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In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.

Going through my old family cookbook, I came across my Aunt Renie's recipe for blue cheese meatloaf. Like many of Renie's recipes, this one has a long pedigree and an old school gourmet touch. However, the original had a heavy touch of sage, which made the loaf fairly bland.

Experimenting with various sauces in my kitchen, I found that the meatloaf tasted amazing when served with a hearty dollop of barbecue sauce. My modified version, featured below, integrates the barbecue sauce into the meatloaf, along with a huge amount of blue cheese. This, combined with a shorter cooking time, yields a finished product that narrows the distance between meatloaf and paté. With that in mind, you might consider serving this dish with sliced pickles, mustard or other paté accompaniments!

Get the recipe for barbecue blue cheese meatloaf after the jump!

Barbecue Blue Cheese Meatloaf

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 small/medium onions, chopped
2 pounds ground sirloin
2 cups rolled oats
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 pound blue cheese, cut into 1/2-inch dice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, red pepper, Dijon mustard and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and reduce by half. Add brown sugar, stir until dissolved, and continue to cook down until it reaches a thick, syrupy texture. Watch carefully, as it can easily burn. When reduced, set aside to cool.

In a frying pan or skillet, sauté onions in olive oil until tan-colored and translucent. Allow to cool.

Combine sirloin, oats, eggs, milk, onions and barbecue sauce in a large bowl. Knead together until all ingredients are fully integrated. Add blue cheese and knead lightly until cheese is evenly distributed through the meat. Press into a 9-inch-by-5-inch-by-3-inch loaf pan, being careful to avoid air bubbles. Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow to cool and serve immediately. This meatloaf is also tasty when thinly sliced and served cold.

Note: When you're cooking this, the blue cheese might melt and drizzle out of the loaf pan. If you want to avoid a slight oven mess, place a sheet of aluminum foil under the pan.