First, let's get the big one out of the way. The temperature you cook meatloaf to is not a suggestion. It’s the law. Food safety law, that is. You need an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C for our metric friends).
Why? Because ground beef is a germy little party. That number kills the bad stuff. Grab an instant-read thermometer. Trust me, it’s worth the ten bucks. Poke the center of the loaf. Don’t guess by color; pink can be safe, and brown can be dangerous. It’s a wild world in there.
