Classic Glazed American Meatloaf
The American classic: beef and pork bound with a milk and saltine paste, browned under the broiler, then painted twice with a tangy brown sugar and ketchup glaze and baked to a glossy finish.
English Wikipedia says that during the Great Depression families used meatloaf to stretch the food budget, using inexpensive meat and leftovers and adding cereal grains, bread or saltine crackers for bulk, and that sauces are often applied before baking, with tomato sauce forming a crust. It also notes that a 2007 Good Housekeeping poll ranked meatloaf seventh among Americans' favorite dishes. Search summaries of a 2017 Bon Appétit history add that the Depression made it a staple and that home meat grinders helped spread it; we could not open that article.
None of the 19th-century loaves we read (our 1887 Veal Loaf recipe) uses ketchup. The red, sticky lid is the American signature. America's Test Kitchen's 2012 version shows how far the loaf has come: a beef and pork blend, a milk and saltine paste in place of bread, a quick broil to dry the surface, and a glaze applied in two coats so it sticks and browns.
🇺🇸 This one is American
The American classic: beef and pork bound with a milk and saltine paste, browned under the broiler, then painted twice with a tangy brown sugar and ketchup glaze and baked to a glossy finish.
🇩🇪 The original
Germany's falscher Hase, "mock hare", is a beef and pork loaf wrapped around whole hard-boiled eggs, topped with bacon and served with a sour cream pan gravy. No ketchup glaze. See the Falscher Hase (German Mock Hare Meatloaf with Eggs) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Beef plus pork
ATK says cutting beef with an equal amount of sweeter ground pork balances the flavor, and pork's extra fat keeps lean beef tender.
Broil before you glaze
The quick broil dries the wet surface so a crust can form and the glaze sticks and caramelizes instead of sliding off.
Step by step
- Step 1
Whisk the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Set 1/4 cup aside for brushing. Simmer the rest over medium heat about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened, and keep it warm for serving.
- Step 2
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease it lightly. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion about 8 minutes, until golden. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds and scrape into a large bowl.
- Step 3
Process the saltines and milk in a food processor until smooth. Add the beef and pork and pulse just until combined, about 10 quick pulses, then add to the bowl with the eggs, yolk, mustard, Worcestershire, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper and mix gently by hand.
- Step 4
Set oven racks in the upper and middle positions and heat the broiler. Shape the meat into a 9-by-5-inch loaf on the prepared sheet.
- Step 5
Broil on the upper rack about 5 minutes, until well browned. Brush 2 tbsp of the reserved raw glaze over the top and sides and broil about 2 minutes more, until it starts to brown.
- Step 6
Move the loaf to the middle rack, brush on the rest of the raw glaze and turn the oven to 350°F. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the center reads 160°F.
- Step 7
Tent with foil and rest 20 minutes. Slice and serve with the warm cooked glaze.
Classic Glazed American Meatloaf
Serves 8 · 1 free-form loaf, 9 by 5 inches (about 8 thick slices), plus extra glaze · 2 hr 5 min total
Glaze
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce
Meatloaf
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 17 saltines, crushed (2/3 cup)
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp pepper
Method
- Whisk the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Set 1/4 cup aside for brushing. Simmer the rest over medium heat about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened, and keep it warm for serving.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease it lightly. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion about 8 minutes, until golden. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds and scrape into a large bowl.
- Process the saltines and milk in a food processor until smooth. Add the beef and pork and pulse just until combined, about 10 quick pulses, then add to the bowl with the eggs, yolk, mustard, Worcestershire, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper and mix gently by hand.
- Set oven racks in the upper and middle positions and heat the broiler. Shape the meat into a 9-by-5-inch loaf on the prepared sheet.
- Broil on the upper rack about 5 minutes, until well browned. Brush 2 tbsp of the reserved raw glaze over the top and sides and broil about 2 minutes more, until it starts to brown.
- Move the loaf to the middle rack, brush on the rest of the raw glaze and turn the oven to 350°F. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the center reads 160°F.
