl and mix until just combined The bread part is my families favorite part of this I have added up to 8 slices of Sunbeam Bread!!
  • 6
    Add meat mixture to loaf pan.
  • 7
    Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with as little or as much Ketchup that you like. I use A LOT Just guessing around 1 1/2 to 2 cups!
  • 8
    Return to oven and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Internal should be 175 degrees. If lower bake at 10 minute intervals until temp is reached (I have never had to bake over the hour of combined times)
  • 9
    Remove to cooling rack and let cool for 10-15 minutes (or longer if you like) Grab parchment paper at the ends and transfer to plate for serving.
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