The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
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Killer Meatloaf with Sweet Barbecue Sauce

4.83 Mitt(s) 6 Rating(s)6 votes, average: 4.83 out of 56 votes, average: 4.83 out of 56 votes, average: 4.83 out of 56 votes, average: 4.83 out of 56 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5

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Level: Easy

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Description

Oh, this meatloaf is soooo good! It’s got a simple, homemade BBQ sauce inside the meatloaf AND on top! You’ll be beating people off with a stick for the leftovers. Meatloaf doesn’t have to be boring! Try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

  • 1 Sleeve Saltine Crackers, Crushed
  • 1 Large Onion
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 2 cups Ketchup
  • ½ cups Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
  • 1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
  • 1 pinch Cayenne (optional)
  • 2 Eggs, Beaten
  • 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt (or 1/2 TBSP Table Salt)
  • ½ Tablespoons Black Pepper
  • 2-½ pounds Lean Ground Beef

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Add the crackers to a food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs. Add the cracker crumbs to a large mixing bowl.

Wipe out the food processor bowl and add the onion and garlic. Process until liquefied (about 30 seconds).

Add about 1/3 of the onion mixture to a medium saucepan. This will be for the barbecue sauce. Add the remaining onion mixture to the cracker crumbs, which will be used for the meatloaves.

Sauce Mixture:

To the onion mixture in the saucepan, add the ketchup, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and cayenne (if using). Stir to combine but do not start heating it yet.

Meatloaf Mixture:

Remove one cup of the sauce from the saucepan and add it to the cracker crumbs. Yes – the meatloaf is going to have some of the sauce baked right in!

Also to the cracker crumbs, add the beaten eggs, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together. Add the ground beef and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.

Split the meat mixture in half because it will be used to form 2 loaves. Spray a sheet pan (with sides) with cooking spray. Add both mounds of meatloaf mix to the sheet pan and form 2 loaves in oval shapes about 1 1/2″ thick. Smooth out the top and sides. Bake for 45 minutes (with no sauce on top).

When the meatloaf has been in the oven for about 30 minutes, start heating the saucepan of barbecue sauce over medium heat. As it heats, you will need to stir it often or it will splatter all over the place.

When it has starting bubbling well, reduce the heat to low or medium-low and continue to stir it periodically.

After the meat loaves have been in the oven for 45 minutes, add the hot barbecue sauce to the tops of each loaf. Return to the oven and continue baking about 20 to 25 minutes longer or until the loaves are well browned and the sauce has thickened.

Pull the sheet pan out of the oven and elevate one side so that the excess oil flows to one side of the pan. Allow the meatloaves to rest a few minutes before cutting into them. Meat loaf sandwiches the next day are to die for!

Advice for Busy Moms:

Before going to work in the morning, mix the sauce and meatloaf per the above instructions. Leave the meatloaf mixture in the mixing bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Add the sauce to a glass bowl, cover, and refrigerate. When you get home in the evening, just preheat the oven, shape the meat loaves, and continue cooking per the above instructions.

11 Comments

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lakrogers on 4.25.2011

I’ve made this countless times for company and everyone always loves it. Thank you!

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paula44 on 3.24.2010

This was hands down the best meatloaf ever!! I am a meatloaf liker…never cared for it too much growing up. This recipe has made me a meatloaf lover! The only thing I did differently was I used Heinz Chili Sauce instead of ketchup. Oh, and I added a few strips of bacon across the top of the meatloaf as it cooked just because that is how my mom always made it when we were young. Sadly there were NO leftovers so I guess I will just have to make it again soon.

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Karen@JustCallMeGrace on 3.22.2010

Hey, Vince, congrats on being featured here! Tried several of your recipes last fall with yummy results. Looks like we’re having your meatloaf for supper. **drooling** :o)

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Nancy on 2.7.2010

This recipe is just what I was looking for today. I only make meatloaf so I can have sandwiches later!!! It’s delicious today, but can’t wait for tomorrow’s lunch!!

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beccah on 9.20.2009

Dinner with friends last night…..guess what I took?….. Killer Meatloaf ! It was a big hit. ALL of the wives requested your recipe.

6 Reviews

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Rebecca on 8.18.2011

The overall concept of the recipe is great. I love the thickened sauce on top and the texture of the meatloaf was great! It was a bit too sweet for my family’s taste, and I even cut the brown sugar back a bit. Ketchup is sweet without the extra sugar so I think I may try using tomato sauce instead of the ketchup next time and see if it fits us better.

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jewc on 3.23.2011

My hubby, who “doesn’t do” leftovers, has happily eaten this 3 nights in a row… it’s simple and delicious and has already been declared our go-to meatloaf. Fantastic next-day sandwiches on Texas toast!!

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jedijohn82 on 2.21.2011

This was not your plain old boring meatloaf. The homemade BBQ sauce definitely jazzed it up. It was very tender and juicy. This dish is a winner at our house and will become our standard meatloaf recipe.

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Mitzi Koons on 2.18.2011

I wanted to wait until I had a chance to try the meatloaf leftover before I gave my review, but my family ate it all before I had a chance…so I can only assume the leftovers rock! It was still so very good the first night – the BBQ sauce is phenomenal….I’ll never make that kind of sauce any other way ever again. We’ll be trying this out on the grill this summer, too. It holds together so very well and it just delicious! If others are finding that it falls apart – try working it with your hands for a longer period of time. Even after I know it’s mixed well, I continue to hand mix it for several minutes. I don’t know why that works for me, but I’ve never had a meatloaf fall apart since trying that. Reducing the sauce/liquid will only result in a dryer loaf, so give it some extra mix time and see if that helps. You won’t be disappointed in the taste!

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girlcancook on 9.4.2010

Wonderful taste! I loved it. I put one of the meatloaves in the freezer with the sauce on it. I’ll see how it tastes in about 2 weeks.

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