All I want to do is get a red wig and go around my house like I’m The Pioneer Woman. Is that really bad?
I adore watching her cook in her big, clean, sunny lodge. The dishes wash themselves, and the food always turns out flawlessly.
But for now, I guess I’ll just enjoy her bacon-wrapped meatloaf without a wig. 😂It’s the most delectable meatloaf ever! The bacon cooks over the meat, and the juices stream right into it. Can you image how good it tastes?
I want my kitchen to smell like bacon forever. 💗
This is the finest Pioneer Woman Meatloaf Recipe you’ll ever make! The whole loaf is wrapped in bacon and baked to perfection. It also stores well for later meals. Roasted green beans and mashed potatoes go great with this.
Things you need
Meatloaf:
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 6 pieces of white bread
- 2 pounds of ground beef that is 80% lean
- 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 whole eggs, beaten
- 12 pieces of thin-cut bacon
- fresh ground black pepper
Sauce:
- 1/2 cup of ketchup
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of dry mustard
- 1 dash of Tabasco sauce
How to Do It
- Set the oven to 350 degrees.
- Put the bread in a big bowl and pour the milk over the slices. Soak them for five minutes.
- Combine the rest of the meatloaf ingredients with your hands. Try to make sure that the bread is mixed in well, but don’t stir it too much or the ground beef will get tougher and lose part of its flavor.
- Put the beef in a loaf shape (approximately 5 inches wide) and put it on a broiler pan to let the fat drain. Putting foil on the bottom of the broiler pan will make it easier to clean.
- Put the bacon on top of the loaf and carefully tuck the ends under the bottom. You can use the bacon to help the bread keep its shape. I like to line them up so that they touch but don’t overlap. This makes it easy to cut between each piece of bacon when it’s done.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together and brush 1/3 of it over the meatloaf.
- Put the meatloaf in the middle of the oven and bake it for 45 minutes. Take it out of the oven and brush on another third of the sauce. Bake for 25 more minutes.
- Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting it. If you cut it too soon, the juice will run out of the loaf.
- Serve with the rest of the sauce and enjoy! These taste well with mashed potatoes and baked green beans!
Use a meat thermometer to check that the middle is 160°F before you cut it.
What kind of meat is best for meatloaf?
When choosing ground beef for meatloaf, 80% lean ground beef is a decent choice. Meats that are leaner tend to dry out.
You may also make a really tender and tasty meatloaf by mixing ground beef, pork, and veal. You would need one-third of a pound of each.
PRO TIP: Some grocery shops already have this mix of meats packaged up in the meat aisle. It’s great for creating meatloaf and/or meatballs.
What Type of Bread is Best?
You can use either soft, white sandwich bread or crusty artisan bread for meatloaf.
I agree with the Pioneer Woman that white sandwich bread is the best kind to use. I think that the softer bread mixes better with the ground beef and makes the texture more even.
Can you mix ground beef too much?
When making meatloaf or burgers, you can mix ground beef too much.
You want the meatloaf to be the same all the way through, but be careful not to mix it too much otherwise the consistency will be rougher and the flavor will be a little less strong.
Can You Make Meatloaf Beforehand?
YES!You may make meatloaf ahead of time and then put it all together when you’re ready to dine.
When you’re ready to bake it, just wrap the loaf in foil or plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.
You can also freeze meatloaf that is already put together.Before baking, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
Pro Tip: If this loaf creates more than you need, you can cut it in half and freeze the extra for another day!
Putting in the freezer
Meatloaf that has been cooked is a great item to keep in the freezer. Wrap it in foil and let it cool down. You can keep it in the freezer bag for up to three months.
Bake in the foil at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated through.
You can also put it in the fridge overnight to thaw and then microwave it until it’s hot all the way through.
A Different Kind of Broiler Pan
A broiler pan lets the extra grease run off the meatloaf and keeps the bottom from getting mushy.
Just use a cookie sheet:
Put the loaf right on top of a cookie sheet, but keep in mind that you’ll need to take the sheet off and drain the liquid every so often while it’s cooking. This is a bit hard.
How to Use a Cooling Rack on a Roasting Pan:
Put a cooling rack on top of a pan for roasting.
Put foil on the cooling rack to keep the meat from moving around.
Make a few small holes in the foil so that the fat can drip down into the cookie sheet or roasting pan.
Stop!The bacon under the loaf that is on top of the foil probably won’t cook as well as if it were on a broiler pan. If you use the foil method, just be aware of this.
Is it possible to do this without bacon?
If you don’t want to use bacon, you can leave it out of this recipe. You might need to cut the last 25 minutes of cooking time down to 15 to 20 minutes.