Smoked Sausage Meatloaf with Candied Bacon Jam

This is a fun riff on a childhood favorite… the smoke gives it great depth and richness, and the sweet and salty just puts it over the top.
  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Total: 3 hr 40 min (includes chilling time)
  • Active: 30 min
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Ingredients

Meatloaf:

2 pounds bulk pork sausage

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

4 cloves garlic, grated on a rasp grater

1 large egg, beaten

1 red onion, minced

1 serrano or jalapeño, seeded and minced

Candied Bacon Jam:

12 ounces slab bacon, diced

4 medium yellow onions, diced

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

Directions

Special equipment:
a smoker or grill; a meat thermometer
  1. For the meatloaf: Arrange a smoker or grill for indirect heating so the meatloaf will not be directly over the heat source. Fire up your smoker until it reaches a temperature of 300 degrees F and the smoke is running clear.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the bulk pork sausage, parsley, panko, tomato paste, cumin, ginger, paprika, turmeric, garlic, egg, onion and serrano. Form into a large freeform loaf (about the size of a loaf of bread). Place on a large cast-iron pan or sheet tray and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill.
  3. Place the pan with the meatloaf on the cool part of the smoker and smoke until you reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove, slice and serve with the Candied Bacon Jam.
  4. For the candied bacon jam: Set a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the diced bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan and place back over medium heat. Add the onions and stir to combine with the bacon fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and begin to caramelize, 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, dark brown sugar, soy sauce and mustard seeds. Cover partially and continue to cook until the liquid has cooked out and the onions are fully caramelized, 30 to 45 minutes. If the bottom of the pan is getting too dark, add a few tablespoons of water to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat and spoon into a mason jar.

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