Skip Ketchup: Glaze Your Meatloaf With This Intensely Flavorful Japanese Condiment Instead

There are abundant ways to flavor meatloaf from the inside out. Celebrity chef Ina Garten sautees onions with a handful of flavorful extras before adding them to the ground beef mix; some folks swear that stale bread is the secret to meatloaf success; and some meatloaves are stuffed with cheesy blends. But everyday ketchup somehow reigns supreme as the classic meatloaf coating. A terrifically tasty adaptation regardless of what you added to the beef underneath is a layer of tonkatsu sauce.

Tonkatsu sauce is the Japanese condiment you might have happily dipped chicken or pork katsu in. Depending on the variety, it might taste like a lightly smoky, otherwise mild, barbecue sauce. Tonkatsu sauce goes terrifically with meatloaf because, frankly, it contains a not-insignificant portion of the ketchup that's already enjoyed such a long, happy relationship with the comfort food. However, tonkatsu sauce's notably tangy, more umami notes make it a distinct departure. You can even make it yourself with ingredients you might already have in the pantry or refrigerator.

The great thing about tonkatsu sauce is you can more or less eyeball it. It's also somewhat adaptable, so you might see one recipe that calls for a little extra sugar and another that omits any additional sweet stuff. However, nearly equal parts ketchup and Worcestershire sauce (heavier on the ketchup), plus a splash of soy sauce, are compulsory.

A bit of granulated white or brown sugar often builds on the mandatory tonkatsu sauce base. Mirin and oyster sauce pop up fairly frequently as well, and that can be in addition to fresh or powdered garlic and/or ginger. A squeeze of lemon may also be added to brighten the whole batch up. You might see how tonkatsu sauce performs with a tap of MSG, although ketchup and Worcestershire sauce already contain natural traces of the flavor enhancer. Once it's to your liking, coat your meatloaf with the mix before baking for a slice of something just a little different.