- Tent with foil and rest 20 minutes. Slice and serve with the warm cooked glaze.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "Glazed Meatloaf" (February 15, 2012), as written for 6 to 8. The glaze, the 8-minute onion, the broil-then-bake method, the 350°F oven, the 160°F doneness and the 20-minute rest are ATK's. We call it 8 servings. The steps are condensed in our own words. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Meatloaf mix (beef, pork and veal) from the meat counter works in place of the beef and pork (ATK's bacon-wrapped recipe makes the same swap).
- No food processor? Crush the saltines fine in a zip-top bag, soak them in the milk 5 minutes and mash to a paste with a fork.
- Leftover slices make a classic meatloaf sandwich on white bread with extra glaze.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Meatloaf needs a ketchup glaze. Folklore as a rule: it is the modern American habit, but the 1887 to 1903 loaves we read have none, and Quaker's oat loaf (our Oatmeal Meat Loaf recipe) uses tomato juice in the meat.
- Use all beef. Disputed: ATK uses half pork for flavor and tenderness; Quaker and Taste of Home use all beef.
- Bread or crackers? Folklore either way: Wikipedia lists bread, cereal and saltines as the classic fillers, and recipes use all three.
- Rest it before slicing. Documented in ATK (20 minutes), Quaker (5 minutes) and Taste of Home (10 minutes); the times differ.
- Meatloaf is America's favorite dish. Disputed: Good Housekeeping's 2007 poll put it seventh (Wikipedia).
Every other meatloaf
Falscher Hase (German Mock Hare Meatloaf with Eggs)
Germany's "mock hare": a beef and pork loaf bound with soaked rolls, wrapped around three whole hard-boiled eggs, topped with bacon and served with a sour cream pan gravy.
1887 Veal Loaf (The White House Cook Book)
One of the oldest American meat loaves in print: ground veal mixed with eggs, cream, crushed crackers, pepper and sage, shaped by hand and basted with butter as it bakes. No ketchup in sight.
Polpettone Ripieno (Italian Meatloaf with Ham and Provolone)
An Italian beef and pork loaf made with Grana Padano and no bread at all, rolled around sliced ham and provolone, wrapped in parchment and roasted on a bed of rosemary potatoes.
Forloren Hare (Danish Mock Hare)
Denmark's mock hare: a pork and veal loaf bound with oats, covered in bacon, baked in milk, and served with a creamy sauce made from that milk and a spoonful of redcurrant jelly.
Embutido (Filipino Steamed Meatloaf)
Two foil-wrapped logs of beef, pork, ham, carrots and golden raisins, each built around a row of hard-boiled eggs and pimientos, steamed instead of baked and sliced into colorful rounds.
Bobotie (South African Curried Mince with Egg Custard)
Gently curried ground beef sweetened with apricot chutney and raisins, bound with milk-soaked bread and baked under a golden egg custard with bay leaves on top.
Oatmeal Meat Loaf (The Stretch-the-Meat Classic)
A seven-ingredient loaf that stretches a pound and a half of lean beef with rolled oats and tomato juice, pressed into a loaf pan and baked an hour: the thrifty American meatloaf at its simplest.
Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf
A beef, pork and veal loaf brushed with brown sugar and ketchup glaze and covered with overlapping strips of bacon that baste the meat and bake up crisp.
Turkey Meatloaf with Ketchup and Brown Sugar Glaze
A ground turkey loaf kept juicy with butter, Parmesan, quick oats and cornstarch, glazed twice and baked on a rack until it reaches 165°F.
30-Minute Mini Meat Loaves
Four small, tightly packed meat loaves seared in a skillet for a crust, spooned with brown sugar and ketchup glaze and finished in a 500°F oven in under 10 minutes.
Country-Store Meatloaf (Inspired by Cracker Barrel, Not Official)
A cheesy, tender beef meatloaf made with buttery crackers, onion, green pepper and cheddar, finished with a sweet ketchup, brown sugar and mustard glaze. Inspired by the Southern roadside chain; not its recipe.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.