Flannels & Pearls

BBQ Meatloaf

Meatloaf. Great band and a perfect, no frills, rib sticking meal. I’m sure most of you already have a favorite meatloaf recipe. I had a solid one from my mom, which is the bones of this recipe. However, one day several years ago, I did not have the traditional tomato sauce/paste the recipe called for, so I improvised as usual, and subbed it with BBQ sauce. It was such a hit with our entire family (doesn’t happen often, folks) that it quickly became one of our favorites. It’s an easy meal to throw together, but does require an hour of cooking time. Serve it up with your choice of potato (we love sour cream mashed potatoes with ours), veggies, or salads and call it good. If you’re feeding a family of big eaters, you may not have leftovers. In fact, we may now need to start making two at a time. Hope your family enjoys this as much as we do!

BBQ Meatloaf

Cook Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds ground burger (beef, benison, turkey)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-¼ sleeves saltine crackers crushed (I put them in a sealed ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin)
  • ½ (or more if needed) cup BBQ Sauce we like Sweet Baby Ray's
  • 1-2 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
  • ½-1 tsp onion powder (or desired amount of chopped onions)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 6-8 oz. mozzarella or Italian blend cheese shredded
  • BBQ sauce for topping

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk eggs. To this add ground meat, crushed crackers, BBQ sauce, mustard, onion powder or onions, salt and pepper. With your hands, mix together until everything is thoroughly combined. If it's too dry, add more BBQ sauce. If it's too dry, add more cracker crumbs.
  • Place a large sheet of waxed paper on the counter. Shape meat mixture into about a 9 x 11 inch rectangle that is 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cover with shredded cheese.
  • Working from one side to the other, roll into a loaf. Tuck in and smooth ends. Place in a baking dish. Cover the top of the loaf with BBQ sauce. Bake for an hour. More than likely, cheese will escape from the loaf, that's ok! Once it's done, spread additional BBQ sauce over the top of the cooked loaf, if desired.