Servings: 6 to 8

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine 1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon dried thyme
 
½ cup ketchup ½ cup ketchup
¼ cup packed light brown sugar ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar 4 teaspoons cider vinegar
 
2 large eggs 2 large eggs
½ cup milk, plus extra as needed ½ cup milk, plus extra as needed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon Tabasco ¼ teaspoon Tabasco
 
500 grams lean hamburger 500 grams lean hamburger
500 grams lean ground pork 500 grams lean ground pork
⅔ cup crushed saltine crackers or 1⅓ cups fresh breadcrumbs ⅔ cup crushed saltine crackers or 1⅓ cups fresh breadcrumbs
⅓ cup minced fresh parsley ⅓ cup minced fresh parsley

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar and set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, milk, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and Tabasco together.
Mix the meatloaf mix, crackers, parsley, sautéed onion mixture, and egg mixture until evenly blended and the mixture doesn't stick to the bowl (if the mixture sticks, add additional milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it no longer sticks).
Turn the meat mixture onto a foil-lined baking sheet and shape into a 9 by 5-inch loaf.
Brush with half of the ketchup mixture. Bake the loaf for 45 minutes.
Brush the loaf with the remaining ketchup mixture and continue to bake until the center of the loaf measures 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Test Kitchen Tip: IMPROVING MEATLOAF  Test Kitchen Tip: IMPROVING MEATLOAF
While meatloaf is by no means difficult to make, we found a couple of small steps that can be taken to make it even better. First, use a mix of meats. A mixture of beef, pork, and, veal (labeled meatloaf mix at the market) gave the loaf a round, meaty flavor. Second, select the right binders. Cracker crumbs and breadcrumbs added nice texture and did not mask the flavor of the meat. Lastly, bake the loaf free-form. This result is a loaf with a crusty, glazed exterior that is much different from the soggy masses that emerge from standard loaf pans.  While meatloaf is by no means difficult to make, we found a couple of small steps that can be taken to make it even better. First, use a mix of meats. A mixture of beef, pork, and, veal (labeled meatloaf mix at the market) gave the loaf a round, meaty flavor. Second, select the right binders. Cracker crumbs and breadcrumbs added nice texture and did not mask the flavor of the meat. Lastly, bake the loaf free-form. This result is a loaf with a crusty, glazed exterior that is much different from the soggy masses that emerge from standard loaf pans.