Hickory Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

I've been getting a little grill-happy as of late. Five nights out of seven this past week I've been on the patio with a Guinness and my new Weber grill (thanks, Jenn!) for hours at a time searing many, many dead animals. It may be going a bit overboard.

Case in point: This morning I had a big, heaping bowl of jumbo sea scallops, wrapped in bacon and grilled well. Last night for supper I had MEAT with a side of MEAT and a MEAT garnish. I was debating washing it down with a tall, frothy glass of gravy. For the Gibson Clan, it is a feast. For the barnyard, it is Armageddon. I have a problem.

But in every problem there lay opportunity. And in this opportunity I've come up with something that may revolutionize the concept of Ground Beef as we know it. In my week of excess I have stumbled on something potentially game-changing: Hickory Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf.

Here's what you'll need:

Ground beef (about 1/2 lb per loaf, 2.5 lbs total)
Bread crumbs (half a cup)
Plain potato chips, crushed (half a cup)
2 whole eggs
Lawry's Seasoned Salt (a good tablespoon)
Bacon (12-15 thick slices)

And here's what you do:

-Get your grill going. That's a charcoal grill, folks. Don't let the propane industry fool you. Just can't get the same flavor. For fuel: Charcoal and soaked Hickory Chips. Put the chips directly on the coals before you load up your meat. Alternately, you could use the briquettes with hickory in them, but it's really second-best.

-Mix everything except bacon until uniform. Form into five cigar shapes and wrap in hickory smoked bacon (2 to 3 per loaf). No need to pin it to the meat, just get a good, tight, overlapping wrap.

-Place on a medium heat grill covered, turning as needed.


-Your loaf is done when the bacon is cooked through but not burnt, and meat has a 155 F (68.3 C) internal temp. Lower if you like it more pink.

A couple of things to mention before you really get involved: 1)This is going to vent a LOT of bacon and beef fat into the coals. When you turn them, do so quickly and efficiently. If the grill cover is off for too long this fat will catch fire and might ruin your weekend.  2) I got lazy with the seasoning. Any blend will do, just watch the salt content. The bacon will add a lot of this already, and it's going to lose a bit of moisture while it cooks. You don't want to overpower.





Happy Grilling!