This recipe is an adaptation of the best-selling entre at a Brooklyn diner, as reported in the Wall St. Journal.  The diner must advertise this as “gluten free” since the original recipe called for tamari vs. soy sauce, and specified that the oats used should be gluten-free.  (Do any oats have gluten?)  I don’t care about gluten, so I used conventional soy sauce.  The meatloaf was very tasty, but not always uniform, so I think it needs to be mixed better next time.  I suggest mixing the pork and beef first to make them uniform, and to mix together all the other meatloaf ingredients, and then to mix the meat and flavorings together.  Carol thought I should decrease slightly the amount of oatmeal.

I have copied below the beef/pork ratio in the original recipe (1.25/0.75) although I actually made the meatloaf using 1 lb. each of beef and pork since that was easier for me to buy at the supermarket.

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

½ medium onion, thinly sliced

½ lb. cremini mushrooms, stems removed and sliced (or standard white or brown mushrooms)

¼ cup buttermilk

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

½ cup rolled oats

2 eggs

1-1/4 lb. ground beef

¾ lb. ground pork

10 Tbs. ketchup, divided

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the Hoisin BBQ sauce

½ cup hoisin sauce

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup rice vinegar

3 Tbs. chile oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with kitchen parchment so that the parchment extends above the side to facilitate removing the meatloaf from the pan.

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat.  Saute the onions until translucent.  Then add the mushrooms and saute them until they have given up all their liquid and are golden.   Remove the onions and mushrooms from the pan and cool.  Process the onions and mushrooms in a food processor until they have the texture of a rough paste.

In a small bowl beat the eggs.  In a larger bowl, add the buttermilk, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and rolled oats, and stir well.  Add the onion-mushroom mixture, ¼ cup of the ketchup, and the salt and black pepper.  Mix well.

Put the meat in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until the beef and pork are uniformly distributed.  Add the flavorings to the large bowl with the meat and mix by hand until everything is evenly distributed.  Put the meat mixture in the loaf pan, pressing down to ensure that there are no air pockets.  Spread 3 Tbs. of ketchup on the top of the meatloaf.  Bake until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, about an hour.

While the meatloaf is baking, combine the Hoisin BBQ sauce ingredients into a small saucepan.   Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes.

When the meatloaf is cooked, remove it from the oven.  Turn the oven up to 500 degrees.  Remove the meatloaf with the parchment from the loaf pan and pour off any accumulated fat.  Put the meatloaf and parchment on a small sheet pan.  Spread the meatloaf with the remaining 3 Tbs. of ketchup.  Cook in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the ketchup has darkened and created a crust.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with the BBQ sauce and mashed potatoes.