Mom’s Meatloaf is my favourite home meal so thought I would compare hers to this!
My mom, Helen, is an incredible cook and baker. My regular readers know this. I am consistently working to record her making our family favourites to preserve them and the cultural heritage of our community in the Central Alberta area where we both grew up. Her meatloaf is my very favourite home cooked meal at my mother’s hand. It is a scrumptious family celebration. We all love it. Oddly, I have not yet posted it. That has to change. And, even odder, I decided to serve her famous meatloaf with this Classic on an evening when neither was big enough for the guests I could see would be joining us for our evening meal.
It would have never crossed my mind to compare her meatloaf along side another at a Tasting. For a competition, maybe; but a Tasting, no. I just knew there was none that could even come close to hers. So, why did I make this one?
Two things: curiosity (love experimenting) and really wanted to find a meatloaf that was made with as many lovely local products as I could lay my hands on. The third might be that anything wrapped in bacon would be a showstopper at any Potluck buffet!
Budapest Deli makes the best bacon in the city: double smoked and meaty. I picked up the veal, pork and beef all at The Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market from a couple of my other favourite producers: one pound of each. The eggs are from Sunworks Farm at the same market. Look at that bowl of fresh fragrant goodness!
The flat-leafed parsley was from Morinville Greenhouses (same market) and the onion and garlic from a vendor there, too. The salt, ketchup, mustard and breadcrumbs were not from the market.
Irvings Farm Fresh has the best pork as I love the Berkshire boar, and Four Whistle Farms provided the other meats. I could and should make my own ketchup. I have always wanted to. I used salted soda crackers for the bread crumbs as I have always preferred those to bread in meatloaf or meatballs, but I have to work at what else I could use, too. This is a healthy main. No doubt about it.
I free formed it into a loaf on parchment on a cookie sheet then wrapped a pound of bacon slices around it and tucked them under it.
It didn’t look so crispy when it first came out of the oven, so I tucked it under the grill and watched it carefully for about five minutes to get this golden crust.
The result: this meatloaf stood strong beside my mom’s. I should have taken a better photo of hers, but will do that when I write the post about it. We were all so surprised at how lovely the texture and flavour of this meatloaf was. Mom’s was actually a little “watery” in the centre when compared beside it. I was stunned. I do love her “crust”, but I had to admit that double smoked bacon held its own to hers. All in all, a very simple, easy homemade meal bursting with flavour and a whole lotta love!
(I know, I know…. where are the vegetables? There were more, and though this salad looks like a subtle bit of crunch, it was a zingy delight. Sometime I will have to do a post on easy supper salads!)
Classic Meatloaf Wrapped in Double Smoked Bacon
A mighty tasty slice of the Canadian prairies on a plate. Simple, delicious and perfect for a weekday meal or for unexpected company.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ cup finely chopped onion (about ½ large onion)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (2-3 cloves or 15 grams)
- 500 g or 1 lb know-your-farmer ground beef , 85-percent lean
- 500 g or 1 lb know-your-farmer ground veal
- 500 g or 1 lb know-your-farmer ground pork
- ¾ cup ketchup (homemade is best)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 know-your-farmer free range organic eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 pound raw bacon for one loaf , 2 pounds for two loaves
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F
- Heat oil over medium heat; add onions and sauté until soft (about 4 min)
- Add garlic; sauté another minute to soften; set aside to cool
- Place all remaining ingredients in large bowl, except bacon; add cooled onion-garlic mixture
- Mix until ingredients are just combined; don't overwork (no squishing between fingers; gently combine)
- Line rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper
- Carefully set meat mixture down center of pan; shape into large loaf, or divide mixture into two, or four equal portions (about 12 oz. or 6 oz. each) and shape each portion into individual meatloaves
- Wrap strips of bacon around each loaf, overlapping slightly, tucking ends under each loaf
- Bake meatloaf 75-80 minutes for large loaf, 50 to 60 minutes for medium loaves, or 25 to 35 minutes for smaller loaves
- Before slicing, let rest for 10 to 15 minutes to allow redistribute of juices
- To serve, slice and spoon pan juices over each slice
Notes
For extra color, sauté 1 cup diced red, green, and yellow bell peppers (1/3 cup of each) along with onions and garlic; and fold into mixture as per above recipe
Add ¼ cup shredded basil and ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, or a tablespoon of a favourite fresh herb, such as thyme or rosemary
LeQuan happened to drop by with the kiddies just as this was coming out of the oven. I love it when that happens! And, look…. someone else did, too!
That looks absolutely fantastic, Valerie! I love meatloaf too, and a crispy bacon crust would take it over the top. 🙂
Val. this is just the most exquisetly delicious, mouth-watering, gorgeous meat loaf I’ve seen in a long time. That photo of all the ingredients in the bowl is killing me. Why? Because, when I was a kid, my Mother used to let me mix the meat loaf (or make the meatballs) and I would pull of bits to eat – Tartare! OK, *jotting it down*, need to pick up some bacon, pronto!
That does look wonderful Valerie. I haven’t made meat loaf for such a long time but seeing the temperatures have plummeted its comfort food cooking time, I do believe I’m putting this ‘on the list’, having that double smoked bacon toasted under the grill would just complete the flavour & textures of it so much. Can’t wait to make this, thanks for sharing 🙂
Gosh, its been so long since I’ve eaten meat loaf, and I love the stuff. For some reason, nobody makes it here in the UK, its a bit unheard of here. My mom’s recipe (and believe it or not, its really yummy) only h as 2 ingredients, beef, and Lipton onion soup (the dried mix). I have to say though, yours is a stunner.
