Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf is moist and juicy on the inside, and crunchy on the outside. Easy to make, full of cheese and flavor, it is also budget-friendly.
This Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf will quickly become your family’s favorite meal. It is moist, flavorful, affordable, and can feed a larger crowd. While the bacon definitely gives this meatloaf recipe an extra bit of smokey flavor, it also adds to the tenderness of this meatloaf. Baked to crispy perfection on the outside, and is super tender and juicy on the inside.
The garlic adds so much flavor, and the cheddar cheese makes it perfectly moist. This delicious homemade recipe can be an easy dinner, as it requires few ingredients. Similarly, the leftovers are delicious, and can easily be reheated.
For this Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf, I used ground beef meat. However, any type of meat would work here. Ground pork would work just as well, or you could even mix the two. In addition, if you want a healthier meatloaf, then use ground chicken or ground turkey.
Why does my meatloaf always fall apart?
There are some factors that might cause a meatloaf to fall apart and crumble. One factor to make sure is that meatloaf is not very dry, or that it has too much liquid in it. So it’s important to have a nice balance when cooking the meatloaf. Using eggs and bread crumbs are key ingredients in keeping a meatloaf together. Also, we use cheese in our recipe, which keeps the meatloaf nice and puffy.
How do I know when my meatloaf is done?
To make sure you have a perfectly cooked meatloaf, we recommend using an instant-read thermometer. The internal temperature of a meatloaf should be 160 degrees F. If the temperature is lower than 160 degrees F, put the meatloaf back into the oven and back for a few extra minutes.
Use room temperature bacon. This is an important one because when you try to roll cold bacon, it just doesn’t mold that well as the fat is all cold.
Also, make sure you use longer and thinner bacon slices, that can be wrapped around easily.
Both the lean and regular ground beef would work well. Just know that using the leaner option will result in a slightly denser meatloaf as it has less fat content.
Additionally, you can form the meatloaf up to 8 hours ahead and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Similarly, if you want to use a store-bought BBQ sauce to speed up the process, that will work as well.
Can you Freeze leftover meatloaf?
Cooked leftover meatloaf properly stored will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. To freeze a cooked meatloaf, wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil, or place in airtight container or freezer wrap. It can be frozen for up to 3-4 months.
Tools I used to make this Recipe:
Non-Stick Pan Set – I have this set and I love it, I used the smaller pan for this recipe.
Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set it aside.
Make Meatloaf:
Combine ground beef, milk, egg, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, dried parsley, thyme, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well with your hands.
Add the cheddar cheese and again mix well.
Shape the beef mix into a loaf shape and set it aside.
Make a Bacon Weave:
Lay half of the bacon strips, one next to each other, vertically across the prepared rimmed baking sheet.
Lift up and fold back the ends of every other bacon strip on one side of the baking sheet. Place a bacon slice perpendicular to the horizontal rows of bacon, on top of the bacon strips that where not fold back. Straighten out the folded bacon strips to cover the strip that has just been placed.
Lift up and fold back the ends of the horizontal bacon strips that are under the vertical bacon strip to the side of the baking sheet. Place a bacon slice right next to the first vertical bacon strip, directly on top of the bacon strips that you did not fold back. Repeat the process of alternating the vertical and horizontal bacon strips until you reach the other end of the horizontal bacon strips.
Wrap in Bacon:
Check and make sure that the loaf shaped meat is the same length as the bacon weave. If needed reshape it.
Place the loaf shaped meat in the center of the weave. Wrap in bacon, and flip on the other side, meaning that the bacon ends should be tucked under the meat.
Meatloaf Glaze:
Combine all the Glaze ingredients in a bowl until smooth and set aside.
Bake:
Transfer meatloaf to the oven and bake for about 70-90 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the inside temperature is 160F degrees. Mid baking covers the meatloaf in the prepared glaze. Brush it all over the surface.
Once the meatloaf is done, let it cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
This bacon wrapped meatloaf sure does look appealing. I wouldn't have known that it's better to work with room temperature bacon. Thanks for the tips and recipe
I've never been a fan of traditional meatloaf because it tends to be too dry for my taste. This, on the other hand, looks amazing and so moist! Bacon makes everything better and I have to try your recipe ASAP. Looks so delicious!
I have been on a quest all year to find and make the perfect meatloaf. We enjoy meatloaf here and I make it about once every two weeks. So it is a regular dish bit I never would have thought of bacon wrapped meatloaf. This is a great idea.
oh. my. goodness. I mean does it get any better than meatloaf and bacon? I am saying not. Thanks for this awesome looking recipe. Gotta make this one for the hubby.
I have never had a bacon wrapped meatloaf but this sounds delicious and perfect to make this Thanksgiving for my small family. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Made this bacon wrapped meatloaf tonight for dinner. It was moist and flavorful. A hit with the family for sure. If I make this again I will use half as much onion and be sure to dice it as small as possible. Also it took almost an hour and a half to get this loaf up to temp, you you may want to note that to time the meal with sides.
Well, I made this for the family last night. I'm now in charge of meatloaf. One of the best ever. My wife is usually the meatloaf expert, and is very proud of her recipe, but the baton has been passed.
Oh bacon... the duct tape of food! This recipe for bacon wrapped meatloaf is a must try for me. I will have to get more bacon tomorrow so I can make this soon as possible. Looks so delicious!
I made this meatloaf for my husbands birthday last night and it was amaaaaaazzzzzzing!!!! I did have to cook it for an extra 30 minutes and then put it under the broiler to crisp the bacon, but it was worth the extra time!!
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