Meatloaf spends a lot of its time smothered in ketchup. It is the de facto glazing ingredient for most meatloaf recipes out there, and in the rare instance that a meatloaf doesn’t get covered in ketchup, it usually gets BBQ sauce added to it instead.
Well, BBQ sauce is just ketchup that got ideas above its station, I say – in fact look at how many of them include ketchup to begin with. So if I wanted to do something different, I knew I needed to swing for the fences. Or, in this case, I needed to swing millimeters away towards the condiment so inexorably linked with ketchup that people usually describe them all in one breath – ketchupnmustard.
A lot of meatloaf recipes also call for an egg to help bind the meat mixture together as it cooks. I’ve used parmesan cheese here instead, which is why we use such a considerable amount. There are three reasons for this. One, parmesan is a lot more flavorful than an egg, bringing a nice salty flavor to the meatloaf. Two, it doesn’t add a lot of extra moisture which might mean we had to add more breadcrumbs otherwise. And three, when I was developing the recipe, I didn’t have any eggs at home, and the internet told me that parmesan would be a good binder in its place.
Honey Mustard Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup breadcrumbs made from pulsing honey mustard pretzels flavored pretzels (I used Snyder's of Hanover honey mustard and onion pretzels)
- 2 pounds 85/15 ground beef
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8-10 grinds black pepper
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese fresh grated is best – this is acting as the binder instead of an egg
GLAZE
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 5 grinds black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Melt butter in skillet and add diced onion pieces and cook with salt and garlic powder until light browning is achieved, about 5 minutes.1 1/2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 red onion, 1 pinch salt, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, ground beef, worcestershire, thyme, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Add onion pieces and combine into one homogeneous mixture.1 cup breadcrumbs made from pulsing honey mustard pretzels flavored pretzels, 2 pounds 85/15 ground beef, 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 8-10 grinds black pepper, 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Bake on a baking tray with parchment on it in the shape of a loaf – this prevents the meatloaf from soaking in its own little sauna of grease while it cooks.
- While the meatloaf bakes, combine the ingredients for the glaze.1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 5 grinds black pepper
- At about 110° (approximately 30-40 minutes of cooking), brush the glaze onto the outside of the meatloaf, being sure to heavily coat all sides.
- Continue to cook until 170° (approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes total)
- Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This isn't completely necessary but it will allow you to make whole slices. If you like your meatloaf piping hot and don't care if it falls apart a little bit, feel free to skip this step.
Make it? Love it?
