Ballpark Boom Glazed Meatloaf

Good meatloaf stays tender because you mix it less, not because you hide it under more glaze. Cook the onion first, soak the crumbs until they turn soft, then fold everything together with open fingers so the beef never becomes a paste. TGCS Co Ballpark Boom works twice here, a little through the loaf for chive, garlic, and habanero, then more in the glaze where it cooks into a sticky red-gold crust. Let the loaf rest until the juices settle and each slice holds cleanly without going dry. Serves 6.

What you need

Food (meatloaf):

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

3/4 cup whole milk

900 g medium ground beef, kept cold

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tbsp TGCS Co Ballpark Boom

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

Food (glaze):

1/3 cup TGCS Co Ballpark Boom

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

Equipment:

Small skillet

Large mixing bowl

Rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment

Small bowl

Pastry brush

Instant-read thermometer

How to cook it

1. Heat the oven to 375 F with a rack in the centre. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat, add the onion, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
2. Stir the garlic into the onion for 30 seconds, just until you can smell it, then scrape everything onto a plate and let it cool for 10 minutes. Warm onion is fine. Hot onion starts cooking the beef before the loaf reaches the oven.
3. Put the panko and milk in the large bowl. Stir once and leave it for 5 minutes until the crumbs have absorbed the milk and look like soft porridge.
4. Add the cold beef, cooled onion mixture, eggs, 3 tbsp TGCS Co Ballpark Boom, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Fold with open fingers just until the mixture looks even. DO NOT KNEAD THE MEAT. A dense, springy mixture becomes a dense, springy loaf.
5. Tip the mixture onto the lined sheet pan and shape it into a free-form loaf about 23 cm long and 10 cm wide. Keep the top gently rounded and smooth over any deep cracks so the glaze has one surface to grip.
6. Whisk the glaze ingredients together. Brush half over the top and sides of the loaf, then bake for 35 minutes.
7. Brush on the remaining glaze and return the loaf to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Pull it when the glaze is sticky at the edges and the centre reaches 160 F. (A wider loaf cooks faster than a tall narrow one, so trust the thermometer before the clock.)
8. Rest the meatloaf on the pan for 15 minutes. DO NOT SLICE IT EARLY. The juices need that time to move back through the crumb instead of running onto the board.
9. Transfer the loaf to a cutting board and slice it 2 cm thick. Personally I drag the first slice through the glaze that collects at the edge of the parchment, then serve the rest with mashed potatoes and something green.
10. ENJOY!