Meatloaf With Brown Sugar Ketchup Glaze

From America's Test Kitchen. Very good meatloaf wrapped in bacon and covered with a slightly sweet ketchup sauce.

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 5-6

Ingredients

• Meatloaf

• 2  teaspoons  vegetable oil (I use canola)
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  large eggs
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2  teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  hot red pepper sauce
• 1⁄2 cup milk or 1⁄2 cup plain yogurt
• 2  lbs  ground meat (can be a mixture)
• 2⁄3 cup  saltine crackers, crushed or 2⁄3 cup oatmeal
• 1⁄3 cup parsley, fresh minced
• 6 -8  ounces bacon, thin sliced (8-12 slices)

• Glaze

• 1⁄2 cup ketchup or 1⁄2 cup chili sauce
• 4  tablespoons brown sugar
• 4  teaspoons cider vinegar or 4  teaspoons white vinegar

Directions

1. Glaze: Mix all ingredients and set aside.
2. Meat loaf:
3. Heat oven to 350°F.
4. Heat oil in medium skillet and sauté onion and garlic about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
5. Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce and milk.
6. Add egg mixture to meat in large bowl, along with crackers, parsley and cooked onion and garlic.
7. Mix until mixture does not stick to the bowl, if mixture sticks to bowl add milk by tablespoons until it does not stick.
8. Shape into loaf.
9. Place on foil lined pan, for easy clean-up.
10. Brush with half the glaze.
11. Arrange bacon slices crosswise over the top of loaf overlapping, tucking in bacon ends under loaf.
12. Bake until bacon is crisp and internal temperature registers 160°F, about 1 hour.
13. Cool at least 20 minutes.
14. Simmer remaining glaze over medium heat until slightly thickened.
15. Slice meatloaf and serve with extra glaze.