Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 2.5 pounds hamburger meat (I used the 85/15 meat-to-fat ratio grind)
• 1 pound thin sliced bacon
• 1.5 cups diced onions
• 1.5 cups diced mushrooms
• 1.5 cups cheddar cheese cubes
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup BBQ sauce (I used Kraft's Hickory BBQ sauce)
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons favorite rub (optional)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme (or a tablespoon of dried)
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• Pepper to taste
• Aluminum foil
• A small loaf pan
• Instant read thermometer

Instructions

1. Sauté diced onions and mushrooms in vegetable oil with thyme for 3

   to 4 minutes, letting the onions get soft and translucent. If using

   fresh thyme, just throw the sprigs in whole and pull the stems out

   when the sauté is finished.

2. Let the onions and mushrooms cool down for 30 minutes in the

   refrigerator.

3. In large mixing bowl, add hamburger meat, bread crumbs, egg, BBQ

   sauce, salt, pepper and the cooled onions and mushrooms. # # Mix

   ingredients by hand till everything is mixed up, but try not to over

   work it.

4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until ready

   to shape meatloaf.

5. Lay out a square sheet of aluminum foil that is longer than the

   length of a strip of bacon. Now it is time to make the bacon weave.

Bacon Weaving

1. Place 7 or 8 slices of bacon side-by-side, until you have a square

   of bacon on top of the foil.

2. Fold alternating slices of bacon in half length wise, then lay a

   slice of bacon across the alternating slices of bacon next to the

   fold.

3. Unfold the alternating slices, you should now have one piece of

   bacon threaded across your bacon square.

4. Now fold up the slices you have not folded yet over the first

   threaded slice of bacon and lay another slice of bacon across the

   alternating slices.

5. Unfold the slices again and now you should have 2 slices threaded.

   Repeat 1 or 2 more times to finish the half square, then repeat on

   the other side.

Instructions continued

1. Now set the loaf pan next to the bacon weave. Pick up the foil with

   the bacon weave on it and center it over the loaf pan foil side

   down. Work the foil into the pan with the bacon weave on top.

2. Take the meat and cheese cubes out of the refrigerator. Grab a

   handful of the meat and spread it into the bottom of the loaf pan on

   top of the bacon. Once you have a layer of meat about an inch thick,

   distribute some cubes of cheese on top of the meat. Add more meat on

   top of and around the cheese cubes till you have another layer. Add

   some more cheese cubes, then fill the rest of the pan with meat.

3. Take the ends of the bacon and wrap it around the top of the meat in

   the pan. If it does not make it all the way around, take a couple of

   the leftover slices of bacon and finish covering the top with bacon.

4. Cover pan with foil and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to make

   sure the loaf is firm.

5. Preheat oven to 300°F

6. Use a pan with drip tray.

7. Set the rack on top of the uncovered loaf pan, the flip the whole

   thing over. Remove loaf pan and foil. You should have a nice looking

   meatloaf wrapped in a weave of bacon.

8. Sprinkle rub on bacon.

9. Cook at 300°F for 1 hour, then raise the heat to 350°F and check

   internal temperate of meatloaf every 10 minutes. Pull meatloaf when

   the internal temperate reaches 160°F (approximately 1 1/2 hours

   total cook time).

10. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting, then enjoy!