Finger Lickin’ Meatloaf

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Bake uncovered for 65 -75 minutes; every 25 minutes or so, drain off the accumulated fat with a baster.

It’s done when the top has some nice charred places, but you could easily cook for longer (or even at a higher temperature).

This is a very moist meat loaf; the recipe is very forgiving and not as prone to drying out as the other recipes I’ve seen.

Near the end of the cooking I actually cranked the temperature up to 400 for a few minutes to char the top a bit more and firm it up a bit.

Teriyaki Sauce

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1-3 minced garlic cloves, depending on how much you like garlic
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light, whatever is handy)
2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Mix all but the last two in a small saucepan and heat. Dissolve cornstarch in cold water in a cup while you’re waiting.

Heat the sauce not quite to boiling, whisking to make sure everything’s dissolved.

Then drizzle the cornstarch into the pan, whisking vigorously. Heat on low heat, whisking, until it thickens to about the consistency of honey at room temperature (not critical, you just want it thick).

I used the all the sauce in the meat loaf, which meant I had to cook it longer to get the meatloaf to firm up enough.

The main thing is to make sure the meat is done; I think you’d have to try really hard to make a dry meat loaf with this recipe.