Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

Pictures above: {L} The finished product {R} Meatloaf wrapped, ready to be baked

If you would enjoy seeing me perma-smile from dawn until dusk, feed me not just a meatloaf smothered in sweet tomatoey sauce, but a meatloaf shrouded in sweet tomatoey sauce with gracious rows of salty and crispy pig's fat wrapped around it. Enough to make your heart nearly stop.

The actual meatloaf filling portion of the dish is a pretty basic meatloaf recipe with some fancy pants additions to it- the mixture of meats for instance and hot sauce as another. But it remains ever elementary with the mandatory meatloaf mix-ins, such as onion, a splash of milk, seasonings, egg, and breadcrumbs of some fashion. It's just that the bacon, oh that greasy yet bursting-with-flavor-bacon...well, it's like traveling New York City by your lonesome self to traveling New York City with someone you really adore and deeply love. The bacon makes the experience far more memorable and enjoyable.

And let me tell you something else: the glaze below, which I've used something very similar in the past, absolutely rocks with meatballs on rice. We find ourselves often licking the tips of our adult fingers from the sweet 'zesty-ness' that comes from simmering sugar, chili sauce, and vinegar together. Think ketchup on cloud nine: thicker, sweetened, and warm.

Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Bacon

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Glaze

1/2 cup chili sauce (or substitute ketchup, but I liked chili sauce)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

4 teaspoons cider vinegar (or white vinegar in a pinch)

Meat Loaf

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped medium

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt (or whole milk)

1 pound ground beef chuck

1 pound ground pork

2/3 cup Saltine crackers , crushed (about 18), or quick oatmeal, or 1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

6 – 8 ounces bacon, thin sliced (8 to 12 slices, depending on loaf shape)

For the glaze: Mix all ingredients in small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened and set aside (Kate note: I would double this and reserve a large bowl for serving purposes).

For the meat loaf: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining ingredients.

Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, and milk or yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in large bowl along with crackers, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic; mix with fork until evenly blended and meat mixture does not stick to bowl. (If mixture sticks, add additional milk or yogurt, a couple tablespoons at a time until mix no longer sticks.)

Turn meat mixture onto work surface. With wet hands, pat mixture into approximately 9-by-5-inch loaf shape. Place on foil-lined (for easy cleanup) shallow baking pan. Brush with half the glaze, then arrange bacon slices, crosswise, over loaf, overlapping slightly and tucking only bacon tip ends under loaf.

Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees, about 1 hour. Cool 10-15 minutes. While meal loaf is cooling, re-heat remaining sauce and brush some over meat loaf if desired. Slice meat loaf and serve with extra glaze passed separately.

Pictures below: {L} Naked meatloaf {Right} Meatloaf with glaze