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Bacon Meat Loaf

Source of Recipe

From "Pig: King of the Southern Table" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"Simply and frankly stated, this Southern meat loaf is probably the most delicious you'll ever put in your mouth and the most convincing testimony to the power of bacon to transform an ordinary dish into a culinary masterpiece. Be warned, however, that since the loaf is wrapped entirely in bacon, there will be no crusty surfaces, which some people expect. An obvious solution is to remove the bacon slices during the final 15 minutes of baking, then arrange a slice on top of each portion of meat loaf, but my guess is that once you've tasted the wrapped loaf, you'll forget all about a crust. Remember that if you overmix this (or any other) meat loaf, the texture can be tough."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 slices white loaf bread
â—¦ ½ cup milk
â—¦ 1 pound ground pork (preferably shoulder)
â—¦ 1 pound ground beef chuck
â—¦ 1 medium onion, finely chopped
â—¦ 1 celery rib, finely chopped
â—¦ 1 clove garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
â—¦ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ ¼ cup ketchup
â—¦ 1 large egg, beaten
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
â—¦ 8 to 10 slices bacon


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

In a small bowl, tear the bread into bits, add the milk, stir well, and let soak for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, onion, celery, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire, ketchup, egg, and salt and pepper, add the soaked bread, and mix thoroughly but gently with your hands till well blended and smooth (do not overmix). Place the mixture on a heavy baking pan with raised edges and form into a loaf about 9 inches long and 4 inches wide. Wrap the bacon slices crosswise snugly around the loaf, slightly overlapping, and tuck the ends under the loaf. Bake in the upper third of the oven till the bacon is almost crisp, about 1 hour, and then, using two metal spatulas, transfer the loaf to a platter and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving in thick slices.

Makes 6 servings