Glazed BBQ Meatloaf

I've been refining my meatloaf recipe for a number of years. My kids call this "Dad's Awesome Meatloaf," and I think it's earned the moniker! (2/12/2020)

Update: Still refining! I think the new process described here makes for a much improved texture! (3/9/2023)

Ingredients

Glaze

• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce (my favorite uses chipotle chilis)
• 2-3 jerks Worcestershire sauce (about a tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon mustard powder

Meatloaf

• 2 teaspoons canola/vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 2-4 cloves)
• 25 saltine cracker squares
• 3.5 ounces milk (7 tablespoons)
• 2 pounds ground beef (I like 80-85 percent lean, don't get the extra-lean stuff for this)
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 whole eggs + 2 extra yolks (save the white for some other purpose, you won't use it here)
• 2-3 jerks Worcestershire sauce (about a tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Glaze

In a small saucepan, whisk together all glaze ingredients over medium heat. Once the mixture starts to bubble, remove from heat and set aside.

Meatloaf

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and sweat the onion with a big pinch of salt for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low for 2 or 3 minutes more until the onions are translucent and very soft (if at any time anything starts to brown, turn the heat down.) Take the skillet off heat.

Add the saltines to the bowl of your food processor and pulse several times until ground into fine crumbs. Add milk, onions, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard to food processor and pulse together several more times until well mixed (it does not need to be smooth or homogeneous, just evenly distributed.) Turn on your broiler. Cover a large rimmed baking pan with foil and lightly coat the foil with cooking spray. Reserve half of the cooled glaze (about 3/4 of a cup) in a dish for serving at the table.

Put on disposable gloves for this next part. Add the meat, cracker mixture, whole eggs and yolks into a large mixing bowl. Mix together with your gloved hands for 5 or 10 seconds until the eggs have started to incorporate with the meat. Add the dried herbs and pepper then continue to mix with your hands until they are evenly distributed throughout the meat. Form into a rough ball in the bowl and then pour the ball onto the foil lined pan. Continuing to use your hands, form into a loaf shape that is roughly 9x5 inches. Put the meatloaf under the broiler about 2 inches from the heat. Broil until it starts to brown. Remove from broiler and brush on about 5 or 6 tablespoons of the glaze still in the pan (enough to cover the top and sides of the loaf.) Return to the broiler and cook for another 2 minutes, until the glaze starts to brown. Remove from oven and brush again with remaining glaze from the pan. Set the oven for 350 degrees and bake until it reaches an internal temp of 155 degrees, about 40-45 minutes. Transfer your loaf to a carving board and rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thick and serve with reserved glaze.