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Czech sekaná meatloaf recipe
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Beef and Pork Meatloaf, Czech Sekaná

This is a classic Czech meatloaf recipe made from ground beef and pork. We call it sekaná in the Czech Republic, and it’s very flavorful and juicy inside.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Czech
Keyword beef and pork meatloaf, meatloaf, sekaná
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • ½ lb (230 g) ground pork meat fattier is preferable, for example pork shoulder or belly
  • ½ lb (230 g) ground beef meat 80 - 90 % lean
  • 2 onions
  • ¾ cup (180 ml) milk warm
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 and ½ cups white bread diced
  • 1 whole egg
  • ½ tsp caraway seeds crushed
  • ½ Tbsp dried marjoram
  • ½ tsp black pepper ground
  • 2 tsp salt
  • bread crumbs to thicken the meatloaf mix

Instructions

  • Before start making sekaná, preheat the oven to 340 °F (180 °C).
  • Pour about ½ inch layer of water into the baking tray. Water and the fat make great dripping, poured over the sekaná while baking.
  • Peel onions and chop them finely.
  • Peel cloves of garlic and mash them, use a garlic press.
  • Add cubed white bread in a shallow bowl and pour over the warm milk. Let the bread cubes soak up all the milk, it takes about 5 minutes.
  • Place ground meat, both beef and pork, in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add chopped onion, mashed garlic, whole egg, soaked bread. Taste with crushed caraway seeds, dried marjoram, and ground pepper. Add salt.
  • Mix everything, preferably with your hands. Start with a fork, continue with your fingers. You need to make a smooth mass out of all ingredients. It takes about 2-3 minutes. If you find the meatloaf mix too thin, add some bread crumbs.
  • Shape a loaf, transfer it into a baking tray carefully, smooth the meatloaf surface.
  • Bake the meatloaf for 1 hour, pour the dripping in the bottom of the tray over the meatloaf at least twice.
  • Take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  • Serve warm, sliced, with potatoes (mashed or boiled).

Notes

  1. Czech sekaná meatloaf pairs best with mashed or simply boiled potatoes. Pickles are also often added to the sekaná. As the final step, garnish the dish with fresh herb leaves, for instance, a sprig of parsley.
  2. You can add dried thyme or red paprika to the meatloaf mix if you want.
  3. Czechs love to eat cold sekaná with bread. A slice of sekaná is laid on a slice of bread and mustard is spread on top of the sekaná.