Meatloaf is awesome.
I really enjoy a good slice of meatloaf, and I never make a meatloaf without placing a leftover slice between some bread in a comforting sandwich. That’s what we’re doing this week. Making a good old-fashioned meatloaf sandwich that will elevate those leftovers to what might be the best meal you’ve had in a long time.
What is this sandwich?
This sandwich blog post is both an ode to meatloaf and an ode to a fictional, animated television character that you might or might not be familiar with. First aired in March of 2009, Season 13, Episode 12 of the TV show King of the Hill, contains a side plot where, main character, Hank Hill, finds a restaurant with a super tasty meatloaf sandwich that he claims is “the best meal I’ve had in years.” It’s not perfect, though. The restaurant has a serious issue that drives Hank away.
The meatloaf sandwich that Hank falls in love with comes from The Arlen Barn, which is a newly opened restaurant in the town where he lives, that shares the same name, Arlen, Texas. As far as I can tell, this is the only time The Arlen Barn appears in the show King of the Hill, and then the original series ended only 8 episodes later.
It just so happens that earlier this summer, King of the Hill released a brand new season of episodes, which got me thinking about the show again and started me down the road to creating a great meatloaf sandwich.
The Arlen Barn’s menu
If we analyze the Arlen Barn’s menu briefly and remind ourselves that this is 2009, the burger prices seem to line up pretty well with fast food pricing, specifically around the same or lower than McDonald’s pricing at that time. While there is a “Texas Burger” on the menu, the sandwiches themselves do not scream Texas or country/Southern, which is what I would expect from a place that is barn-themed.
Personally, if I were visiting the Arlen Barn, I’d probably order the Texas Burger or a Bacon Cheese Burger, but if I were targeting the sandwich menu, the meatloaf option that Hank orders does stand out as a more down-home and rustic choice than any of the others.
Here’s the scene from King of the Hill where Hank gets his hands on his favorite meatloaf sandwich.
Hank first steps into The Arlen Barn, and after he orders his sandwich, he’s met with a challenging problem. The restaurant has open, communal seating at large tables, and the process requires customers to order their food and then find a seat among the other diners while they wait for their meal. This really bothers Hank and makes him very uncomfortable. But he still thinks the sandwich is delicious and tries a couple more times during the episode to get a meatloaf sandwich without having to worry about sitting with strangers.
“Well, let me put it this way. This table smells like a diaper, and this is still the best meal I’ve had in years.”
Hank Hill
King of the Hill – Season 13 Episode 12
Real-life versions of this sandwich?
I would be willing to bet there are a lot of real-life restaurants that have created a meatloaf sandwich in honor of Hank Hill since that episode aired almost 16 years ago. One that I found during a quick Google search is a two-location chain in Texas called LaVaca BBQ that has started serving a “Hank Hill Sandwich.”
Their menu states that this is a smoked meatloaf sandwich on “white Texas Toast bread with house-made BBQ glaze, provolone cheese, lettuce, crispy red onions, and a kick of Southern spice.” The ingredients seem fairly similar to what is seen in the still frame animations I have captured above, except LaVaca includes red onion and provolone, which seem like tasty additions, but they do not seem to be visible in the sandwich that Hank eats.
Now that we know what sandwich we’re making, we’ll need to make some bread. In this case, I think a meatloaf sandwich calls for some simple white bread.
Simple white Pullman loaf
For this meatloaf sandwich, I felt we needed a white bread loaf that is baked in a Pullman loaf pan with the lid on, which creates almost perfectly square slices. If you were fancy and in France, you might call this loaf a Pain de Mie, or “bread of the crumb.” But if you’re in Texas, where the Arlen Barn is, you might slice this sort of bread really thick and call it Texas Toast.
I’ve shared this recipe for a few years now, and you can check out the other sandwich blog posts that I’ve written about with this recipe. It’s a fairly large loaf that will make enough thick slices for 8 or 9 sandwiches at least. You do not have to use the lid on the Pullman pan, but the bread will be curved or domed on the top, and it won’t be quite as uniform in appearance.
