Kala’s Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf

The New Year is always welcomed with wine and cake, but you also need something substantial in your stomach to remain steady on your feet 🙂 My Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf will provide loads of protein and fat to prepare you for your next trip around the sun. I had seen bacon wrapped dishes and wanted to try one myself. I created this recipe from scratch and a clip from a TV show taught me how to wrap bacon; my daughter came to my aid and did it to perfection.

Nutritive Value

This is a very high protein and fat dish with the addition of carbohydrates from 8 slices of bread. The beef provides about 22g of protein per 100g and the streaky bacon provides 16g of protein and 24g of fat per 100g. Two medium slices of this meat loaf will be sufficient to provide your nutrient requirements for a lunch or dinner. If you indulge yourself with more, you will gain a great deal of weight – guaranteed!

Ingredients

For the Meat Loaf

½ kg Beef Mince
8 slices of Bread
2 Eggs
½ tsp Vinegar
2 tsp Salt
½ tsp of Oil to grease the baking tray

Grind together

2 tsp Mustard Seeds
2 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Pepper Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Cinnamon Powder
1 T Brown Sugar
1 large Onion, coarsely chopped
6-8 cloves of Garlic, grated
2 cm piece Ginger, grated

To wrap

400 g Streaky Bacon

Method

Tear the bread into small pieces, and pulse at speed 1 to get crumbs.
Place the mince in a large bowl, add the bread crumbs and mix.
Add the ground ingredients, vinegar, salt, and the eggs; mix and knead to blend thoroughly.
Preheat the oven to 190° C/375° F.
Lightly grease a baking tray, and place baking paper on it.
Select an 8 x 6 x 3 inch pan. Line the pan with bacon strips along the width with the extra length of bacon hanging over the sides. Repeat the same process along the length of the pan. (See photos below)
Transfer the mince to the pan, gently pressing it to fit the pan and remove any air spaces. (See photos below)
Fold the bacon along the length over the mince. Then, fold the bacon width across the mince. (See photos below)
Invert the loaf pan onto the prepared baking tray, and gently remove the loaf pan. The loaf should look like a package wrapped in bacon. (See photos below)
Place it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or till the mince is cooked.

Notes

I use Kashmiri chilli powder for its mild flavour.
Powder the dry spices first and then add the onion, garlic, and ginger and grind to get a smooth mixture.
Do not grease the loaf pan before lining with the bacon, as the bacon has a lot of fat and it will not stick to the sides of the pan if greased.
When you line the loaf pan with bacon, there should be no gap between the bacon strips. If there are gaps the mince will fall through, and the loaf will not hold shape.
The baking tray is greased to keep the baking paper in place.
When testing to see if the loaf is done, insert a thin-bladed knife (not a cake tester) in-between strips of bacon so as not to disintegrate the loaf.