Bacon Wrapped Smoked MAKloaf

Meatloaf is one of America’s most beloved comfort foods. Add a little bacon and some smoke, and you can turn an ordinary entrée into something extraordinary. Give the Bacon Wrapped Smoked MAKloaf a try and let us know what you think!

This recipe can feed about six people.

Ingredients

• 2/3 lb. ground beef.
• 2/3 lb ground pork.
• 2/3 lb ground veal.
• 1 small onion, diced.
• 1 small green pepper, diced.
• 3/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs.
• 2 eggs.
• 3/4 cup Smokin’ Hickory Grilling Sauce.
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt.
• 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.

Topping:

• 1 lb apple or hickory smoked bacon.
• 1/2 cup extra BBQ sauce for basting.

Preparation

1. Add the diced onion, green pepper and ground meat to a large bowl.
2. Add the barbecue sauce, eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to the bowl.
3. Mix the meatloaf with your hands and set aside.
4. On a piece of aluminum foil make a bacon weave.
5. To make the weave lay out eight strips vertically, then fold over every other vertical piece of bacon in the middle then place a strip horizontally across the vertical bacon. Unfold the strips.
6. Next, fold back the alternate row of bacon that you previously left flat.
7. Place the next piece of bacon across the vertical strips directly adjacent to the first horizontal piece and repeat this step twice.
8. Do this until you’ve used all the bacon to make a woven square. It should be large enough to drape over the top and sides of the meatloaf.

Cooking

1. Drizzle 2-3 Tbsp. of barbecue sauce on the bacon weave. Cover the meatloaf with the remainder of the 3/4 cup of sauce.
2. Use the foil to place the bacon over the meatloaf, draping the ends over the sides. You might want to secure the bacon to the meatloaf with toothpicks to hold it in place.
3. Pre-heat your MAK to 275 degrees. Hold grill at 275°F for 10 minutes, then reduce to SMOKE setting.
4. Once the grill has reached smoke temperature, place the meatloaf on the cooking grates.
5. Smoke for 1.5 hours, then raise grill temperature to 275 degrees and continue cooking until internal meatloaf temperature is 160 degrees. Baste with barbecue sauce every 20 minutes or so.
6. When done, remove from the grill, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.