This white bread recipe starts out just like any other loaf bread recipe. You knead the dough, allow it an initial rise, almost double it, and then you put it into a lightly oiled 13 x 4-inch Pullman pan to rise again. Once the dough is almost up to the top of the pan, you can add the Pullman pan lid and bake. This creates a very consistent loaf of bread that looks like something you could build a house with.
The Pullman pan was standardized by George Pullman for use in the Pullman railcars that were becoming popular in the mid-1800s. The rectangular shape of a Pullman loaf makes the bread much more efficiently stackable for bread storage in small spaces. When you make a loaf like this at home, it’s also very convenient that commercially available cheese slices are about the same square size as a Pullman loaf slice (4 inches square).
Here’s my Pullman loaf recipe that’s perfect for a meatloaf sandwich or your next PB&J.
Pullman loaf bread
A soft white loaf with square slices that are perfect for grilled cheese or Texas toast. Slice as thick or as thin as your sandwich situation requires.
Get RecipeMeatloaf
I’ve said this before, but I’m a big meatloaf fan. I have another spicier meatloaf recipe with a sriracha glaze on the website, but this particular version is probably much closer to what Hank Hill would enjoy. And it’s a bit more of a southern-seeming meatloaf, like something that could be served in a barn-themed restaurant.
This meatloaf recipe is based on what my mom would cook when I was a kid. I’ve tweaked my mom’s recipe a bit, but it still reminds me of what I enjoyed when I was a kid. It’s packed full of onion, ketchup, and seasonings that you’ll likely find in most meatloaf recipes, but we’re adding extra love to our loaf.
The meatloafing process is easy. It’s like making large meatballs. You can bake meatloaf in a pan like my mom used to do, but it seems like you miss out on a lot of texture in the final loaf by not allowing the meatloaf to be fully exposed to the hot air in the oven. After researching other meatloaf recipes recently, I’m starting to feel like baking meatloaf in a pan is something of the past. Most recipes these days expect you to do what I do, which is form a loaf on top of a sheet pan and bake it in a free-form shape.
Baking it unrestricted by a loaf pan also allows you to spread glaze on the exterior of the meatloaf, which should caramelize a bit during the cooking process. My recipe requires painting on the glaze at each 15-minute increment during the full 1 hour to 1 hour and 15-minute process.
A meatloaf sandwich is often created from leftovers, which means that the meatloaf slice you’re using will be coming straight from the refrigerator. If this is the case, then you need to warm the meatloaf up unless you plan to have a cold sandwich. You can do this in the microwave, in the oven, or in a pan on the stove top. I typically sear a slice of meatloaf in a pan or griddle on medium heat until the exterior is just a bit toasted and the middle of the meatloaf slice has warmed through.
Here’s my meatloaf recipe that’s similar to how my mom makes it. I’ve made a few changes to my version, but I’m still giving her credit for the initial inspiration.
Mom's meatloaf
This comforting meatloaf is inspired by the recipe that my mom made when I was growing up. I've made a few adjustments to her recipe, but the spirit of her meatloaf lives on in each slice.
Get RecipeLettuce
I used butter lettuce for my meatloaf sandwiches during my research for this sandwich recipe, but honestly, it was kinda boring. I think even iceberg lettuce might be more interesting. The butter lettuce looked pretty similar to what is seen in the King of the Hill footage of Hank’s favorite meatloaf sandwich, but butter lettuce itself contributes almost nothing other than a pretty green color to a sandwich. There’s no texture and pretty much no flavor.
Iceberg lettuce would at least bring a bit of watery crunch that would accompany the toasted bread as the only bit of crispy texture in this particular sandwich.
Does a meatloaf sandwich need cheese?
I personally do not think this sandwich requires cheese.
The Arlen Barn did not appear to add cheese to their meatloaf sandwich that Hank fell in love with. But I think you should add cheese if it will make you happy. I added sliced cheese to at least two of the test sandwiches that I made, and as long as the cheese has some flavor, I think it works well.
The current Texas restaurant I wrote about earlier, called LaVaca BBQ, which has a Hank Hill meatloaf sandwich on its menu, uses provolone, which, in my opinion, is a good option. I added aged white cheddar cheese to my meatloaf sandwiches, and the cheddar cheese really brings an enjoyable sharpness that isn’t present in the sandwich without cheese.
