Preparing for Alabama vs Texas by cooking some beef (Meatloaf)

Alabama vs Texas looms as one of the marquee matchups of the 2022 college football season, despite the fact that the Longhorns haven’t actually been a national contender since, well, Alabama knocked them out of the Natty back in 2009.

But the fact that 2nd year head coach Steve Sarkisian is fresh out of the Saban Rehab Program from his stint as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, coupled with a trio of former Tide players transferring to Austin and a sense of optimism around the Longhorns has gotten the national media all in a tizzy.

With that, though, is the simple fact that Alabama has been pretty well impossible to beat for 13 years now, and that doesn’t look to be changing. With a returning Heisman trophy winner at QB in Bryce Young and the returning Defensive Player of the Year in Will Anderson, Nick Saban’s squad is downright terrifying.

But we Alabama fans are always prone to fret. When the Tide loses, it becomes a national spectacle, and random fanbases and media figures will continue talking about that loss for years to come. It’s not easy being a Bama fan. There’s just so much pressure.

Fear not, though, as there are many different ways that Alabama can cook a Longhorn. The go-to for many this time of year is a staple for a reason: the grilled hamburger. You really can’t go wrong with that, whether you’re at grilling at home, going out to eat at Rama Jama’s while everyone is out of Tuscaloosa and in Austin, or even on the road. You can always find a burger.

But, for today, I’d like to share a different cooked Longhorn recipe that’s a bit dear to my heart. The Meatloaf is a southern staple, and is one that, quite honestly, left a bad impression in the minds of many. For starters, the name itself isn’t that appetizing. Seriously... meatloaf. It just sounds gross. On top of that, every southern kid had some dry slab of meatloaf from a school cafeteria topped with cold ketchup at some point in their lives, and it was scarring.

So, here’s my method for making a meatloaf that is assuredly not dry, and does not involve cold ketchup.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 pack of Ritz crackers (take your pick on flavors... I like the garlic herb), and crumble them up
• ¹⁄₂ Jumbo Red Onion, chopped
• 1 cup milk (I actually use almond milk and it works perfectly fine)
• Black Pepper
• Southern Flavor seasoning

For the Sauce

• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Brown Sugar
• Worcestershire sauce

Preheat that oven to 350, and then combine all of the first ingredients in a big bow and mix it up well.

Then comes the part where we make it not a loaf. Just get handfull sized dollops of the mixture and drop them onto a greased pan. Then mix up the sauce in another bowl. About 70% ketchup, 30% mustard, a spoon of brown sugar, and a few squirts of the Worcestershire, and then cover the top of each meatloaf.

Bake for an hour and 10 minutes, and you’re good to go. Preferably serve with mashed potatoes and green peas.