I really wasn’t a fan of meat loaf until I tried this Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf! This recipe takes a classic comfort food and makes it even better with a smoky bacon wrap and a sweet, tangy glaze. The flavor is bold, the texture is tender, and every bite has that perfect balance of savory and sweet. It’s simple enough for a weeknight dinner, but special enough to serve guests. Pair it with your favorite sides, and you’ve got a hearty meal everyone will love.
Ingredients Needed
- Glaze
- chili sauce – you could also substitute ketchup, but I liked chili sauce
- brown sugar
- cider vinegar – you could also use white vinegar in a pinch
- Meat Loaf
- vegetable oil
- onion
- garlic
- eggs
- dried thyme
- salt
- black pepper
- Dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- hot sauce
- plain yogurt – you could also use whole milk. This is an important ingredient, as it adds a ton of moisture.
- ground beef chuck
- ground pork
- ground veal – the original recipe called for veal, but I opted to use more pork instead
- Saltine crackers, or quick oatmeal, or fresh bread crumbs. I used saltines and it works great!
- fresh parsley
- bacon – thin sliced
- You’ll also want a large baking sheet, not a loaf pan!
How to Make Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf
This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!
- Glaze: simmer glaze ingredients in a saucepan until slightly thickened; set aside.
- Prep meat mixture: sauté onion and garlic until softened, then mix with ground meat, eggs, seasonings, crackers, and parsley until combined.
- Shape loaf: form into a loaf on a foil-lined sheet pan, brush with glaze, and cover with overlapping strips of bacon. Note: Do not use a loaf pan! In other words, ignore my photos haha. I was trying to use a pretty pan for photos and then I realized I needed to actually switch it before baking. Do as I say, not as I do.
- Bake: cook until bacon is crisp and meat reaches 160°F, about 1 hour.
- Finish and serve: let rest briefly, reheat remaining glaze, brush over loaf if desired, and slice to serve with extra sauce.
Storage & Other Tips
- I always recommend reheating meatloaf in the oven if you can. Cover meatloaf with foil, then warm in a 325°F oven for 20 – 30 minutes. You can also reheat an individual piece in a skillet on the stovetop. I try to avoid the microwave, as it tends to dry it out. If you do choose a microwave, do it at a reduced power in short intervals.
- This is a great make-ahead meal. You can mix it, shape it, wrap it with bacon, and refrigerate overnight. When ready, just bake according to the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze it, and how?
Yes! It freezes beautifully, either wrapped in tin foil, or even unbaked.
How do I prevent the loaf from drying out or cracking?
The bacon really helps with this! You can also avoid over-mixing the meat.
Can I bake this in a regular loaf pan?
Short answer, no. Just don’t. Three reasons off the top of my head: first, the bacon won’t crisp properly. Second, baking it on a baking sheet rather than a loaf pan allows the juices to run off the meatloaf, so you avoid that unappetizing fat-layer floating on top. Third, baking it in a loaf pan tends to boil it rather than bake it, so the texture and flavor are nowhere near as good. I hope that’s enough evidence for you…just don’t do it!
Any tips for moisture? I hated dry meatloaf as a kid.
Didn’t we all. The main problems that cause this are over-mixing and over-baking, so as long as you don’t do either of those things, you’ll be all good.
Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf
A juicy meat loaf gets wrapped in smoky bacon and brushed with a tangy-sweet glaze. This is a melt-in-your-mouth dinner that's both comforting and impressive. Inspiration from America's Test Kitchen.
Servings servings
Equipment
Ingredients
Glaze (If you'd like extra sauce for serving, double this!)
