Add This Breakfast Staple To Meatloaf For 10x The Flavor And Tenderness

Meatloaf is high in the pantheon of classic American comfort foods. It's not only tasty, filling, and easy to make, but it's also affordable because it stretches ground beef. People often have a nostalgic attachment to the meatloaf they grew up eating, but it's also a customizable meal, whether you revamp a recipe or just add a single ingredient. Case in point: Bacon amps up the dish with smoky and salty flavor, and the fat does double duty, contributing a rich taste and keeping it moist and tender.

One way to include the breakfast staple is mixing it into the ground beef mixture of a traditional meatloaf. Cook about 12 regular strips of bacon (or six thick cut) for two pounds of meat and then pulse the bacon in a food processor or hand chop into small pieces. Save the rendered fat to sauté veggies, like diced onions, peppers, or garlic, you might include in the mix. Whether or not you use a sauce or glaze, you could separate a small amount of chopped bacon and sprinkle it on top about halfway through cooking.

The other option is wrapping raw bacon slices around the formed loaf before it goes in the oven, one of the secrets to making a perfect meatloaf. Avoid thick-cut strips here, which won't cook enough to get crispy. If you use a sauce or glaze, brush it on under the slices, on top of them, or both. You could try going all-in on bacon by using the two techniques together.

Regular and thick cut aren't the only bacon choices available. Explore other flavors like applewood, hickory smoked, or maple. Turkey bacon is also an option, but keep in mind it has less fat. As far as the ground meat, you can use just beef or combine it with pork or veal for a blend, or you can substitute ground turkey for beef. Usual meat-to-fat ratios you'll see on ground beef packages are 80/20 (considered the best choice for burgers), 85/15, and 90/10. Since you're adding bacon and its fat to the meatloaf, it can help tenderize and moisten the leaner 90/10 or 85/15 while adding more flavor.

Plan ahead and store cooked bacon to mix into your meatloaf. Put the cooled slices in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag and keep it in the refrigerator for up to five days. They'll be okay in the freezer (in freezer-safe bags) for up to one month. Save the drippings to sauté the vegetables, too. The rendered fat can be kept in a sealed jar for as long as six months in the fridge or indefinitely in the freezer. When you're ready to make meatloaf, warm up the bacon in the oven, a pan over medium-high heat, or an air-fryer before chopping it. Defrost it in the refrigerator first if it's frozen.