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Barbecue Meat Loaf

A loaf of ground beef mixed with breadcrumbs, spices, and barbecue sauce, baked until cooked.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Mustard and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,053 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Barbecue Meat Loaf

Oven350°F
Time1 hour

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Make and shape the loaf

  1. Combine beef, breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce, and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.

  2. Shape meat mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.

  3. Spread remaining barbecue sauce over top of meat loaf.

Bake and rest

  1. Bake for 1 hour or until a thermometer registers 160°.

  2. Let stand 10 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

804Calories
46 gProtein
22 gFat
100 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Saucenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Mustard + garlictop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,053 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  2. Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,090 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,430 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,971 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Beef + breadtop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Ground beef
Provides the main body and meaty texture of the loaf.
Dry breadcrumbs
Absorb liquid and help keep the loaf moist and tender.
Egg whites
Bind the mixture so the loaf holds its shape when sliced.
Barbecue sauce
Adds sweetness and acidity, and caramelizes into a glaze on top.

The step that matters

Bake to 160°F and let it stand. Ground meat can dry out if overbaked, while underbaking leaves it unsafe. Checking the internal temperature gives a reliable doneness point, and the 10-minute rest lets juices settle so the slices stay moist.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, sauce, mustard, bread, pepper, egg):

  1. Capersfits better
  2. Tarragonfits better
  3. Parsleyfits better
  4. Garlicthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, sauce, mustard, bread, pepper, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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