Big Family Meatloaf - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cups crushed saltines (1 row plus 8 crackers)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence, original
1 1/2 teaspoons beef bouillon powder
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup tomato sauce (or use tomato paste cut in half with water)
1 large sweet onion (vidalia, Walla Walla, or Texas sweet)
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon canned garlic (from jar)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/3 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 1/3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325.
In a very large bowl put hamburger, crackers crumbled,salt, essence, boullion powder, and black pepper - set aside.
Cut onion into larger pieces and put it in the food processor with the garlic -- pulse until pieces are small. Dump onion mixture into the bowl with the meat.
Beat the three eggs (in the food processor if you don't want to dirty a bowl) and add them to the meat bowl.
Add the tomato sauce to the meat bowl and use your hands to mix all very well (I like to wear rubber gloves to save on clean-up time).
Divide meat mixture in half. Form into two loaves on the botton of your broiler pan or a roasting pan. Leave room between loaves for even baking.
In smaller bowl mix together with a fork; ketchup, brown sugar, water, mustard and cider vinegar. This is your topping -- Brush tops and sides of loaves with this before baking and again while baking.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes.
When I remove the pan from the oven I like to pour off the excess oil in the bottom of the pan. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Slice thick and pieces should hold together well.