Meat loaf is one of the most popularly mentioned comfort foods. Although recipes vary as widely as the comforting memories that go with this dish, there are some unusual recipes and ingredients that people have mentioned. Cooking methods do not vary as much, but some have tried cooking meat loaf in a pan over a hot grill at a cook out. This is a situation where cooking time relies upon "feel".

Various fowl have been used for the meat portion of the recipe. Ground chicken and turkey meat are not unusual. More exotic meats include emu and ostrich. Ostrich in a recipe, although not surprising in recipes from Australia and New Zealand, actually is a favorite for a family from a midwest state in the USA. Flavor is enhanced by the addition of heat-adding spices. A similar treatment of emu is typical.

There are other exotic ingredients, such as rabbit, buffalo, moose, and even kangaroo. No matter what the exotic meat in the recipe, these serve as complements to ground beef. In general, rarely are there recipes that exclude ground beef as the primary ingredient. With each additional ingredient, appropriate spices are added to bring out the flavor of the complement meat. For those who do have a spin to the more traditional "ground beef only" recipes, the exotic meat loafs still are considered as comfort food.

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