Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Grilled Bacon Meatloaf Burgers – Building a Faster Meatloaf Sandwich

I love meatloaf, but not as much as I love meatloaf sandwiches. In fact, I’ll make a meatloaf just for the leftovers. I’ll fry the cold slice in a buttered pan until hot and crusty, and enjoy it on toast with ketchup. 

This is basically that, plus bacon, in burger form. What it lacks in loaf shape, it more than makes up for by being faster and easier. By the way, even though we’re grilling this in honor of Labor Day weekend, I actually think it’s better pan-fried. While I enjoy the smoky char the grill adds, I miss the crust you can only get on a really flat, really hot surface. I feel this way about burgers in general.

Also, if you cook this in a pan, you could deglaze, and spoon a little natural jus over the top. Either way, you’re looking at a delicious burger, and a nice change of pace from your usual cookout fare. I really hope you give these bacon meatloaf burgers a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 Bacon Meatloaf Burgers:
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder                       
cayenne pepper to taste
pinch dried thyme
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 pound ground chuck (85% lean)
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2/3 cup chopped cooked bacon

19 comments:

Paul said...

You went for the big green egg!

AlexFreire said...

Man, you are the devil himself.

Now, seriously, you once told something that stayed with me, and I always say it to myself when I do one of your recipes: "You should try this recipe, or else, you'd be just a voyeur. And this is weird." Thank you for that piece of Chef John's Wisdom.

Unknown said...

You had me at meatloaf. But noooo, you had to throw BACON in the mix! Oh mah dear lord I'm gonna miss that Mediterranean Diet. Not. - Pj

James Hawk III said...

Okay, you like the crust that comes from a hot, flat surface--so could you not do a variation on the reverse sear? Cook the burgers over indirect heat on the grill until you get the right internal temperature to get the smoky aspect, then move to the pan for the final sear? That might be a problem for skinny patties, but what you made looked thick enough to get through the process without overcooking. (You could even dot on a little butter to get a better crust.)

Daisy said...

This looks lovely!

The Good Doctor said...

Chef John got an Egg! Recipe looks great. Enjoy your new toy!

Unknown said...

You are going to like that new grill.

Anonymous said...

So....You went to SoCal to post a meatloaf burger? What's happenin', CJ?

Alicia said...

Love how you prepare the base first! Why didn't I think of that? Definitely making these on this long weekend!

Jeff said...

I have to agree with you about pan searing, but I have a cast iron cookware bias. Few things can beat cast iron when it comes to getting a good sear (at least on the types of stove tops most home cooks have).

Beautiful recipe. Going to have to try this when I manage to get over my homemade sausage phase. Lots to experiment with here.

JDQ said...

So question: could I use panko as the breadcrumbs or would that totally screw this up?

Singleot said...

Still no hints at the top secret trip? The sandwich looks great, but I'm with you on frying it.

Unknown said...

I made this tonight for dinner, minus the worstershire, cayenne, and thyme (didn't have them on hand) and cooked them in a nonstick skillet. Oh they were to die for!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!

Unknown said...

Oh, and I'm out of bread crumbs, so I used graham cracker crumbs...Worked out well for me! :D

JAM said...

Congrats for showing a real tomato instead of one of those cardboard ones.

rancholyn said...

I made this last night...Simply delicious another winner...thanks

Unknown said...

Made these for dinner and they were great. They were juicy just like in your video. Definitely will make again!

Sally said...

I just went to Allrecipes to print this and it's not there! #@*^%$#!! I tried searching every way I could think of and I didn't find it at all. Could you please yell/ask Allrecipes to get with it and post it? Thanks Chef!

Alchemist said...

You're pin buttons appear to be broken. It keeps telling me it's undefined or url not found.
Please fix so that I can more easily share your awesome recipes with the world :)