BEST EVER Meatloaf with a Brown Sugar Honey Whiskey Glaze

We have a great meatloaf recipe for you today and before you moan and groan let me first say something … this meatloaf recipe with this honey whiskey sugar glaze will rock your world!

I don’t normally write this much on one of my posts, but I truly feel meatloaf gets a bad wrap.  It is such a warm, soul comforting, stick to your ribs kind of meal.  Unfortunately most people either overcook it, use the wrong kind of meat, don’t season it enough or all of the above for a subpar result.

If I do nothing else for you by creating, running, breathing, eating and sleeping this website, it’s to help you become a BETTER cook, a more EMPOWERED cook and that starts with understanding ingredients and how they affect your recipe.

So let’s get started ….

WHAT TYPE OF MEAT

There is a lot of banter surrounding the ‘best’ type of meat to use when making a meatloaf.   Supermarkets sell a premade mix of ground chuck, sirloin, pork in a certain ratio.  And while I have tried that several times I never got that meaty meatloaf flavor that I was looking for.

The meatloaf either turned out too mushy or dry or it was just a hot mess.

I have finally landed on just all plain beef.  I find it just gives the best texture and flavor.  But here’s the deal.  It can’t be 95% or 90% lean.  It is very difficult to keep the meatloaf moist.  It needs some fat in there so the ratio I choose is 80-20.

TO SAUTE OR NOT SAUTE

Meatloaf needs flavor and a lot of it.  I put in anywhere from 1/2 – 1 cup of onions, at least a few cloves of garlic and my latest addition is grated carrot.  A mom can never go wrong adding some veggies as long as the kids don’t ever discover those little orange flecks.

Raw onions taste like raw onions.  My solution is to saute the veggies in a little olive oil until they are soft and translucent.  That way they flavor the meatloaf without anyone crunching on a raw onion or piece of garlic.

THE LIQUID

Now here is the part that is going to separate your meatloaf from the rest of the meatloaves out there in the world.

I do NOT use milk.  I use beef broth.

If you want your meatloaf to have a really deep meaty, satisfying and long lasting flavor then ditch the milk.  This step alone will catapult you and your meatloaf from ‘yeah it was good Mom’ to ‘Holy Mother of Pearl that was good!’

THE COOKING TIME

Cooking between 2 and 2 1/2 lbs of meat takes time, the temperature it’s cooked at is just as important as all the steps you’ve taken so far.  If the oven is too hot you risk the outside getting burned while the inside isn’t cooked through.  I cook mine at 350 and I always use a meat thermometer.  They are very inexpensive and can mount on the outside of the oven or on the counter.

Once it reaches between 155° – 160°I turn the oven off, open the door and let it rest for another 5 minutes before taking it out.

For this recipe (using 2 1/2 lbs of meat) can take up to 1 1/2 hours or longer.

THE GLAZE

The glaze on top of meatloaf is truly magical.  It gets all warm and caramelized and there is just enough to coat the ends of the slice you are eating.  This glaze is not necessary but oh so worth it!

What we have here is:

• 1/4 cup black coffee,
• 1/4 cup honey whiskey,
• 1/4 cup brown sugar,
• 1/2 cup ketchup,
• 1/8 cup soy,
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

It all gets simmered down into a beautifully thick glaze which is brushed on top of the meatloaf the last 20 minutes it bakes.

And what you end up with is a perfectly cooked meatloaf, perfectly seasoned and a glaze that will leave the ketchup in the fridge all by itself.

Enjoy!  😀

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