An absolutely delicious spin on a dinner classic, this meatloaf combines 3 different meats with a bacon-weave so you can serve up the best meat loaf mankind has ever tasted.
I like to make the loaf the day before I want to eat, so all the flavors have a chance to meld in the tasty mounds of meat. Start with sautéing the following until soft:
- 1T olive oil
- 1 grated carrot
- 1 diced stalk celery
- 4oz diced mushrooms
- 1/2 diced red onion
Cook the vegies until soft, about 10 minutes over medium heat. Allow vegies to cool, then mix in a large bowl with the following:
- 2# hamburger
- 1# hot Italian sausage
- 0.5# cooked and crumbled bacon
- 4 cloves diced garlic
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 beaten egg
- 2t Worcestershire sauce
- 2t salt
- 1t pepper
- 1C breadcrumbs
- 1/2C condensed tomato soup
Optional Siracha sauce (use 1/2C in lieu of tomato soup and brush on after smoking)
- 1 C ketchup
- 1/4C maple syrup
- 1/4C Siracha
- 1/4C Worchesteshire
- 1/4C Steak Sauce
- 1T Montreal Steak Seasoning
Mix everything together, form into a loaf, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
When ready to cook, start grill on Smoke or a temperature of around 165F. Smoke the meatloaf right on the grill grate for 3 hours.
While the meatloaf is smoking, prepare your bacon weave using 1# of regular or thinly sliced bacon. If you’re not sure how to do a bacon weave, just Google it. They are really cool, but can be a challenge to get crisp. You’ll see my secret for that below.
After smoking the meatloaf for 3 hours, wrap the top with the prepared bacon weave and turn up the heat to 350F. Let cook until the internal temperature reaches 155F, about 45 minutes.
At this point, you need to crisp up the bacon. Move the meatloaf to a cookie sheet and place under the broiler in an oven for 5-10 minutes until crisp. Watch the bacon closely, as it goes from not done to burnt very quickly.
Once the bacon is crisp, remove the meatloaf from the oven and brush with BBQ sauce before returning to the smoker to firm up the sauce. Smoke at 165F for 10-15 minutes to finish. Remove from smoker and let rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
