BBQ Meatloaf
BBQ Meatloaf is a hearty and comfort food dinner recipe made with ground beef, seasonings, bread crumbs, and then finished with a sweet bbq glaze on top. This family favorite beef recipe is always a hit for a quick weeknight dinner.
Servings 8
Equipment
Ingredients
BBQ Meatloaf
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1¼ cups plain bread crumbs
- ½ cup brown sugar bbq sauce
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Meatloaf Glaze
- 1 cup brown sugar bbq sauce
Instructions
- Prep : Preheat the oven to 350℉. There are several ways to cook this meatloaf, choose your favorite way below. - Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. - Line a baking sheet (12"x17") with parchment paper for easy clean-up. - Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- Crumble the ground beef into a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining meatloaf ingredients over top the crumbled ground beef. Sprinkle them all over the beef rather than dump it into one pile. * Wash hands after handling the raw meat and before adding the other ingredients.2 pounds ground beef, 1 yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 large eggs, 1¼ cups plain bread crumbs, ½ cup brown sugar bbq sauce, ½ cup heavy cream, ¼ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Use a silicone spatula or your clean hands (recommended) and gently mix everything together until it's combined. You want to make sure the seasonings and all the ingredients get incorporated well into the beef, but you don't want to over mix it or mix it too hard.
- Transfer the meatloaf mixture into the loaf pan OR shape it into an oval loaf shape if using a baking sheet or pan.
- Spread the bbq sauce topping over top the meatloaf. * Use less if wanted, anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup is great for the topping.1 cup brown sugar bbq sauce
- Bake the meatloaf, uncovered, for 50 minutes. Loosely lay a piece of foil over top the meatloaf and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160℉.
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Garlic : Use fresh garlic cloves, chopped garlic from a jar, or garlic paste.
Ground Beef : Typically meatloaf is made with a higher fat ground beef like 80/20 or 85/15 but if you prefer a leaner and less greasy meatloaf (me!) then use 90/10 ground or 93/7 ground beef instead. I would recommend using one leaner ground beef like 93/7 and maybe a fattier ground beef like 85/15. That is what I do when I make this meatloaf. I have also used 1 pound ground turkey (85/15) and lean ground beef (93/7) in this recipe.
Make It Healthier : Use sugar-free bbq sauce instead of regular bbq sauce. Use lean ground beef (like 90/10 or 93/7). You can also use ground turkey + ground beef (1 pound of each for a leaner meatloaf).
Lightly Beaten Eggs : Crack the eggs into a small bowl and use a fork to light beat them. It's important to do this because you don't want to overmix the meatloaf trying to get the eggs blended into everything.
Spicy : Use dijon mustard or spicy brown mustard in place of the yellow mustard. Or use half and half. Add some hot sauce in with the bbq sauce for the meatloaf topping. Use a spicy bbq sauce in the recipe.
Don't Over Mix The Ground Beef Mixture : It's important to first crumble the ground beef into the mixing bowl and then sprinkle the additional ingredients al over the crumbled ground beef. This helps make it easier to mix everything together rather than having one big pile of beef plus a big pile of all the additional ingredients and trying to get everything mixed. To avoid overmixing, it's best to use your clean hands to mix the meatloaf mixture.