Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf with Brown Sugar Ketchup

⏱ 95 min · Serves 6

A proper Sunday-dinner meatloaf: juicy beef and pork bound with milk-soaked breadcrumbs, wrapped in streaky bacon and lacquered with a sticky-sweet tomato glaze. It slices beautifully and the leftovers make the best sandwich of your week.

Per serving: 612 kcal · 42.0g protein · 24.0g carbs · 38.0g fat

Ingredients

• 100g fresh white breadcrumbs (about 2 slices bread, blitzed)
• 120ml whole milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 500g beef mince (15% fat)
• 400g pork mince
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1.5 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 8-10 rashers streaky bacon
• 150g ketchup
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and line a baking tray with foil or baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and leave to soak for 5 minutes until pulpy.
3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and celery over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute more, then cool for 5 minutes.
4. Add the beef, pork, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and the cooled vegetables to the soaked breadcrumbs. Mix with your hands just until combined - overworking makes it dense.
5. Shape into a loaf roughly 23cm x 12cm on the lined tray. Drape the bacon rashers over the top, tucking the ends underneath.
6. Whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and Dijon together. Brush a third of it over the bacon.
7. Bake for 45 minutes, then brush with another third of the glaze and bake 20-25 minutes more, until a thermometer in the centre reads 71C.
8. Brush with the last of the glaze and, if you like, blast under a hot grill for 3 minutes to caramelise.
9. Rest the meatloaf for 10 minutes before slicing thickly. Great with mash and buttered greens.