*kisses* HH
I think that the mixture of meats is what give this loaf it’s flavour Valerie. Mearloaf is right up there with the rest of my comfrot foods like mac and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and shepherds pie.
Hi Valerie! I’m finally back from vacation and happy to be back to blog reading! Your meatloaf sure is gorgeous, it looks tasty and super moist!
All meatloaf should be wrapped in bacon.
This is mouth-watering! I know we all have a special place in our hearts for our mothers’ recipes, but it’s always good to experiment and try other versions.
All I can say is —bowl art!
That looks absolutely wonderul Val and the way you’ve tucked the bacon around all that goodness, so artfully, is wonderful too 🙂 Lucky Le Quan!! Jealous 🙂
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Super yummy meatloaf with the best wrap for it! I love that you made it look actually -elegant-!!!!
This looks so yummy! Now I’m craving mom’s meatloaf. Do you think this could be made minus the breadcrumbs? What would I put in place of?oxox
Judy,
Breadcrumbs were mainly added “back in the day” to use the stale bread and to make the meat go farther. The bread was nutritious and actually changed the flavour and texture of the meat slightly. But, you could just leave it out. Or, you could add cooked rice, instead, or another starchy substitute.
🙂
Valerie
That’s some sexy looking meatloaf. And I’ll take the challenge on best bacon in the city. 😉
This looks great.I have never made one at home.But we go to a near by italian buffet where this is a staple.Not a thing I grew up with, but I like the idea a lot.I love how neatly u have wrapped it in bacon.Have a nice weekend.
I’m going to have to make this. Comfort food at its best.
Love the pic of L trying your delicious meatloaf! Glad LeeQs could stop by! Your meatloaf must have been exquisite with the local meats and bacon – and a bacon-wrapped meatloaf has never occurred to me before. I imagine your version and your mom’s must have tasted pretty different? I know you would have no problem making your own ketchup – Peter and I have done so once or twice, and it’s nice to be able to control the ingredients so that the ketchup is not too sweet.
I would love to read your post on easy supper salad! I’m always looking for new ideas 🙂
Have a great Easter weekend, Valerie!
I love anything wrapped in bacon, and this looks fabulous!
I love, love, love meatloaf. Imagine a cook-off with your mum – you did dare…..and it looks great.
Yes Valerie is is EVERY bit as GOOD as mine IF not better. I loved it. I did want to say every one of mine is a little different because I kinda just throw things together without to much measuring – I’m bad that way. XXXOOO
Fantastic blog. Happy Easter.
I love love love meatloaf but have never wrapped it in bacon. I now know what I need to do 🙂
The meatloaf look so gorgeous wrapped up in bacon and it sounds awesome prepared with quality ingredients from your farmers’ market! An excellent meal!
What a great idea!! It makes for a wonderful presentation, and sure does add a whole lot of flavor! I’ll have to try this sometime!! 🙂
Hi Valerie!
Sorry I’m so late at commenting! We were on vacation for about 10 days and when we got back I’ve been trying to shake myself out of this blogging slump. I haven’t forgotten about the wonderful taste of this meatloaf. You know I’m not a big meat eater, but one bite of this meatloaf had me looking at meatloaves with a whole new found respect. It was absolutely the best tasting meatloaf I had ever had. Next time I’ll have to remember to drop off stuff at about the same time of day (lunch time). Haha. I actually was never a big fan of meatloaf, but you’ve really changed that. Your meatloaf was absolutely amazing. The bacon wrapped around it was the perfect finishing touch. I remember you saying that it would’ve went well with some kind of sauce (although I don’t remember exactly what), but I thought it was fine on it’s own and held it’s own superbly. If this tasted that amazing, I’m really curious as to how your Mom’s would taste. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe with us as well. I hope things are going well with you and that you’re not too stressed out with Slow Food Edmonton. Glad to be hopping back onto the blogging train again. Take it easy, my dear!
Big hugs!
LeQuan,
Remember that my first taste of it was “…ehhh? It’s good in a very quiet way.” But, somehow, the evening meal brought out a fresh respect for the subtle comforting flavours of his meatloaf. I am now, definitely, a fan of it!
🙂
Valerie
This post reminded me that I haven’t made meatloaf for years. It used to be such a family staple when my children were small, and your photos look so delicious I will have to make an effort to make some. Thanks for the recipe.
I defrosted my freezer and found some pork and beef and remembered this recipe you posted so dinner tonight is going to be delish thanks to you. I’m sure you are busy prepping for Lauren’s wedding. I bought some figs the other day – want to make a chutney. Any recipes you love on that note?
Never made a fig chutney, Bonnie! You can be my mentor, there!
Let me know how the meatloaf goes. We loved it.
And no prepping for Lauren’s wedding. She is keeping is so simple I haven’t a clue what is going on. After Ragan’s wedding in July, we will just be forking over an amount of money and will help in any way needed, but making no financial decisions whatsoever. We kind of had the father-in-law godzilla in that wedding. (He doesn’t read blogs.)
I am so thrilled she will have Mercedes to go wedding dress shopping with her. I wish I could be there for her that way. (tear)
🙂
Valerie