Brown Sugar Meatloaf – With a Secret Ingredient

Your family will love this exceptionally tender Brown Sugar Meatloaf. It is loaded with the rich flavors of Worcestershire and French onion and painted with a sweet brown sugar glaze!

Is there any dinner entrée name that sounds more appealing than “Meatloaf”? Think about it… Loaf of meat. Mmm, tantalizing… I guess it is a perfectly descriptive name. Truth in advertising, if you will. However, growing up I never really had meatloaf. What I was served would be more aptly named “meatbrick“. It was a largely flavorless, overly dense, hunk of meat, that sent me running from the idea of meatloaf for years.

My wife, however, loves meatloaf and routinely asks me to make it. I developed this Brown Sugar Meatloaf for her, and guess what? I love it too! Who knew meatloaf could taste good! Well, I guess everyone but me knew that. So, I guess I may be the last one to the party, but at least I have a great meatloaf recipe to show for it!

How to Make Brown Sugar Meatloaf

There is a secret ingredient in my meatloaf. I add one onion soup mix packet. I got the idea from my father in law, who uses it in his burgers. It really adds a great depth of flavor to the meatloaf, without being overpowering at all. That alone is worth trying this Brown Sugar Meatloaf recipe.

A good meatloaf should be tender, not a dense brick. Adding breadcrumbs and milk helps keep the meatloaf tender while adding moisture, and the egg will bind it all together. However, the way in which you work the ingredients together will make a big difference in the final outcome. Much like creating a great meatball, you have to be careful about overworking the meat. If you squish the ground beef or work it excessively your meatloaf will get dense.

In my opinion, the best temperature for baking meatloaf is 350 degrees. It is a low enough temperature to allow the interior of the meatloaf to heat up before the exterior dries out. For this reason, I also recommend using a digital oven thermometer. Since cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your meatloaf, using a digital oven thermometer will ensure you remove the Brown Sugar Meatloaf as soon as it is done baking. No one wants to eat overcooked dry meatloaf!

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Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

1 hrs 10 mins

Total Time

1 hrs 15 mins

 

Your family will love this exceptionally tender Brown Sugar Meatloaf. It is loaded with the rich flavors of Worcestershire and French onion and painted with a sweet brown sugar glaze!

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Calories: 250 kcal

Author: Fox Valley Foodie

Ingredients

Meatloaf

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 oz packet onion soup mix
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon table salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup milk

Sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Gently crumble ground beef in a large bowl, breaking up into small pieces. Add remaining meatloaf ingredients to the bowl and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.

3. Mix all sauce ingredients together and spread half of the sauce along the bottom and sides of a loaf pan.

4. Add meatloaf to a loaf pan and press firmly into a loaf shape.

5. Liberally paint remaining sauce over the loaf.

6. Place meatloaf in the oven and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees.

7. Let rest for five minutes and serve.

Recipe Notes

YOU WILL WANT TO SERVE this meatloaf with my Light and Fluffy Mashed Potatoes. Click to find out the secret!

If you enjoyed reading my Brown Sugar Meatloaf recipe then you should probably like me on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest too. That’s what I would do at least, because if you don’t get to know me but you still use my recipe it is kind of like taking candy from a stranger, and your mom taught you not to do that. Don’t disobey your mom, subscribe to Fox Valley Foodie today.