The Perfect Meat Loaf

I love meat loaf. Wait, I love this meatloaf. It comes from a cookbook called The Perfect Recipe by Pam Anderson(not the untalented bimbo) This is a Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf with Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze. Its juicy and flavorful and did I mention I love it? And in my opinion anything with bacon  is better than without it.






Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf w/ Brown Sugar Ketchup Glaze

Brown-Sugar Ketchup Glaze
1/4 cup ketchup or chili sauce
2 T. brown sugar (light or dark)
2 t. cider or white vinegar

Meat Loaf
2 t. vegetable oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs
1 t dried thyme leaves
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 t Dijon mustard
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 c buttermilk or plain yogurt
2 pounds meat loaf mix (ground chuck, ground veal, ground pork)
I can't find that mixture so I just use 1 1/2 pounds beef and 1/2 pound pork
2/3 cup crushed saltine crackers or quick oatmeal or 1 1/3 c fresh bread crumbs
1/3 c minced fresh parsley leaves
8-9 ounces thin-sliced bacon

Glaze: Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Meat Loaf: Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic, saute' until softened, about 5 minutes; set aside to cool.

Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire, pepper sauce and milk or yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in a large bowl, along with crackers, oatmeal or bread crumbs, parsley and cooked onion mixture; mix with a fork until evenly blended.

Shape the meat mixture into a loaf about 9x5 inches. Cover a wire rack with foil; prick the foil several times with a fork. Place on a shallow roasting pan (jelly roll pan works well) set formed meat loaf on rack. Brush with all of the glaze, then arrange bacon slices crosswise over loaf, overlapping them slightly and tucking them under the loaf to prevent them from curling.

Bake this little sweetheart until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees; about 1 hour. Cool for at least 20 minutes. Slice and serve.