Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

This was my first attempt at bacon wrapped meatloaf. I have a recipe I always use for meatloaf - it's a favorite in our family - but wrapping it in bacon took it to a whole new level!

We started using ground turkey rather than ground beef in our meatloaf when we went on a health kick a while back and felt turkey was a healthier alternative. However, we never went back to ground beef in our meatloaf because this recipe is so dang good!

The bacon wrapped meatloaf was delicious. However, I will make sure my bacon weave is bigger next time. The bacon weave I created for this particular dish was a bit short and did not wrap around fully.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4lb ground turkey

8oz mushrooms - finely chopped

1 medium onion - finely chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon oil

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

7 tablespoons ketchup

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs - if using plain, add Italian seasoning

1/3 cup milk

2 eggs - lightly beaten

1lb regular thickness bacon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make your bacon weave. Follow instructions in my YouTube video https://youtu.be/a-OF2gLBSTA.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.

3. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened; about 5 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

5. Add the mushrooms and stir, then add a 1/2-teaspoon of salt, and a 1/4-teaspoon of pepper. Cook until the mushrooms give off their liquid and it boils away; about 10 minutes.

6. Place the onions and mushrooms to a large bowl with the Worcestershire sauce and 3 tablespoons of the ketchup. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

7. In the meantime, combine the breadcrumbs and milk in a small bowl.

8. Stir the breadcrumb mixture and the eggs into the mushrooms and onions.

9. Using a fork, gently mix in the turkey, a 1/4-teaspoon of salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

10. Form the meatloaf into an oval in the middle of the bacon weave and spread the remaining ketchup on top.

11. Wrap bacon weave onto meatloaf by folding over the top of the weave, then the bottom.

12. Smoke on grill at 350, for about an hour. The time may vary - you want your meatloaf to hit a temp of 170.

13. Allow meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes.