That is one reason I like hanging out on this thread. It just gets my taste buds in gear as I read,,,,
Oooooo, that looks good. Nice crust! You made me hungry!
Thanks for the Recipe!Here you go. Again, this is a HUGE batch because it is so labor intensive to make that I find doing a big batch that makes 4 to 6 loaves (and freezing what I don't bake that night) is better than doing it 6 separate times.
Ingredients:
12 lbs 80/20 ground beef
1 1/2 to 2 packs of bacon (I like Applewood)
2 - 14.5 oz cans of Guiness stout - put 3/4 cup aside for glaze
1 - 12.5 oz package of Pepperidge Farm Herbed cubed stuffing mix
4 cups whole milk
4 cups rolled oats
6 eggs (beaten)
2 boxes of Lipton's Onion Mushroom soup mix
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 cups chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped carrots (I use matchstick carrots)
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 TBSP honey
S&P as needed (I use 3 tsp salt and 2 1/4 tsp pepper)
3 - 4 TBSP olive oil
Glaze:
- soak the stuffing mix in the whole milk until cubes are soft - drain off remaining milk (squeeze out if still dripping) - set aside
- sautee the onion & carrots in the olive oil until onion is soft (carrots will finish cooking when loaf is baked) add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes
- add in the Guiness (minus the 3/4 cup set aside) and the onion mushroom soup mix - simmer until thickened then set aside to cool
- in a very large bowl combine ground beef, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, drained stuffing cubes, rolled oats and the sauce from above. Use hands to mix all together.
combine the remaining 3/4 cup Guiness, brown sugar and honey - simmer until well blended. Put on back burner for now.
Now this is where you are going to have to decide how big you want your meatloaves to be. With 2 guys in the house and wanting leftovers for sandwiches, I divide mine up into 4 loaves. Just eyeball them into 4 parts in the bowl (or however many you want). I guess you could weigh out loaves to make them even if you wanted, I just eyeball mine.
Place your loaf on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (NOT WAX PAPER) - shape it into a long low dome. Do not bake in a loaf pan! Try to work out any air pockets that might be in the loaf if you can.
Once you have the shape you want, weave the bacon in a lattice pattern (over and under & crisscrossed) over the loaf. Trim long ends and then tuck the ends under the loaf to keep from pulling up from shrinkage when cooked. Once this is finished use a brush to heavily paint on some of the glaze.
I bake my meat loaf at 300 to 325 degrees, depending on how much time I have. Slow and low is ALWAYS BETTER as it lets the loaf settle while cooking and results in a more dense loaf that won't crumble when cut. The time needed to cook will depend on how big your loaf is and what temp you use. Every 30 minutes pour off grease from cookie sheet and reapply the glaze.
Once meatloaf is cooked through, remove from oven and turn the oven to broil. Again heavily glaze the meatloaf then put it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp the bacon. Remove from heat and let sit for at least 10 minutes!
VOILA! Enjoy.
To Freeze Remaining Loaves:
again shape the loaf on a parchment lined cookie sheet, shape and cover with bacon lattice. Put in the freezer UNCOVERED for 30 minutes to an hour. Remove from freezer and seal in vacuum seal bag. Place back in freezer. I do not glaze the ones I freeze - I wait to glaze them when I go to bake them.
