Have you ever made something that sounds good on paper, but only is so-so in reality? Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Ring is one of those recipes! Just keeping it real {grin}.

Putting bacon on top of meatloaf isn’t an original idea, but I thought to myself, “self, what if I wrap it completely around the meatloaf and all that awesome bacon flavor absorbs into every nook and cranny of the meatloaf? Better yet, what if I bake it in a Bundt pan encased in ribbons of bacon?”

I mean, after all, what could possibly go wrong?

I’ve had many failures in cooking – some epic, the kind you throw in the trash and some small, the kind you would tweak if you make it again. Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Ring is one I would tweak.

Before I go further, I want to clarify: Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Ring is a delicious meatloaf recipe. The quasi-epic failure part is the “bacon wrapped” part. Because while it sounded like a good idea, the bacon didn’t cook well inside the ring, leaving parts decidedly uncooked, like a wet noodle {grin}. Now if you like your bacon wet-noodle consistency, this recipe is for you!

Plus, it makes a lot of grease, but I guess that’s what makes the meatloaf part so deliciously moist {grin}!

If I make Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Ring again, these are the changes I would make to, hopefully, achieve success:

I used thick-sliced bacon in this recipe; so the next time, I would use regular bacon.
I didn’t cook my bacon ahead of time. The next time I would partially cook the bacon before lining it in the Bundt pan.

Anywho, that’s my two cents, for whatever it’s worth!

And, in the spirit of “keeping it real”, I’ve touched up these photos in PicMonkey to get rid of the raw bacon hanging off the slice of the Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Ring in both of the above photos. Here’s what they looked like before I used the “cloning” tool in PicMonkey to try and make them look appetizing instead of revolting {grin}:

See the raw bacon just hanging there? If I was smarter, I would have just taken kitchen shears and cut it off. But, when I’m in “food photography mode”, I can’t seem to wrap my head around things that look all wrong because I’m usually working hard on focusing and taking the shot in the optimum natural light!

You will also note that cooking the meatloaf longer may not be the best solution, either. Because while some of the parts are almost raw, other parts of the bacon are quite well-cooked, almost black!

This makes a lot of meatloaf – easily 12 to 16 servings! So, for a big crowd or just because you like meatloaf leftovers (meatloaf sandwiches, for example), this is your recipe. And, because it slides easily out of the pan, it is easy to serve.

Want to read about some my epic failures {grin}? Check out these earlier posts:

Here’s the recipe:

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Ring

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Classic meatloaf made in a ring and encased in bacon.

Author: Carole from Toot Sweet 4 Two
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins
Yield: 12 1x
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

3 pounds ground beef
8 slices of bacon
5 mini red, yellow and orange bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups of leftover bread cubes
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup of ketchup (extra to serve on the side)
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, picked from the stem and finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced garlic

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Soak bread in milk in small bowl.
In a separate bowl, add thyme, salt, pepper and garlic to beaten eggs and mix to combine.
In still another bowl, mix together ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.
Add hamburger, onions, peppers to large mixing bowl and using hands, mix gently to combine.
Add bread, eggs and ketchup mixture to meat mixture and using hands, gently mix until just combined (don’t over mix).
Line Bundt pan or ring mold with 8 slices of bacon running bacon vertically up the sides of the ring.
Add hamburger mixture to Bundt pan, filling to the top.
Fold bacon ends over hamburger mixture.
Place Bundt pan on top of foil-lined baking pan to prevent drips.
Bake for one hour and 30 minutes (bacon may not look cooked).
Remove from oven and carefully drain hot grease from pan and discard.
Let stand 5 minutes.
Invert on chopping board (with a well) or serving platter and serve.

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