Get the Recipe: Meatloaf with Homemade BBQ Sauce
Classic ground beef meatloaf topped with a delicious homemade BBQ sauce. Full of flavour and a nice change from the usual.
Ingredients
For the meatloaf BBQ sauce:
- 5.5 oz (156 ml) can tomato paste
- 1/4 cup (45 g) brown sugar, packed
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons Fancy molasses, *see Note 1 below
- 1-2 Tablespoons honey, *see Note 2 below
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the meatloaf:
- 2 lbs lean or extra lean ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon fine table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup soda crackers, crushed
- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced or grated
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. (not fan-assisted). For mini meatloaves, spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. For one larger meatloaf, cover a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil (or two layers of regular aluminum foil). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, make the sauce by stirring together the sauce ingredients until smooth. Set aside
- In a large bowl, add the ground beef, egg, salt, pepper, crushed crackers and diced onion. Using a large spoon, stir to combine well. Add 1/4 cup of the prepared sauce to the beef mixture. Stir to combine well.
- Tip! Cooking time for mini meatloaves may vary depending on the size of your mini loaf pans. Be sure to cook until the meat registers 160F internal temperature. You can see the mini loaf pan I used in the step-by-step photos above this recipe card.
For mini meatloaves:
- Divide the meat mixture evenly between the mini loaf cups, pressing into the cups and smoothing the top. Divide the BBQ sauce evenly between the loaves, using a spoon to spread it out to cover the top of the loaves. Place the mini loaf pan on top of a larger baking sheet that has been covered with aluminum foil.
- Bake in preheated 350F oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the meatloaves register 160F internal temperature when tested with an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven. Use a fork to carefully lift the meatloaves out of the loaf tin and place them directly onto the foil-lined baking sheet. Return to the oven for 3-4 minutes to dry them out a bit and set the sauce. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
For one large meatloaf:
- Drop big spoonfuls of the ground beef mixture into a rough log shape in the centre of the prepared baking pan. Using your hands, shape into a loaf shape about 2-3 inches high x 3 inches wide x 10-12 inches long. Try to keep the top of the loaf flat, so the sauce will stay on the top as it cooks. Spoon the remaining sauce over the top, along the length of the meatloaf. Use a spoon to spread over the top, trying to keep most of it on top. Spread a bit along the sides.
- Bake in preheated 350F oven for 1 hour or until the meat registers 160F when tested with an instant-read thermometer. Allow to rest for several minutes before cutting.
Notes
Note 1: I recommend Fancy molasses for this sauce. I haven't tested it with Cooking molasses. It may be fine. I don't recommend Blackstrap molasses as the flavour would be too strong in this sauce.
Note 2: If honey is unavailable, maple syrup would be a decent substitute. Otherwise, simply increase the amount of brown sugar. Adjust the amount added for sweetness preference.
Nutritional information based on using extra lean ground beef.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 262kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 94mg, Sodium: 569mg, Potassium: 756mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 363IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 4mg
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