Andrew Zimmern Took To Twitter To Share His Grandmother's Meatloaf Hack
According to Merriam-Webster, comfort food is "food prepared in a traditional style having a usually nostalgic or sentimental appeal." One of the more popular comfort foods is the humble meatloaf. It's a dish traditionally made with a mixture of ground meat, a starch (such as bread crumbs), a binder (such as eggs), and assorted vegetables and spices. While it's existed in some shape or form around the world for centuries, meatloaf has only been in the United States for a little over 100 years — the first recipe was published in 1900 (per Florida Today).
Some people make meatloaf with ground beef, while others prefer the leaner ground turkey. Some top it with ketchup, while others use tomato paste. Some add chopped veggies into the mix, while others like to keep it basic.
Even celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern has been known to whip up a mean meatloaf. The chef took to Twitter to share his twist on his grandmother's meatloaf recipe. Spoiler alert: It involves bacon.
Bacon is the key to better meatloaf
In his Nov. 1 tweet, Andrew Zimmern shared his take on his grandmother's meatloaf recipe. "I like to put one slice of bacon on the bottom of the loaf pan to aromatize the dish, and another on top to baste it while it cooks. Sublime," he wrote, adding a link to the recipe on his website. He only uses two pieces of bacon to layer on the meatloaf, which he makes with a mixture of ground pork, ground veal, and ground beef.
Zimmern isn't the only one who's a fan of bacon-wrapped meatloaf. Many food bloggers have come up with similar variations on the classic comfort food, saying the bacon takes it to a whole new level. "The bacon infuses the ground beef mixture with plenty of smoky flavor and helps to prevent the meat from drying out," the blogger at Dinner at the Zoo explains. Note: She cautions not to use thick-cut bacon on meatloaf because it takes too long to get crispy in the oven.