I sort of feel like The Arlen Barn would have American cheese and probably some orange colored cheddar cheese as options. Use whatever cheese you have, or leave it out altogether; this is your meatloaf sandwich after all.
A meatloaf sandwich for Hank Hill
Here are some photos of the meatloaf sandwiches I made this week. Some were true to Hank Hill’s favorite, and some had some cheese added in the form of aged white cheddar slices.
Just past the photos, you’ll find my recipe for The Arlen Barn’s meatloaf sandwich that I think you should make.
Here’s the official Arlen Barn meatloaf sandwich recipe from my perspective. Give it a shot and report back to tell me how it went for you.
Hank Hill's favorite meatloaf sandwich (King of the Hill copycat)
Today, we're going to take a trip back to 2009, to The Arlen Barn, and recreate Hank Hill's favorite meatloaf sandwich.
Ingredients:
Meatloaf- 1 1⁄2 pounds ground beef
- 1 whole beaten egg
- half of a finely chopped large onion
- 3⁄4 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1⁄2 cup ketchup
- worchestershire sauce
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1⁄2 cup ketchup
- 1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 slices white bread
- mayonnaise and/or mustard
- 1 slice of meatloaf (from above)
- slice of cheese (optional)
- lettuce leaves
Directions:
Meatloaf: combine all meatloaf (not meatloaf glaze) ingredients in a large bowl. With your hands, mix the meatloaf until everything is well combined.
Place all mixed meatloaf ingredients on a parchment-lined sheetpan and, using your hands, shape into a bread loaf-shaped mass. Pack it fairly tight so that everything stays together.
Pre-heat oven to 425°F (220°C) and then add your meatloaf to the oven and reduce the heat in the oven to 350°F (177°C).
Set a timer for 15 minutes and start to make your glaze.
Add all meatloaf glaze ingredients into a small saucepan over medium heat. When brown sugar has melted and all ingredients are combined, take your glaze off the heat.
Pull the meatloaf out after 15 minutes and, with a brush or spoon, paint the glaze on top every 15 minutes or until an hour has passed. After an hour, or 1 hour and 15 minutes, the meatloaf should be done, but you can check with a thermometer if you have one. The interior of the meatloaf should be at 155°F (68°C) when you pull it out. Carry over heat will bring the meatloaf to a safe 160 degrees.
Sandwich assembly: remove the meatloaf from the refrigerator (or if the meatloaf is freshly cooked), slice a 3/4 to 1-inch thick slice. If the meatloaf is fresh from the fridge, you should warm it up. I prefer to do this in a medium skillet over medium heat. Warm the meatloaf for about 3 minutes per side until it's seared and warmed through. You can also heat it up in the microwave or in a 350°F oven on a sheet pan for about 8 minutes.
If you're using cheese, add the cheese at the end of the warming process so that it can have a chance to melt just a bit.
Toast two slices of bread and add mayonnaise and/or mustard or whatever condiments you prefer to the bottom slice. Then top it with the warmed meatloaf slice and top the meatloaf with several leaves of lettuce.
Close the sandwich and serve.
Check back soon for more sandwiches
The next sandwich might or might not come next week, but it will likely be a combination of every American kid’s favorite sandwich and every American kid’s favorite “sandwich.” The previous sentence only works if you don’t consider a burger to be a sandwich and instead consider it to be a “sandwich.”
Burgers are sandwiches, but I can’t tell you how you should live your life. I’m not your mother or your therapist. I’m just your sandwich sommelier.
Maggie says:
Another standout entry! Eating meatloaf sandwiches for days after is one of the best reasons to make meatloaf. I start mine in a loaf pan (to set the shape) then transfer it to a sheet pan and cover the top with slices of bacon, which usually get eaten right away. I think it is hard to go wrong with meatloaf though it tends to get a bad rap, so there must be plenty of not-great ones out there. My ideal sandwich has raw onion, mayo, ketchup and iceberg or romaine lettuce. Hot/seared meatloaf is fantastic but room temperature sandwiches are good too, and I happily eat them this way when they have been packed for lunch. . A slice of melty sharp cheddar is nice but not absolutely necessary. I see meatloaf in my future….
Jonathan Surratt says:
I love it! I’m going to try your bacon idea. It’s genius.