Bacon. Wrapped. Meatloaf.
I’m not sure if there is any other dish that so exemplifies both over-the-top indulgence and down-home goodness. A modern-day terrine? Perhaps, especially when you try the recipe that was featured in the most recent issue of Cook’s Country Magazine.
Yes- in the days of Pinterest, cooking blogs galore such as this one, and hundreds of Ina Garten’s recipes available at the tips of our fingers via the almighty internet, I also subscribe to Cook’s Country Magazine and you should, too! The recipes are painstakingly tested, and I find that I’m really able to indulge the part of me that is genuinely interested in continuously learning how to be a better cook.
I’m not going to print the whole recipe (again, you should subscribe to the magazine!), but I will list the ingredients and take you through the process that I followed…
I ground a bunch of saltines in a food processor and set aside.
Then I ground four slices of chopped bacon and one large onion in the food processor. I took that mixture and sauteed it on medium heat for about five minutes, adding 5 cloves of minced garlic for about 30 seconds at the end. Look, I used the 9’ EZ-Grip Silicone Tongs that Brandon and I designed for Cooler Kitchen! Super proud!
Next, I took a loaf pan (I love my nifty silicone loaf pan by the way), sprayed it with oil, and covered it with saran wrap. I layered bacon slices to cover the bottom of the pan and brushed the slices with a glaze made of bottled barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and mustard…
Then, I combined this gorgeous meat mixture that included ground beef, chives, 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk, milk, salt and pepper, and the aforementioned saltines crumbs. I mushed and padded the meat mixture into the bacon mold, and put a perforated tin foil rectangle on top of it as a catchall.
I then flipped it over onto a wire rack atop a baking sheet, and carefully lifted the loaf pan and plastic off of the loaf. Gorgeous! I then refrigerated this for an hour and went to get a gel manicure…
After I returned home from my manicure, I popped this baby in the oven at 375 degrees for 1 hour, then I generously brushed the loaf with some more of the glaze and stuck it under the broiler for 6 minutes. Afterwards, I let it rest for 15 minutes while I boiled the rest of the glaze to kill off any traces of bacteria, and added some ketchup to the glaze for a little extra sweetness.
I cut the meatloaf in the traditional fashion, and served it with the extra glaze and a side chopped kale salad.
Needless to say, I had a very, very happy husband, a fresh manicure, and a belly full of bacon wrapped meatloaf. It was a great evening.
Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
Adapted from a recipe in the Cook’s Country Feb/March 2015 Issue
Ingredients
1/4 cup bottled barbecue sauce, plus extra for serving
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
17 squares or 19 round saltines, crushed (2/3 cup)
4 slices coarsely chopped bacon, plus 8 whole slices
1 onion, chopped, coarse
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup whole milk
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
1.3 cup minced fresh chives
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds 90 percent lean ground beef
2 tbs ketchup
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grind saltines in a food processor and set aside. Mince 4 slices of bacon with one large onion in a food processor, and then saute this in a large skillet on medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic to the pan for about 30 seconds, then remove from heat and set aside. Spray a loaf pan with some oil and cover it on the inside with saran wrap. Layer the rest of the bacon slices to cover the bottom of the loaf pan and brush the slices with a glaze of bottled barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and mustard (make the glaze separately before brushing). Combine the milk, eggs and yolk, chives, salt and pepper, and aforementioned saltines crumbs in a large bowl, then add the bacon and onion mixture to make a paste. Mix the ground beef into the paste with your hands until well combined. Next, mush and pad down the beef mixture into the bacon mold in the loaf pan, folding the bacon ends over the beef, and place a perforated tin foil rectangle on top of it as a catchall. Flip the mold over onto a wire rack atop a baking sheet, and carefully lift the loaf pan and plastic off of the loaf. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, then brush the loaf generously with more of the glaze and stick it under the broiler for 6 minutes. A meat thermometer should read 160 degrees. Afterwards, let it rest for 15 minutes and boil the rest of the glaze in a small sauce pan. Mix in the ketchup to the glaze. Slice the meatloaf into rectangular slabs, and top with the rest of the glaze. Serve the meatloaf immediately, or refrigerate for a few days. Meatloaf makes the best leftovers, duh.
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