I love a good meatloaf and Best BBQ Meatloaf is a winner! Moist, flavorful and kid friendly...this is NOT your Mama's dried out meatloaf of the past! If your family loves meatloaf like mine does, you've got to give this tasty Best BBQ Meatloaf a try! And even if you think you don't like meatloaf, you have to give this recipe a try. It's so good, it just might change your mind!

Best BBQ Meatloaf | Renee's Kitchen Adventures

I can't take credit for creating this recipe for Best BBQ Meatloaf. It comes from the Certified Angus Beef® brand website. I always look for Certified Angus Beef® brand ground beef when I shop because I know I'm getting quality ground beef with no fillers and that's what I start this meatloaf with. They recommend using a 85% lean mixture in this recipe, but I like to bump it up a bit leaner and go for 90% lean.

When I read they used saltine crackers as a binder in their recipe I cheered! I've been using crushed saltines in my meatloaf recipes for a while now...and I love it! It gives the meatloaf a great texture without drying it out. To make the work of crushing the saltines a bit easier, I put them in a food processor and process them into a fine crumb. Making sure you soak them in a liquid is key. In this recipe, buttermilk is used. If you don't have buttermilk, any kind of milk will work.

Tips for a moist and tasty Best BBQ Meatloaf

Don't work the meat mixture too much. Use your hands to combine the ingredients just until they are combined, then form into a loaf!
Bake on a boiler pan! Lift the top and line the bottom with foil to help with easy clean up. Put the slotted top back on and spray with cooking spray, then shape your meatloaf right on top! Any drippings will fall through the slats onto the foil and your meatloaf won't be sitting in drippings!
Make sure your binder (bread, bread crumbs, saltine crumbs, etc.) are thoroughly moistened with what ever liquid is called for in the recipe BEFORE combining with the rest of the ingredients.
Let the meatloaf rest for 10-15 minutes, loosely tented in foil, before attempting to cut into it. This allows the juices to redistribute, helping to keep the meatloaf moist. It also helps keep it from falling apart as you slice!

For a complete meal, serve Best BBQ Meatloaf with:

Oven Roasted O'Brien Potatoes (roast them in the oven with the meatloaf, just increase bake time to 50-60 minutes)
Michigan Cherry Amaretto No-Churn Ice Cream

Best BBQ Meatloaf

By Renee Paj

Lean ground beef, buttermilk, BBQ sauce, and crushed saltine crackers make this Best BBQ Meatloaf tasty and tender!

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef (I recommend Certified Angus Beef® brand)
1 TBS unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
24 saltine crackers
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 eggs
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a large frying pan. Add onion and garlic; simmer until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a small mixing bowl combine barbecue sauce and mustard. Add half sauce mixture to onions.
Put crackers in a zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin until coarse. (I used a food processor) In a large bowl cover cracker crumbs with buttermilk and let soak 5 minutes; mix in eggs and mash with a fork to oatmeal consistency. Add beef, onion mixture, cracker mixture, parsley, salt and pepper. Press into a 9 x 5 loaf on a broiler pan, lined with foil, and sprayed with cooking spray or onto a sheet pan with sides that has been covered in foil.
Bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 160°F degrees. Let rest 10-15 minutes loosely covered in foil. Transfer to a cutting board or platter, top with remaining sauce, slice and serve.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.