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 live in ABQ, NM and The Standard Diner is here in Albuquerque that serves the Meatloaf you are talking about. Its such a great restaurant, not really that “Standard” of a diner, but AWESOME food. I’ve never actually tried the meatloaf but i know they put raisins in too. People rave about it. I am going to try your version now! Thanks.
Been using that meatloaf recipe for years and I love it. The meatloaf sandwiches are a reward the next day. I found the recipe in “Cook’s Illustrated” American Classics cook book published in 2002. For the non red meat eaters in our family I have used ground turkey wrapped in turkey bacon.
Meatloaf is one of our family favs, and meatloaf sandwiches are the bomb! A few tips: USE SALTINES, because with oatmeal or bread crumbs you’ll get a denser loaf. For meat loaf sandwiches: REHEAT the loaf to room-temp before using..cold hamburger is icky! I usually slice it cold, lay the slices on a plate and microwave about 20 seconds, MMMMM….meatloaf sandwiches…..YUMMY! Love the bacon idea!
I made this for supper tonight! I am not a fan of meatloaf but this one sold me. My husband hates to taste anything herby in his food so I left out the thyme and parsley but did everything else as written. WOW! What a great combination of flavors. I did use ground pork, veal and beef as called for in the original recipe and bread crumbs instead of saltines. My husband is a huge fan as am I. I divided the meat mixture into two meatloaves and froze one (without the sauce or bacon), giving us 2 meals from the one recipe. All I’ll have to do is make the glaze and add the bacon. I would serve this to company…it’s that good!
i share your sentiments exactly on meat + loaf. i have never even eaten it, let alone cooked it. based solely on this post, though, i now feel compelled to try both making and eating it for the first time. smart move putting the words “glazed” and “bacon-wrapped” first in the title. 🙂
I’ve always been a lover of meatloaf…but a PICKY lover! There are soooo many horrible recipes out there for it that I can totally understand why some people hate it! It really wasn’t until I found Martha Stewart’s recipe years ago that I loved it. The only problem with hers is that it calls for lots of chopped up veggies which is a real prep-pain-in-the-neck. I also did not like the sweet glaze on the top of hers…way too sweet, imho. Here’s the link, if you’re interested: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/classic-meat-loaf
Still, I LOVE Chris Kimball/America’s Test Kitchens. And I agree…this is a recipe that needs to be tested and tried! I would have NEVER guessed yogurt in it. But it looks SO WONDERFUL (Umm…wrapped in bacon? YES, PLEASE!) I’m trying it asap!! Also, I noticed a reader said she splits her loaves in half and freezes one loaf. I’ve always done that and it’s SO NICE to have on hand! In fact, I often double the recipe and make four loaves, giving two for my parents to have in their freezer. I like the smaller loaves b/c I like my meatloaf to have lots of crunchy end pieces 🙂 And I agree that baking on a rimmed, flat, or cookie sheet is really important! That’s how you get all the yummy, browned goodness from the meatloaf. In fact, my mom uses the pan drippings to make a yummy brown gravy from it. I don’t do that anymore, but with bacon?? Might be worthwhile!
Thanks for the awesome recipe!!!
P.S. This was the only the second time to your blog and I LOVE IT! And today when I read, “I don’t eat babies,” I KNEW we were soul sisters!! I’ve always said that and people think I’m nuts!! But I just cannot eat veal, lamb, or the like for that reason. Thanks for proving I’m not the only “wierdly kind” one! And..sorry for the ridic. long post!!! Ugh.
I am soooooo making this tonight!! I think I have made meatloaf 5 times in the 20+ years of our marriage… I always hate how it sits there and boils! -Also, the first time I made it right after we were married, I misread the recipe and put in tons of salt… my sweet new husband ate it anyway; it made me gag!! I have been leary ever since! Can’t wait to try this! Bacon makes everything heavenly!
Can’t wait to try the recipe! What brand of chili sauce do you use? I’ve never used it before. An earlier comment said that is is by the ketchup. So it is not by the Mexican food and it is not the same thing as hot sauce? Thanks–can use help with any clarifications!
Lynne- it’s not spicy, it really tastes similar to ketchup, just with a little more flavor. You should be able to find Heinz brand at most grocery stores. The bottle label looks a lot like the heinz ketchup label, the bottle is just smaller and it’s usually a shelf or two down from the ketchup. I’ll snap a picture of mine and add it to this post! I’ve used generic store brands as well and they’re just fine too.
sara, I also have NEVER desired to combine MEat and Loaf.. but I thought it was funny that the ONE time I did – I made one from America’s Test Kitchen! So- Seeing that this is also from America’s Test Kithcen gave it the second stamp of approval (being an OBB recipe is the obvious first) So I guess I will be making my Second Meat Loaf EVER. 🙂
You can’t turn down anything wrapped in bacon!