Try this Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 3/4 lb (12 oz) 95% lean ground beef
- 3/4 lb (12 oz) extra lean ground turkey (i used jennie-o
- 5 tablespoons barbecue sauce divided (i used stubb’s original)
- 12 fat free saltine crackers crushed into crumbs
- 8 strips raw turkey bacon (i used oscar meyer brand)
- Carbohydrate 7.27137055687864 g
- Cholesterol 35.25 mg
- Fat 1.04349277799244 g
- Fiber 0.564322231923249 g
- Protein 1.42675333367897 g
- Saturated Fat 0.280658361128424 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (2 slice) serving (153g)
- Sodium 63.391777835797 mg
- Sugar 6.70704832495539 g
- Trans Fat 0.164029861123448 g
- Calories 43 calories
Step-by-step
- Pre-heat the oven to 350.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the beef and turkey and mush together with clean hands until combined.
- Add the onion, 3 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce, mustard, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, saltine crumbs and egg and lightly mix together.
- Do not over handle.
- Transfer the meat mixture to the lined baking sheet and form into a 9†x 5†loaf.
- Lay the strips of bacon in a row to cover the top of the meatloaf, each one slightly overlapping the piece before it.
- Tuck the ends of the bacon strips underneath the bottom of the meatloaf.
- Using a silicone pastry brush, brush the remaining 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce over the entire loaf.
- Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until your meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.
- Cut into 12 even slices and serve.
A standard ingredient list outlines what goes into a mixing bowl, but it rarely explains how moisture behaves when lean beef and turkey meet crushed crackers inside a domestic oven. Combining 95 percent lean ground beef with extra-lean ground turkey creates a mixture that lacks natural fat reserves, making internal moisture retention the primary mechanical challenge of the dish.
- Combine the ground meats gently using a light tossing motion rather than heavy kneading, because overworking the protein fibers creates a dense, sausage-like texture instead of a tender loaf.
- Crush the saltine crackers uniformly to ensure the starch absorbs excess released juices during the baking process without forming hard pockets.
- Overlap the turkey bacon strips carefully on top of the formed loaf and tuck the ends underneath the base so the bacon shrinks and tightens around the meat as it renders rather than curling away during the cook.
- Insert an instant-read digital thermometer directly into the geometric center of the loaf to check for the target internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the baked loaf rest undisturbed on a cutting board for ten minutes before slicing to allow the internal juices to redistribute evenly throughout the protein matrix.
Maintaining a steady 350 degree Fahrenheit oven environment ensures the exterior glaze caramelizes properly without burning the underlying bacon strips. Precision during the mixing and resting phases transforms basic ground meats into a cohesive, structurally sound main course.
