Paula Deen Barbecue Meatloaf

Paula Deen barbecue meatloaf is an easy southern dinner made with ground beef, fresh breadcrumbs and a tangy tomato sauce that goes on before it bakes, not after. It takes 10 minutes to mix and an hour in the oven, and it feeds 6 people from one shallow pan. This is old fashioned comfort food, the kind of weeknight dinner that gets requested again by Thursday.

The basting is what separates this from every other meatloaf. You spoon the pan juices back over the loaf every 15 minutes for the full hour, four times total. That keeps the sauce working into the meat instead of drying into a crust on top, and it is the reason the outside stays glossy and the inside stays moist.

Half the tomato sauce goes into the meat mixture itself, which is easy to miss. That is what keeps the loaf tender, so do not dump all of it into the sauce. Use fresh breadcrumbs rather than dried if you can, because they hold moisture instead of pulling it out of the beef.

Paula Deen Barbecue Meatloaf

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Course: DinnerCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Calories

415

kcal

Ground beef mixed with fresh breadcrumbs, diced onion and tomato sauce, shaped into a loaf and baked under a tangy sauce of vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon and Worcestershire that gets basted back over it four times while it cooks.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
  

• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  

• 1 diced onion
  

• 1 lightly beaten egg
  

• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  

• 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
  

• 1/2 cup water, to thin sauce if necessary
  

• 3 tablespoon vinegar
  

• 3 tablespoon brown sugar
  

• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  

• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

• Heat the oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix and shape the loaf: Mix together the beef, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow pan.
• Make the sauce: Stir together the remaining tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire and the water if the sauce is too thick, then pour it over the meatloaf.
• Bake and baste: Bake for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices.

Tools for this recipe

• Pyrex 9x13 glass baking dish, ThermoPro instant-read thermometer, Pyrex 3-piece glass mixing bowl set. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Why baste it four times instead of glazing at the end?

Basting pulls the pan juices back over the loaf while it is still cooking, so the sauce soaks in rather than sitting on top. A glaze added at the end only coats the surface and tends to slide off when you slice it.

Can you use dried breadcrumbs instead of fresh?

You can, but fresh ones hold more moisture and keep the loaf tender. Dried crumbs pull liquid out of the beef instead of adding any, so if dried is all you have, use a little less and check the mixture before you shape it.

How do you know when the meatloaf is done?

An hour at 350 degrees gets a 1 1/2 pound loaf there, and the pan juices should be bubbling around the edges. If you want to be certain, the center should read 160 degrees on a thermometer.

What is the best way to use leftovers?

Paula serves it as a cold sandwich with mayonnaise, which is the best use for second day slices. It keeps in the refrigerator for three to four days and cuts much cleaner once it is fully chilled.

Does the sauce really need the half cup of water?

Only if it looks too thick to pour. Two cans of tomato sauce plus the vinegar usually loosens it enough on their own, but brands vary, so add the water a splash at a time until the sauce runs off a spoon.