Monday Meals: MANLY Meatloaf

We all know about Mom's meatloaf, and we've all tried Grandma's meatloaf; but what makes a manly meatloaf? 

Easy: bourbon. 

Feel free to listen to this song on repeat while making our Bourbon Glazed Manly Meatloaf. When it comes to bourbon recommendations, the Wisconsin Test Kitchen highly recommends Bulleit, or Buffalo Trace. And for the record, we drink our bourbon with one rock. We're hard core like that. And by we... we mean Rebecca, our editor. 

But we digress. This recipe is going to take your standard meatloaf to the next level. While the 'loaf' itself is pretty standard; the sweet and smoky glaze is incredible. After much discussion, we also decided this glaze would be delicious on burgers or pork belly. We can't wait to use it in other applications soon. 

Bourbon Glazed Meatloaf
Recipe inspired by: http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2014/11/bourbon-glazed-meatloaf.html

Loaf Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (you can also use dried)
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and minced
1 tsp salt
lots of fresh cracked pepper

Bourbon glaze
1 cup fruit jam or preserves- we used orange marmalade
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp hot chili sauce or Sriracha
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
1/4 cup water


Set oven to 350F
To make the sauce, put all the ingredients in a sauce pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, and simmer/boil gently, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until thickened. If you used a chunky jam you may want to use an immersion blender to puree the glaze.

Put the meats in a large mixing bowl, breaking them apart into small pieces as you add them. Add the eggs, breadcrumbs, onion and salt and pepper to the bowl. Mix everything well with your fingertips. You want to thoroughly incorporate all the elements without over-doing it.
Form the meat into a loaf, not too tall and not too wide. You want it to cook evenly, so try to get it even from end to end.
You can set it directly in a pan or on a baking sheet, or set it on a rack if you have one. Whatever you do, be sure to line the pan with foil since the glaze will drip and make a mess.

Spread a layer of glaze all over the meatloaf.

 Bake it for about 60 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center reads 160 degrees. We basted another layer of sauce on the meat halfway through the cooking.

Remove the meat and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing. Slather on a final coat of glaze just before serving, (heat it up on the stove so it is hot) and serve extra sauce on the side.

This was an incredible dinner; the only thing preventing us from making it again soon is the fact we're out of bourbon- a problem we plan on remedying sometime very soon. Even if you're not a bourbon fan; give this one a try. It might be the best meatloaf recipe ever.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew