Have you seen the zombie meatloaf hand that’s floating around TikTok for Halloween?
I did — but I couldn’t find a recipe or instructions. (If anyone finds the original, let me know in the comments below. I’d love to credit the idea to its owner!)
So I experimented until I came up with the following tutorial that includes the COOL vinyl glove hack. I’ve included tips so you won’t make the same mistakes I did along the way. Bone (har har) appetite!
How to Make a Zombie Meatloaf Hand
I made a full meatloaf recipe and used as much meatloaf mixture as I needed to stuff one glove. The amount of meat you will need to stuff your glove will depend upon the size glove that you are using.
It’s just easier to make a full recipe. You can make several zombie hands this way, or you can do what I did: make one zombie hand, and one nearly-full size meatloaf for a family dinner.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here’s how to make your zombie hand meatloaf:
You Will Need:
- Ingredients listed below
- One vinyl glove
- Baking pan long enough for hand plus onion piece (see instructions)
- Plate, bowl or creepy serving tray
INGREDIENTS
Meatloaf
- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (85% or fattier)
- 3/4 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
- 3/4 c. milk, 2% or fattier
- 1/3 c. minced onion
- heel of onion (about 2″ long and 2″ in diameter)
- 2/3 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 T. Dijon mustard
- 2 T. ketchup
- 1 tsp. teriyaki sauce (sub Worcestershire or barbeque per preference)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
“Bloody” Glaze
- 1/3 c. ketchup
- 2 tsp. Balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. teriyaki sauce (sub Worcestershire or barbeque per preference)
Base for Hand to Sit On
- 2 cups mashed potatoes, any style
INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1: PREP AND STUFF THE GLOVE
- Mix together Meatloaf Ingredients (above) in a large bowl. Make sure all ingredients are blended well. I used my hands wearing, you guessed it, a glove. (I had extra.)
- Take a vinyl glove from the box, make sure it’s VERY clean with no dust on or in it, and begin stuffing the meat into the glove. Stuff the fingers first, pressing air bubbles out gently. Then fill the palm. Fill the glove all the way to the wrist area.
- Tie the glove off with a twist tie, or simply tie the end in a knot.
STEP 2: FREEZE THE MEAT
- Place the stuffed glove in your freezer for approximately 1.5-2 hours, or until meat is frozen inside the glove.
- When the meat is almost frozen, mix ingredients for the Bloody Glaze. Set aside in your refrigerator.
- At the same time, preheat your oven to 280°F.
STEP 3: COOK THE ZOMBIE HAND
- Remove the zombie hand from the freezer. Cut it away by making a slit from the wrist area toward the fingers. Peel GENTLY or the fingers may come off. This is not a huge deal, as you can push them back on later, but it will save you a step if you’re careful now. Discard the glove.
- Place the zombie hand into your pan and cook at 280°F for 8-10 minutes, or until meat is just getting soft on the outside and at the wrist end.
- While the meat hand is softening in the oven, cut your onion into approximately a 2″X2″ piece, if you haven’t done so already. Peel it to the correct circumference first, so it’s rounded on the outside. Then cut the ends off to look like cut bone.
- Remove the zombie hand from the oven and place the onion “bone” cut piece at the wrist end. Pull some of the softened meat slightly over the onion “bone.”
- Drizzle some of the Bloody Glaze over the hand in a random way so that it looks naturally gory. Reserve the rest of the Bloody Glaze for later.
- Return the zombie hand to the oven and increase temperature to 350°F.
- Cook for approximately 50 minutes, or until meat has reached an internal temperature of 160°F. You MUST make sure the meatloaf is cooked completely through — that’s for your safety. Scares are fun on Halloween, but not trips to the emergency room!
STEP 4: PREP THE POTATOES
- When the zombie meat hand is almost done, prepare your mashed potatoes. I used instant loaded potatoes so they would look somewhat “chunky.”
- Arrange the potatoes on a plate or in a shallow bowl and set aside.
STEP 5: PLATE THE ZOMBIE HAND
- When zombie meat hand is done, remove from oven and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the zombie meat hand CAREFULLY to the plate of mashed potatoes. If any of the fingers fall off, simply arrange them back in place. You can cover the separation areas with the Bloody Glaze (see step #17 below).
- Drizzle the rest of the Bloody Glaze on top of your zombie meat hand.
Enjoy!
