Another Turkey Meatloaf Question

Hi Shel

I would give it a try for the stock, its worth trying :)

From my own experience, I think some of the best advice you've been given is that the milk and egg increase the binding, and the addition of fat (EVOO, etc.) will increase the moisture content of the final baked meatloaf.

Addition of stock, which is mostly moisture, will tend to evaporate and still leave you with a drier meatloaf, in my experience.

doc

Science to remember:

The crumbs are actually there to keep the loaf aerated; if the meat (especially turkey) is too closely compacted, you could use the finished loaf for a football.
Egg yolks add moisture and bind ingredients.
Egg whites dry out food.
Stock rich in collagen will help bind, add moisture, and improve mouthfeel.
"Sealing" the top of the loaf (assuming you're baking in a pan, not freeform) will help keep the moisture in by blocking evaporation out the top. You might get the same effect if you bake the loaf well covered (then brown the top later).

(Haven't tried this, so I'm not sure.)
Some of the fat will leach out anyway over the longer cooking period, so it doesn't really help with the moisture the way it does with a quickly cooked burger. When I make meatloaf, I add all sorts of juicy ingredients along with the egg-and-crumb binder -- lightly sauteed vegs, salsa, bits of leftover gravies and stocks (not necessarily all at the same time!) -- never milk (just wasn't brought up that way). I usually use part bulk sausage, and the fat comes out so it's only help with flavor.

The collagen rich stock is what led CI/ATK to using some added gelatin.

Shel-
another thing I have added to meatloaf or meatballs is sliced bread soaked in milk- squeeze out the extra milk and use the mushy bread as filler w/ and egg for binder. Tastes great!

Breadcrumbs soaked in milk is the answer, as you would use in the South African dish of Bobotie if you've ever tried it.

It seems to me that covering the loaf wouldn't help give it a crust (seal the top of the loaf, I presume). It would just steam under the foil or lid, wouldn't it? I'd worry that moisture would end up in the baking pan and just evaporate. Hm...... I'll try this and see!

Putting a sugary glaze on it will "seal" the meat loaf. Ketchup has a good deal of sugar in it; even tomato sauce does, as tomatoes have some sugar in them; just oven roast or dry them and you'll find they taste like the fruit they are.

For moisture I finely chop onion, garlic and maybe some celery in the food processor. That adds a lot of moisture to the meat loaf. I'm from the same "school" as Suzanne, in that I didn't grow up with milk added to meatballs, meat loaf etc. This "slurry" of vegetables gives a lot of moisture, but you still need bread crumbs (fresh is better than dry) to hold the moisture. If you want to get your kids to eat carrots or other veggies, hide them in this "slurry" and they'll never know they're there! :D