Meat Loaf with Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze

Glaze:

½ C. Ketchup or Chili Sauce

¼ C. Brown Sugar

4 tsp. Cider or Distilled White Vinegar

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small saucepan; set aside.

Meat Loaf:

2 tsp. Vegetable Oil

1 Medium Onion, Chopped (about 1 C.)

2 Medium Garlic Cloves, Minced or Pressed through a Garlic Press

2 Large Eggs

½ tsp. Dried Thyme

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Ground Black Pepper

2 tsp. Dijon Mustard

2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

¼ tsp. Hot Pepper Sauce

½ C. Whole Milk or Plain Yogurt

2 lbs. Ground Beef

2/3 C. Crushed Saltine Crackers (about 16) or Quick Oats or 1 1/3 C. Fresh Bread Crumbs

1/3 C. Minced Fresh Parsley Leaves

8 oz. (8 slices) Bacon (amount will vary depending on loaf shape)

Heat the oven to 350˚ F. Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and garlic; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing the remaining ingredients.

Mix the eggs, thyme, salt, black pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and milk in a medium bowl. Add the egg mixture to the meat in a large bowl along with the crackers, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic; mix with a fork until evenly blended and the meat mixture does not stick to the bowl. (If the mixture sticks, add more milk, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until the mixture no longer sticks.)

Turn the meat mixture onto a work surface. With wet hands, pat the mixture into a loaf shape approximately 9 by 5 inches. Place on a foil-lined (for easy cleanup) rimmed baking sheet. Brush with half the glaze, then arrange the bacon slices crosswise over the loaf, overlapping them slightly, to completely cover the surface of the loaf. Use a spatula to tuck the bacon ends underneath the loaf.

Bake the loaf until the bacon is crisp and the internal temperature of the loaf registers 160˚ F, about 1 hour. Cool at least 20 minutes. Simmer the remaining glaze over medium heat until thickened slightly. Slice the meat loaf and serve with the remaining glaze served separately. 

Cook’s Illustrated, The New Best Recipe, America’s Test Kitchen, Brookline, Massachusetts, 2004, Meat Loaf with Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze, p. 451-452.