This Meatloaf Recipe Is A-1

Truth time: I’ve never been a big fan of meatloaf due to the ketchup in the oven. It just doesn’t sit with my stomach right, and is comparable to putting barbeque sauce in the oven. Obviously, I’m aware that meatloaf is adored in America, and people also like barbeque sauce with things like chicken in the oven. However, if you’re like me, and have always been on the fence about meatloaf, take one last chance on this recipe. It cuts out the thick goopy ketchup part, and replaces it with a much thinner sauce. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds of ground beef (I use lean 90/10 for meatloaf. I’ll explain why inside the notes.)
• 1 sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup of 4C Japanese panko bread crumbs
• 1 15 oz. bottle of A.1 original steak sauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper

OPTIONAL:

• Salt to taste
• Accent flavor enhancer to taste (I use about 1 teaspoon)
• Bell peppers 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin by chopping your onions into fine, small pieces. If you cry or are short on time you can use a food processor to quickly chop them up. (If using peppers, mince them as well)
2. Next, sauté the onions in a skillet on medium-high heat  using nothing but half a stick of butter, and salt and pepper to taste if you’d like. (If you chose to use peppers, you’ll sauté them along with the onions in the same pan)
3. You’ll continue sautéing the onions until they are caramelized or until they’re mostly a nice caramel brown color. Once complete, turn off the burner and set the onions to the side and let cool at room temp.
4. Now, set your oven to 350 degrees (F) or (176C).
5. While your oven preheats, grab a large bowl to mix the ingredients in.
6. Before you begin mixing your ingredients, wash your hands. Nobody wants your fungalitis. Once your hands are squeaky clean, add to the bowl your meat, panko bread crumbs, two thirds of the bottle of A.1 steak sauce, and the two large eggs.
7. Mix with your hands thoroughly by pushing in the mixture whilst squeezing at times, and folding the mixture over and over until it’s well mixed and looks just like a great big meatball mixture. (You should see no individual ingredients when done, only the meat)
8. Once everything is incorporated add your fresh cracked black pepper, and the onions which should be cooled to the touch now, and mix again as you did before. 
9. Once complete with mixing the meat, place the mixture into a loaf pan, and place in the oven. (if you do not have one, you can just place it on a baking sheet and firmly pat the meat into a loaf shape.)
10. Bake for around 50 minutes to an hour. If you happen to accumulate fat in your loaf pan, ladle it out now and then as the loaf cooks. The meatloaf will be done when cooked through at 160 degrees (F) or (71C).
11. Once the meat is cooked all the way, take it out and top with the remaining A.1 steak sauce covering the entire loaf as best you can. After, place the loaf back into the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the sauce thickens just a bit.
12. Grab the plates and silverware and serve up this delicious loaf while hot. And hey, as an added bonus, your house probably has a great aroma now.

SIDE NOTE:

As promised, the explanation on the 90/10 ratio of beef. The reason I go with such a lean ratio is because the meat will not shrink as much, and you’ll have hardly any grease. In fact, I find that I never need to ladle any grease out of my loafs because of the high lean ratio. Coming from someone who wasn’t big on meatloaf in the past, I find it hard to stop eating away at this recipe because it’s just ‘A-1’, and goes great with many sides. I have a recipe for some good mashed potatoes that go great with it here, and if you need a bigger loaf, you can double all ingredients to make the loaf twice the size. However, due to the size at that point, I’d recommend using a flat baking sheet and molding the meat into a loaf shape rather than using a loaf pan.