fat As mentioned earlier, pork fat is also softer than beef fat making it more pleasant to eat at normal serving temperatures So, by combining beef and pork, you end up with a mix that has the great flavor of beef but an improved texture and softer fat from the pork Then what does veal bring to the mix? The difference between veal and beef is a little more subtle, having to do with the age of the animal When a cow (or almost any mammal, for that matter) is born, its muscles are not very well developed Its fat is soft and malleable, its muscles pale and mild-flavored, with a high proportion of soluble collagen, the connective protein that transforms into gelatin as it cooks It’s the underdeveloped musculature that gives veal its tenderness, but it’s the gelatin that lends ground veal its ability to retain moisture How does this work? It helps to think of gelatin molecules as individual links in a very fine wire mesh and individual molecules of water as tiny water balloons As the collagen is converted to gelatin inside a meat loaf as it cooks, these molecules of gelatin gradually link up with each other, forming a net that traps water molecules, preventing them from escaping It’s this same quality of gelatin that allows you to turn several cups worth of water into a quivering Jell-O mold with just a few tablespoons of powdered gelatin Mixed-meat loaf Thus the mix Beef provides robust flavor, pork provides a good amount of tender fat, and veal provides plenty of gelatin to help retain moisture: The mixture provides the optimum balance of flavor, texture, fat content, and moisture-retaining ability Or does it? Say No to Veal Here’s the problem with veal: it doesn’t taste like much Sure, it adds gelatin to the mix, but it dilutes the meaty flavor at the same time It can also be a bit of a pain to seek out (I have to travel all the way to the supermarket by my mom’s apartment to get it, which means I’ve got to visit my mother every time I want veal; this can be problematic) I’d seen a few recipes that suggested replacing the veal with powdered gelatin—an ingredient I always keep in my ... Here’s the problem with veal: it doesn’t taste like much Sure, it adds gelatin to the mix, but it dilutes the meaty flavor at the same time It can also be a bit of a pain to seek out (I have...Mixed-meat loaf Thus the mix Beef provides robust flavor, pork provides a good amount of tender fat, and veal provides plenty of gelatin to help retain moisture: The mixture provides the optimum balance... It can also be a bit of a pain to seek out (I have to travel all the way to the supermarket by my mom’s apartment to get it, which means I’ve got to visit my mother every time I want veal; this can be problematic)