Work has been crazy the last few weeks, so I haven’t had time to experiment with new recipes for a while. I had a few free minutes last night and decided to try my hand at making a barbecue-inspired meatloaf. When I make meatloaf, I generally go for an Italian theme with the spices I use, so I thought BBQ would be a nice change of pace.

This is one of those recipes where I don’t measure anything and just eyeball the spices, so the amounts below in the recipe really are just estimates. Feel free to modify them to your family’s tastes.

BBQ Meatloaf

1 pound ground beef (86% lean)

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 egg

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1-2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)

For the topping:

6 tablespoons barbecue sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, Panko, egg, onion, basil, seasoned salt, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, and 2 teaspoons barbecue sauce until well combined, but don’t overmix or the meat will be tough. Place meatloaf into a meatloaf pan (like a bread pan but has two sections so the grease drains away from the meatloaf) or a small glass baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the 6 tablespoons barbecue sauce, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, and 2 teaspoons honey until completely combined. Spread mixture over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 60 minutes, or until the top is browned, or the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

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