With flavours of popular burger toppings, what’s not to love about this Dill Pickle and Bacon Meatloaf? It’s the right combination of juicy and tender while still being able to hold its shape when sliced.
I was once asked by a friend if I had a good meatloaf recipe. I didn’t make it often and wasn’t really excited about the results when I did. So I got to work and came up with a recipe that had lots of ingredients including shredded carrots, zucchini, some seasoning, a special mushroom sauce for topping…and it was actually pretty good. But who am I kidding? Was anyone really going to make that? There are lots of other ways to sneak extra vegetables into meals without messing up a perfectly good meatloaf.
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After giving it some thought, I wondered, what do most people make with ground beef? Hamburgers! The ingredients in this Dill Pickle and Bacon Meatloaf are mostly components that you would use to make an excellent homemade burger. But I also wanted to make the meatloaf tender, like these Italian Meatballs. So this meatloaf is somewhere in between with lots of flavour but not so tender that it can’t be sliced.
If you have a mini chopper or food processor you can get the onion, garlic, bacon, parsley and pickles chopped up super fine. To keep the liquid to a minimum, pat the pickle dry and lay the bacon on paper towel if it’s wet. Yes, the bacon is added raw to the meat mixture. The best bacon to use is the good stuff that’s thick and dry cured from a butcher. Pop a few slices in the freezer for 10 minutes or so before adding to the chopper so it doesn’t turn into a fatty gloopy mess. Why add extra fat to the mixture? Well fat does mean flavour and it adds a hint of smokiness. It’s a good balance with the lean ground beef.
Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. You’ll have to get your hands in there and really get it worked together. This meatloaf is so tender and juicy you don’t have to worry about over mixing like other meat mixtures. At this point you can go ahead and shape and bake the meatloaf. Or, cover the mixture tightly and refrigerate until later or even the next day.
A meatloaf can be shaped by hand into something like a log or mound and baked on a sheet pan. I personally prefer using a loaf pan because, after all, it’s called meatloaf. Spoon in the meat and gently press it into the pan evenly. Depending on the size of your loaf pan you may get a longer flatter loaf or one that has a rounded top just like a loaf of bread. The latter would work better if you plan to slice it cold and use the leftovers for sandwiches. But if you don’t have a loaf pan, no worries. Just for fun you could shape the meat into a giant burger patty!
Most meatloafs have a glaze that’s quite sweet. Often it’s barbecue sauce. For Dill Pickle and Bacon Meatloaf, the perfect topping is simply the mixture of two common condiments – mustard and ketchup. Just enough of each to add a little sweetness with a zesty kick. Don’t be alarmed by the colour when you first slather it on. It transforms from a strange French dressing colour to bright red. But don’t add the glaze just yet.
Is there any way to avoid the juices coming out of meatloaf? Well, not really. The breadcrumbs help keep the moisture in the meat but you will have some fat and water that gathers in the pan and sits on top. Since most of that happens during the first part of cooking, I experimented with timing and have discovered that you can bake the meatloaf without the glaze for about half an hour. Then, use a spoon or paper towel to absorb any that’s pooling on top. If you’ve got a lot of liquid around the meat you can carefully pour some out if you have washable oven mitts.
Now spread the glaze over top. Don’t worry if it doesn’t caramelize by the time your Dill Pickle and Bacon Meatloaf is done. Just turn the oven to broil for a few minutes at the end and watch carefully. Once the glaze darkens and sizzles, it’s ready. If you have a meat thermometer you want to see at least 160-165 degrees in the centre. The temp will continue to rise a bit after removing it from the oven.
Resist the urge to slice your meatloaf as soon as it comes out of the oven. Resting for at least 10 minutes accomplishes two things. First, when meat is cooking the internal juices move to the exterior. The extra time will allow those juices to move back into the inside of the meat mixture. And secondly, meatloaf slices more easily after resting.
If you make Dill Pickle and Bacon Meatloaf, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb lean ground beef
- 2 strips bacon good quality dry cured is preferable
- 1 medium onion
- 1 large dill pickle drained and patted dry
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup loosely packed parsley measure before chopping
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 2 Tbsp ketchup
Instructions
- Place bacon strips in freezer for about 10 minutes to chill before chopping.
- Roughly chop onion, garlic, pickle, parsley and chilled bacon. Pulse in mini chopper or food processor until very finely ground.
- Add chopped ingredients to a large bowl, along with beef, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire, Dijon, salt and pepper. Whisk eggs slightly in small bowl and add to meat mixture. Combine well to incorporate all ingredients evenly.
- Spoon into loaf pan and press gently to spread evenly to edges.
- Bake in preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon or dab off any accumulated fat and liquid from top of loaf. If a lot of liquid is surrounding meatloaf, carefully pour some off.
- Combine yellow mustard and ketchup. Spread evenly over top of meatloaf. Return to oven and bake for 45 minutes.
- Turn oven to broil for last few minutes to caramelize the top if desired.
- Allow to rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.
I’m definitely trying this soon. I love dill pickles and bacon. Why not together? 😊