6 Secrets to Getting a Super Moist Meatloaf

Your family will love this classic comfort food. If you have not made meatloaf lately because you need a good recipe, try this Super Moist Meatloaf Recipe with a sweet, tangy, flavorful sauce.

Easy Super Moist Meatloaf Recipe Ingredients

To make this meatloaf, you will need the following ingredients, 3-pounds ground beef, breadcrumbs, oats, onion, bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, egg, tomato sauce, Montreal Steak seasoning, salt, and pepper.

For the fabulous sweet and tangy sauce, you will need vinegar, dark brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup.

  

Sweet & Tangy Meatloaf Glaze

You will love this meatloaf glaze. It is sweet and tangy deliciousness. The sauce includes vinegar, dark brown sugar, ketchup, and Worcestershire Sauce. It is fabulous!  If you are not a fan, you might become one after trying this recipe with this sweet and tangy sauce.

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6 Secrets To Getting A Super Flavorful Meatloaf

Humble Moist Meatloaf Recipe

Meatloaf is not very pretty on a plate, but it is so popular still. But, it is one of the country’s most iconic dishes and essential comfort foods. You can find meatloaf on every diner across America. Why? Maybe, because it reminds people of home. Meatloaf is something that was served a lot during the 1950s. Betty Crocker had a cookbook out 1958, 365 Ways to Cook Hamburger. Can you believe It included 70 recipes for meatloaf? I have lots of recent cookbooks, and you rarely see a meatloaf recipe, which is why I decided to write about this classic Moist Meatloaf recipe.

If you love cooking with a slow cooker, be sure to check out my crockpot meatloaf recipe.

6 Secrets To Getting A Flavorful Meatloaf

First Step: Cooking Spray

Second Step: Ground Beef

Third Step: Shape Beef

Fourth Step: Sauce

  • Cover the meatloaf before baking with half of the sauce.

Fourth Step: Cook

  •   

Moist Meatloaf Recipe Secrets

  • Chop the vegetables into small uniform pieces. Small uniform pieces will help them cook evenly.
  • Use high-fat meat—the leaner the meat, the dryer the meatloaf.
  • Mix the wet and dry ingredients well before adding the meat. Thoroughly mixing the components reduces the amount of mixing necessary once you add the meat.
  • Use your fingers or a wooden spoon to gently combine the ground beef into the egg bread crumb mixture.
  • Spray your hand with a cooking spray. It will help your hands not stick to the meatloaf.

What can I use If I do not have any bread crumbs?

Crushed crackers make an excellent bread crumb substitute in meatloaf.  You could also use crushed stuffing.

Use a Thermometer When Cooking Meatloaf

  • One of my secrets to this very moist meatloaf is to use a thermometer.  As soon as the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven.  The meat will continue cooking until it reaches around 170 degrees.  DO NOT overcook it.  It needs to be moist!  Overcooking it will dry it out, which is probably why a lot of people do not eat meatloaf in the first place.
  • Suppose you do not have any bread crumbs, no worries! Cut one slice of bread into cubes and put the bread into a food processor. Process until crumbs. One piece of bread should make 1/4 to 3/4 cups of bread crumbs. You have to include bread crumbs. They help soak up some of the fat from the meat.


What meatloaf pan should you use?

You can prepare meatloaf in any pan as long as you are using a meat thermometer to check for doneness.  The meatloaf will get done at different times when cooking it in different-sized pans.  In the pictures, I use a meatloaf pan, a cupcake pan, and a cast-iron skillet.  Because meatloaf is thinner in a cast-iron skillet, it will cook faster than a meatloaf pan.  The con to using other pans instead of a meatloaf pan is they do not drain as well.  If using a different pan to prepare meatloaf, you need to remove the grease off the meatloaf.  When  I use another pan, I drain the fat over the sink in a container.  After draining the fat, I add the other half of the sauce on it and finish cooking until it reaches 165 degrees.

If you need to cook meatloaf in a hurry, I would highly recommend using a cupcake tin.

Try using muffin tin pan to make individual meatloaves.
Use your cast iron skillet to make a fabulous meatloaf.

Meatloaf Freezes Well

Most of the time, I double this meatloaf recipe and make it in several different pans.  The meatloaf we eat for dinner on the same day I prepare it in a meatloaf pan or my favorite way is to use my cast iron skillet.

The meatloaf I am preparing to put in the freezer, I use my cupcake pan or mini meatloaf pan.  I freeze the individual meatloaves in a large ziplock bag after they have completely cooled.

Ten Minutes Before Meatloaf Is Done

Ten minutes before the meatloaf is ready to come out of the oven, I remove it from the oven, drain the grease, and put the other half of the sauce on the meatloaf.  I return it to the oven for another ten minutes of cooking.

Let Your Meatloaf Cool

If you cut into your meatloaf while it is still hot, it will fall apart.

