The Ultimate Guide To Cooking Meatloaf: BBQ Meatloaf (+Everything Meatloaf Related!)
This is The Ultimate Guide To Cooking Meatloaf, which includes tips, tricks, recipes to try, and more useful information! Learn which meat makes the best meatloaf, how to season it, how to make the best glaze, and so much more! You'll be a master at making this classic American dinner in no time.
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Instructions
Meatloaf
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan if you have one.
In a large mixing bowl add the ground beef, plain breadcrumbs, diced or grated onion, beaten eggs, meatloaf seasoning (*See note.), ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated, do not over-mix. (*See note)
Take the ground beef mixture and transfer it to your prepared baking sheet or loaf pan. Form a loaf shape with the meatloaf mixture that is mounded at the top, approximately the same size as a 9x5 loaf pan if you are not using one.
Place the meatloaf in the middle of the middle rack in the oven and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50 minutes.
BBQ Glaze
Then, pull the meatloaf out of the oven and coat it with BBQ sauce (or a mixture of BBQ sauce and Liquid Smoke, if using). Return the meatloaf to the oven and allow it to bake for an additional 10-20 minutes. Remove your meatloaf from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 155°F (68°C).
Remove your meatloaf from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 155°F (68°C). Drain off the excess grease, and allow your meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes.
While resting, the meatloaf will continue to cook and will reach the USDA recommended temp of 160°F (71°C). Then, you may slice and serve your meatloaf.
Notes
If you don't have meatloaf seasoning or you are missing some of the spices in my homemade meatloaf seasoning, you can make this basic seasoning in its place: 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon paprika (smoked paprika works as well), ½ teaspoon black pepper, and ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
Mixing meatloaf too much will cause it to become dry and dense. Once all the ingredients are dispersed throughout the meat, stop mixing. (Your hands are the best mixing tool.)
Higher fat meat works best, but can make your meatloaf overflow with fat. Use a cooling rack under your shaped meatloaf in a rimmed baking sheet rather than loaf pan especially when opting for a higher fat percentage.
The leaner the meat, the drier the meatloaf. Typically, I use a maximum fat percentage of 20% (80/20) as my preferred ratio.
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