- ½ cup chili sauce or substitute ketchup, but I liked chili sauce
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons cider vinegar or white vinegar in a pinch
Meat Loaf
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, medium chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 eggs, large
- ½ teaspoon thyme, dried
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ cup plain yogurt or whole milk
- 1 pound beef chuck, ground
- ½ pound pork, ground
- ½ pound veal, ground I used more pork instead of veal
- ⅔ cup Saltine crackers crushed (about 18), or quick oatmeal, or 1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup parsley, fresh minced
- 6 – 8 ounces bacon thin sliced (8 to 12 slices, depending on loaf shape)
Instructions
Glaze
- Mix all ingredients in small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened and set aside. Note: I like to double the sauce so I have extra for serving over the finished meatloaf, but that's optional. If you choose to double the sauce, remove half of it after simmering and place in a separate container to save for serving.
Meat Loaf
- Heat oven to 350℉. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment for easy clean-up Heat oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining ingredients.
- Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, and milk or yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in large bowl along with crackers, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic; mix with fork until evenly blended and meat mixture does not stick to bowl. (If mixture sticks, add additional milk or yogurt, a couple tablespoons at a time until mix no longer sticks.)
- Turn meat mixture onto work surface. With wet hands, pat mixture into approximately 9-by-5-inch loaf shape. Place on your prepared baking pan. Brush with half the glaze in your sauce pan, then arrange bacon slices, crosswise, over loaf, overlapping slightly and tucking only bacon tip ends under loaf.
- Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees, about 1 hour. When meatloaf comes out of the oven, brush with remaining glaze. Cool 10-15 minutes. Slice meat loaf and serve with extra glaze (if you doubled it).
Nutrition
Calories: 208kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 995mg, Potassium: 280mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 412IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 208kcal
Cost: $10
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Questions & Reviews
I Love Meatloaf. My mom has the most simple recipe, that uses the Saltines you were talking about. They really are great in Meatloaf! I am going to have to try this recipe too!
I made this tonight and it was great! My husband liked it and my 3 year old ate it! That’s a minor miracle. My variations: vanilla yogurt because that’s all I had, ketchup, all beef, and I had to add 10 minutes to the cook time because it was still raw in the center after an hour. I also used a whole pound of bacon, because more is more, right? It tasted really good and wasn’t anything like my regular meatloaf.
Have you done a post on tearless onion cutting? I read once to use lemon juice, but that didn’t work for me.
Hey, just saw your comment about tearless onion cutting. Try keeping your onions in the fridge. They have to be in there at least overnight for the best results, but if you do they shouldn’t make you cry. Works great for me!
Now that I think of it, that does make it better! I was wondering why the fresh-from-the-store-onion affected me so much more. Thanks. 🙂
This is a little weird, but if you stick a peice of bread in your mouth you won’t tear up. Just maybe don’t use this trick if you have guests watching you cook, or if you’re prone to drooling. 😉
Lisa- check out comment #28 for tips on freezing, it should work great!
I have a friend who’s about to deliver her third baby boy, and I’m trying to deliver a bunch of meals into her freezer before she does. I think their family would like this, but I’m wondering about its freezability. Any thoughts on whether or not it would work, and cooking times? Thanks!
lol…I totally watch food network while working out too! This looks amazing, can’t wait to try. Love the new look of the blog! Keep the good stuff coming!
Okay meat loaf sandwhiches are my favorite! So good. My recipe calls for oatmeal as the filler and plain old ketchup baked on top. Yum!!!!!!!
This was a perfect 10– i used 50/50 mix of sausage and ground beef. The yogurt adds a great texture and makes it not too dense..
Totally off subject but I’m trying to find the honey-citrus vinagrette. I follow the links but the page is unable to come up. Can you help me?!
This made me laugh. I love meatloaf but only my mom’s. I think mainly, after reading this, because she never cooked it in a loaf pan and put a glaze over the top. She also uses wheat germ in the meat mixture. I have no idea why but it is better with than without. Strange huh?? =o)
This looks so yummy. I happen to LOVE meat loaf. And this may sound crazy, but I love it made outa ground turkey. The 93/7 ratio one. It really is good. Oh, and I always mix it in my Bosch with the dough hooks. Mixes it so good and my hands don’t hafta get squishied. Gonna try this recipe with the ground turkey ASAP. Thanx for sharing your yummy recipes!!