Ham Loaf

Ham loaf reminds me of my grandpa - my mom's dad. There are a handful of things that remind me of him.

Just to name a few: the smell of Zest or Boraxo soap, this ham loaf, and any pie with meringue!

I typically make ham loaf at Easter, but it is good any time of the year!

A couple notes about this recipe:

1. You need a meat grinder to grind the ham. This is a great way to use up odd and end pieces of ham after Easter dinner. If you don't have a meat grinder, go buy one now. The next two recipes I am going to highlight require one! You won't regret it. I promise.
2. Ground pork is a little hard to find. Walmart never has it - but in a smaller grocery store you can ask someone in the meat department to grind it for you. Do not - I repeat - Do not buy pork roast and try to grind the pork yourself - no matter how nice your meat grinder is. It does not turn out well. That is all I am going to say.
3. This recipe is made basically like a regular "meatloaf" only using pork instead of ground beef.

1 1/2 pounds ground ham
*buy 1 1/2 pounds of already cooked ham steaks or use left over cooked ham - use meat grinder to grind this cooked ham
1/2 pound ground pork
*purchase it already ground (like ground beef - only pork)
1 cup milk
1 cup bread cubes (2 slices) cut or broken into very small, fine pieces
1 egg, beaten

Sauce:

1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp. water

Combine meat, milk, bread, and egg. Mix lightly and form into loaf. Place in sprayed shallow baking pan.

Combine sauce ingredients and pour over meat. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

*I would feel negligent if I didn't add the following disclaimer: Be sure to thoroughly cook this ham loaf as it contains ground pork.

The first time Mother gave me this recipe she left out the ground pork. She was afraid I wouldn't cook it long enough which would result in salmonella loaf instead of ham loaf. The cookbook she made us girls contains the true recipe - ground pork and all. I guess she feels I am old enough to make it now!

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