Smoked Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf, or more affectionately known as, “Fatty” is delicious, bursting with flavour and a real crowd pleaser. The first few times constructing a Fatty can be a little daunting but well worth the perseverance.
LET’S GET STUCK IN…
1. Begin with a sheet of cling-wrap laid down on a flat surface.
2. On top of the cling wrap, use streaky bacon to create a “weave” (see photo) to the size of the Fatty you wish to make.
3. Mix together 50% beef mince and 50% sausage meat (you can use raw sausages and remove the meat from the casings), season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Leaving a border of bacon apply the meat mixture onto the weave to around 2cms in height.
For this Fatty’s filling I have used baby spinach leaves, cream cheese, American cheddar, Swiss cheese, Tasty cheese, American mustard, BBQ sauce, diced jalapeno, Firecracker chilli, sun-dried tomatoes and bread & butter pickles. Basically the world is your oyster so get creative with the filling of choice. Place all of the filling ingredients long ways in the centre of the Fatty. (see photo)
6. Using the cling-wrap, roll into a “sausage” shape, so that the bacon weave completely covers the Fatty. Leave the cling-wrap tight on the Fatty and if you have time, place in the fridge for an hour or more.
7. Set up your barbecue of choice for indirect cooking (Google will help here if unsure) and crank it up to around 175C/350F.
8. Carefully remove the cling-wrap before placing the Fatty into the barbecue, add some smoking wood and close the lid.
9. After the 2hour mark, check the progress with an instant read thermometer – you are looking for a target internal temp of 73C/165F. If it needs more time to reach that target temp, give it more time till you are happy with the doneness.
10. With a basting brush apply a light BBQ sauce glaze, again extra points for creativity here! On this Fatty, I have used an amazing honey sauce from the Mangafrye range. Close the lid for another 10mins to let the glaze set.
11. Remove from the barbecue and slice into 2cm portions, put on a plate with your favourite sides for a tasty meal or simply wrap a slice in some fresh bread. We actually really enjoy Fatty cold the next day too….enjoy!
As par for the course, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me via email: info@thebbqhut.co.nz
Until next time, I hope you do try the above and enjoy smoking a fatty!
Words & Images: Kerren “Kezza” Packer