What to serve with meatloaf?

Serve your meatloaf with mashed potatoes and the sauce from the slow cooker.  A side of green beans goes well too.

Next-Day Enjoy Meatloaf Sandwiches

Slice leftover meatloaf into 3/4 inch thick. If you want a larger piece, go for it. On a lightly greased skillet or grill pan, warm the meatloaf on both sides. If you prefer, add a slice of cheese and warm until melted. Serve between bread slices.

Moist Meatloaf Recipe Adapted From:

Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee is where the basic recipe came from, although I have changed it a little over the years.  I used 3 pounds of ground beef instead of 2 lbs.  I also used 1/2 chopped bell pepper, 1/2 cup oats, Worcestershire Sauce, and tomato sauce instead of catsup.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission which helps keep my blog up and running, but it won’t cost you a penny more).

Please see my disclosure.


If you are not a Sweet & Tangy Fan, try one of these meatloaf Glazes.

Apricot-Mustard Sauce: Mix 1 cup of apricot preserves and 1/4 cup Dijon mustard.

Cranberry Glaze: Stir together 1 cup ketchup and 1/2 cup whole cranberry sauce.

Peach-Chile Glaze: Mix 1 cup peach preserves with four teaspoons of Asian chili sauce with garlic.

           

Southern Side Dishes Easy Recipes Family Friendly


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MOIST MEATLOAF EVERY TIME

Moist Meatloaf-Recipe Sauce Recipe Type : Entree Cuisine: American Author: Diane @Recipesforourdailybread
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Total Time1 hr
Course: beef, entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beef, comfort food, diner food, easy recipe, meatloaf
Servings: 8
Calories: 594kcal
Author: Recipes for our Daily Bread

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Chop the vegetables into equally small pieces.  Combine onion, bell pepper, Worcestershire, breadcrumbs, oats, egg, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, Montreal Steak Seasoning, and garlic.
  • Fold in the ground beef. 
  • Shape into one large loaf or use muffin tins for individual loaves.
  • Next, Add ½ of the sauce before baking.
  • Bake 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes for a large loaf.  About 25 to 30 minutes if using muffin tins.
  • The meatloaf is done once it reaches 170 F degrees but takes it out of the oven at 165 degrees. This will keep it from drying out. Meatloaf will finish cooking.
  • If using muffin tins or cast iron skillet that does not drain the grease away once you remove it from the oven.
  • SAUCE
  • Combine all ingredients and cook on the stove just until it starts boiling.
  • Remove it from the stove and add half of the sauce to the top of the meatloaf before baking it.
  • Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil. After you bring the sauce to a boil, cut the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.Pour half of the sauce over the top of the meatloaf before you bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes if using a meatloaf pan.Be sure to add the rest of the sauce to the meatloaf 10 minutes before removing the meatloaf from the oven.

Notes

Add half the sauce before putting the meatloaf in the oven.
Ten minutes before the meatloaf is done, I remove it from the oven, drain the grease, and put the other half of the sauce on the meatloaf.  I return it to the oven for another ten minutes of cooking.
Use Dark Brown Sugar!  If you use light brown sugar, it will not be as sweet.
If using muffin tins or cast iron skillet that does not drain the grease away, remove the meatloaf from the pan to drain after taking it out of the oven.
  • Chop the vegetables into small uniform pieces. This will help them cook evenly.
  • Mix the wet and dry ingredients well before adding the meat. This reduces the amount of mixing necessary once you add the meat.
  • Use your fingers or a wooden spoon to gently combine the meatloaf into the egg bread crumb mixture.
  • Spray your hand with a cooking spray. It will help your hands not stick to the meatloaf.
  • One of my secrets to this very moist meatloaf is to use a thermometer.  As soon as the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven.  The meat will continue cooking until it reaches around 170 degrees.  DO NOT overcook it.  It needs to be moist!  Overcooking it will dry it out, which is probably why a lot of people do not eat meatloaf in the first place.
  • If you do not have any bread crumbs, no worries! Cut one slice of bread into cubes and put the bread into a food processor. Process until crumbs. One piece of bread should make 1/4 to 3/4 cups of bread crumbs. You have to include bread crumbs. They help soak up some of the fat from the meat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 594kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 984mg | Potassium: 823mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 15.3mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 5.2mg
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 Instructions For Meatloaf Sauce

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
After you bring the sauce to a boil, cut the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour half of the sauce over the top of the meatloaf before you bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes if using a meatloaf pan.
Be sure to add the rest of the sauce to the meatloaf 10 minutes before removing the meatloaf from the oven.

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Crock Pot Meatloaf Recipe & Secrets

Do you want to make meatloaf and have people rave about it?  Your family will love this Crock Pot Meatloaf Recipe.  This recipe is full of tips and secrets.

6 Secrets to making meatloaf