Hamloaf – it tastes like childhood
I haven’t done a Mouthwatering Monday recipe in awhile.
I’ve mentioned hamloaf a couple of times around here and I always get responses like along the lines of “WTF? Gross!” I love hamloaf. It must be somewhat regional because few people seem to know what it is. In Ohio, you can buy it ready to put in the oven but the butcher looked at me like I was crazy when I asked in Pittsburgh. I haven’t even tried to find it in TN. My momma didn’t cook a lot of meat when I was a kid but hamloaf was a treat. In case anyone wants to try it, I thought I would share the recipe here. And for the record, Steve thought it sounded foul but became a convert in 1 bite.
While I was home, I bought some hamloaf mix and brought it back to TN in a cooler. My photos aren’t very pretty – they were an afterthought. And before you get all “EWWWW” on me, think of it as meatloaf without the beef or ketchup.
Hamloaf
1.5 lbs of hamloaf mix (70% ground ham, 30% ground pork – you can ask your butcher to do this for you if you live in an area without hamloaf)
1 sleeve saltines, finely crushed (some folks prefer 1cup bread crumbs or ritz crackers or even oatmeal…like ordinary meatloaf it is open to interpretation)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
Glaze:
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard (can use dijion or other type on hand)
Mix the first 4 ingredients together by hand and form into a loaf in an 8×8 baking pan.
Mix glaze items together and pour over loaf. Bake at 350 for approx 70 minutes (until internal temp is 165-170).
Tastes great with a green veggie and scalloped potatoes. And the leftovers are YUM!
It really must be an Ohio thing. We ate it all the time growing up. We moved to Kentucky and NO ONE has ever heard of it. Thanks for the recipee – I may have to give this a try as I haven’t had it in years!
OMG – I cannot believe you posted the recipe and the pictures. My parents love this stuff. I have successfully avoided it my entire adult life. Good for you for making one of your childhood favorites and I am glad you like it. Maybe my family isn’t so weird after all.
I’m from Ohio and I’ve never heard of it. Weird. We had ham spread – which is different from this.
This looks like homemade Spam. Like Spam, only edible. I’d eat this!
Totally a Lancaster County thing too. They have the already made, stick it in the oven stuff here. I had never heard of it until I moved here.
Hmmm…since it is in Ohio and here, now I’m thinking it is an Amish thing, maybe?
Oh. Um interesting. Can’t say I’m going to rush right out and make it, but then again, my mother used to make Salmon loaf (she grew up in Indiana.) Never mind that the capital of Spam is not too far from us in Minneapolis AND I have marched in the SPAM parade….
No. No way! I’ll stick to my love of Chick Fil A, and you can stick to your love of hamloaf!
This was a big seller at The River Biscuit. Never tried to make it myself though. They used crushed pineapple/mustard/brownsugar for the glaze. Ive seen the meat at Buehlers..should try it.