Photo Credit Su-Lini
In order to maximize the bacon flavor, I added ground bacon into the ground meat mix of the meatloaf. Next, a thin layer of my bacon jam recipe on the meat mixture before adding the bacon. Doctoring up some barbecue sauce to the meat mixture and really amps up the smoky flavor. You can use aluminum foil or a loaf pan for baking. However my favorite is using the loaf pan to shingle the bacon. Turn the loaf out onto thick heavy-duty aluminum foil and set it on a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. This allowed the fat from the bacon to render and drain away from the meatloaf, this ensured crispy bacon.
Meatloaf Notes:
You can use your favorite barbecue sauce, my BBQ Sauce. Do not use thick-cut bacon for this recipe for a couple of reasons. Thick bacon will require longer a longer cook time and you will run the risk of a dryer meatloaf. The other is thick-cut bacon has fewer bacon strips, this recipe is about getting as much bacon as possible.
Recipe:
- 1/4 cup Bacon Jam
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
- 4 slices coarse chopped bacon, plus 8-10 whole slices
- 1 spanish onion, chopped coarse
- 3 garlic cloves, minced fine
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
- 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds of 90% lean ground beef
- Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F and adjust your oven rack to the upper-middle position. To improve cleanup line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a wire rack in the sheet. In a bowl whisk the barbecue sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire and mustard until well mixed; set aside.
- In a large bowl place the panko breadcrumbs. In the food processor pulse chop the bacon and onion and grind coarsely, this should only take about 10 pulses. Transfer this bacon mixture to a skillet and cook over a medium heat until the onions soften and become translucent, this should take about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and allow to cook until it becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds. Set off the heat.
- Add the milk, eggs and yolk, parsley, salt, pepper, and 2 barbeque glaze to the panko bread crumbs. Mash this with a fork until a chunky paste starts to form. Combine this with the bacon mixture. Add the beef and knead this with your hands until it has combined.
- Spray at 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with a non-stick vegetable food spray. Line the pan with plastic wrap, and allow any extra plastic to hang over the edges of the pan. Using your fingers, push the plastic into the corners and up the sides of the pan. Start to line the pan crosswise with the 8-10 remaining bacon slices, overlapping them just slightly and allowing the excess to hang over the edges of the pan (ideally you will have 1/2 inch of overhang). Brush the bacon with 3 tablespoons of the barbeque glaze. Then using an off set spatula place 1/2 of the bacon jam mixture in an even layer on the glazed bacon. Transfer the meatloaf mixture to the bacon-lined pan and press the mixture firmly into the pan. Place the remaining bacon jam on the top of the meat mixture and then fold the bacon slices over the mixture.
- Using a pairing knife, poke about 10-15 holes into a piece of foil that measures 14x3-inches. Center this foil piece on top of the meatloaf. Carefully flip the meatloaf onto the wire rack so the foil is on the bottom and the bacon is on the top. Grip the plastic gently, and lif and remove the pan from the meatloaf and discard the plastic. Using your hands, gently press the meatloaf into a 9x5-inch rectangle.
- Bake until the bacon is browned and the meatloaf registers on an a thermometer 150 degree F. This will take about an hour. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and preheat the broiler. Brush the top and the sides of the meatloaf with the remaining barbecue glaze. Broil the meatloaf until he glaze starts to get a slight char and the meatloaf now registers 160 degrees F. This should only take about 5 more minutes. Transfer the meatloaf to a carving board by using the foil as a sling and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes. Slice and serve.
