The Breadcrumb Mistake That Sabotages Juicy Meatloaf

It might seem unintuitive to add generous handfuls of breadcrumbs into a meatball or meatloaf recipe. After all, breadcrumbs are nothing but a dry powdery pile of sawdust. Right? Being the innovative home cook that you are, maybe you decide to go light on the breadcrumbs or skip the ingredient altogether in the interest of keeping your meatloaf juicy, tender, and, well, meaty. Big mistake.

Breadcrumbs play a hugely important role in this recipe: They retain moisture. Mixing them in with ground beef, chicken stock, and some grated onions will actually lead to a final product that's succulent. As the meatloaf slowly bakes, the breadcrumbs transform back into their spongey, bread-like state, absorbing liquid from the chicken stock, meat, and onions. Think of a bread pudding, made tender and soft by soaking chunks of bread in milk and egg. Breadcrumbs, believe it or not, have an identical effect.

When we tell you to use breadcrumbs, we mean it. This recipe for Southern-style meatloaf, for instance, uses 1/4 a cup of breadcrumbs to 1 pound of ground beef. A classic meatloaf, however, might use 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs for every pound of beef.

You'll notice that most recipes call for a liquid ingredient like milk or chicken stock, which supplies additional moisture for the bread crumbs to absorb. Some recipes might instruct you to soak the breadcrumbs in stock or milk to incorporate the moisture early on. An additional binder — an egg or two — is usually included to hold everything together.

Once you've gently and evenly distributed your ingredients, it's also critical to avoid mixing more than you need to. Over-handling ground beef — a la Play-Doh — will only lead to the meat becoming crumbly and chewy, rather than that melt-in-your-mouth sensation you're striving for.

And while breadcrumbs are definitely key, that doesn't mean you have to use store-bought, plain breadcrumbs each time. Try ramping things up with Panko, which also absorbs moisture well. Or make your own breadcrumbs by a pulsing stale loaf of your favorite sourdough or brioche in the food processor, resulting in a more personalized and interesting overall taste.