Meatloaf tends to get a bad rap. What if you could — with no additional time commitment — create a meatloaf that will not just serve as comfort food, but tease the tastebuds with rich variety? Delicate lean ground beef tricked out with enough spice, smokiness reminiscent of a cosy campfire, and just a hint of sweetness is on the menu! To top it off, this recipe makes a large enough batch to serve a family, or to divide into smaller containers to use one today, and freeze one for the future.
As with many meat dishes, I line the pan with foil. It really cuts down on the clean up! If you have all sorts of spare time and enjoy dunking your hands in sudsy water, feel free to ignore my advice. 😂 The easiest way to form aluminum foil to your pan is to flip the pan over, lay a sheet of foil over the pan, and press the sides to match the shape. Remove the foil without ruining the shape, flip the pan upside-right, and set the foil form in. Ta-dah! Clean-up simplified!
How can this meatloaf be gluten free?
- Simply swap out Schär gluten free table crackers for regular saltines. One small packet of crackers crushed is about 1/2 cup, which works perfectly for 2 pounds lean beef.
- Sriracha Barbecue Sauce from Trader Joe’s is our family’s hands-down-favorite addition to basically every beef, pork, and chicken dish. Their website states that the sauce is gluten free
- Liquid Smoke is basically made from smoke. That’s it! Smoke particles condensed in water. Most brands of Liquid Smoke are gluten free, but keep an eye out for those that have caramel coloring. There’s a small chance that the coloring contains some gluten.
About every other year we purchase 1/2 home-raised grass-fed beef. The ground burger is ultra-lean and über-flavorful. One thing to be aware of is how aggressively you mix the beef. Over-handling it will make the meatloaf tough. Just mix until ingredients are combined, then with wet hands, press into the shape you want.
Smoky, Spicy and Sweet Meatloaf
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Meatloaf that will change your opinion of meatloaf!
Ingredients
2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers
1 egg, beaten
3 Tbsp worcestershire sauce, divided
2 Tbsp brown mustard
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (sriracha barbecue sauce from Trader Joe’s is our fave), divided
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp liquid smoke, divided
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a large baking dish.
In a large bowl, gently mix together beef, beaten egg, cracker crumbs, 2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce, mustard, 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce, salt, pepper, and 1/2 tsp liquid smoke. Do not over-mix. Place meat in the greased – or foil-line – baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine remaining barbecue sauce, worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and honey. Spoon over meatloaf. Bake for 1 hour.
Notes
Trader Joe’s has a great barbecue sauce with sriracha. If you don’t have that, stir 1 Tbsp sriracha into the barbecue sauce before dividing it up.
Bake for a shorter time if the meat is divided between 2 smaller pans.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
