Mini BBQ-Glazed Meatloaf Muffins
Ground beef pressed into a muffin tin and glazed with barbecue sauce — a full meatloaf dinner in the time it takes rice to cook.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Written
Method
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
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Stir the panko and milk together in a large bowl and let sit until the crumbs have soaked it up, about 5 minutes.
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Add the ground beef, egg, onion, garlic, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup barbecue sauce, and mix with your hands just until combined.
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Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups, pressing lightly into each — pack it too tight and the loaves turn dense.
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Whisk the remaining ¼ cup barbecue sauce with the brown sugar and spoon it over each muffin.
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Bake until the glaze is bubbling at the edges and a thermometer inserted in the center reads 160°F, about 20 minutes.
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Let the muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes before lifting them out — they hold together better once they’ve firmed up.
Notes
Shaping the loaf into a muffin tin instead of one big brick is the whole trick: twelve small loaves have far more glazed surface area per bite than one, and they cook through in 20 minutes instead of the hour a full loaf needs. That makes this the version for a Tuesday, not the Sunday centerpiece.
No barbecue sauce on hand? Ketchup mixed with a splash of cider vinegar works for the glaze. The muffins freeze well after baking — thaw and reheat straight in the tin, or crumble the extras into a jar of leftover barbecue sauce for a sandwich the next day.