Cast Iron Dutch Oven Meatloaf Camping Recipe

This recipe is from the article written by Kim Hanna and titled "Dutch Oven Meatloaf: Bacon-Topped Best Meatloaf Recipe Ever" on the website campingforfoodies.com (https://www.campingforfoodies.com/dutch-oven-meatloaf/#recipe). The article recommends making one's own parchment paper to cook the meatloaf; however, I used regular store bought parchment paper and it worked just fine.

Ingredients

Meatloaf Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork mild Italian sausage
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 3 large eggs beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 4 slices regular cut bacon strips not thick cut

Glaze Ingredients

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard

Instructions

• Special Equipment: Make your own Dutch oven parchment paper liner (or use a pre-cut liner). This post has detailed instructions and a VIDEO to show you how to make your own: How to line a Dutch oven with parchment paper. https://www.campingforfoodies.com/how-to-use-dutch-oven-liners/
• Pre-heat a standard-depth 12-inch Dutch oven to bake at to 350 degrees F. (25 total coals = 17 on top of the Dutch oven lid / 8 under the bottom of oven.) For RV and conventional ovens, see Note 5 below.
• Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl and set aside: ketchup, brown sugar and mustard.
• In a large bowl combine the meatloaf ingredients starting with the ground beef, ground pork mild Italian sausage, salt, black pepper, onion, garlic. Then mix in breadcrumbs. Followed by mixing in the eggs. Then mixing in the Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce.
• Mix with your hands, until thoroughly blended. Do not over mix. Mold the meat mixture into a round, about 7 to 8 inches in diameter.
• Layer bacon slices over the top of the meatloaf in a tic-tac-toe or hashtag pattern. Sort of like making a lattice top on a pie.
• Place meatloaf mixture in the center of the parchment paper and use the exposed paper corners as “handles” to lower the loaf into the preheated oven.
• Place the loaf of meat into the center of the oven, then pour the glaze mixture over the top.
• Cover with lid and place coals for baking at 350 F degrees until the meat loaf is done. Use a meat thermometer to verify the internal temperature reaches 165 F degrees. Every 15 minutes or so, rotate the lid and oven 1/4 turns in opposite directions throughout the baking process for even heating.
• Remove the Dutch oven from the coals and let rest for 10 minutes then lift out using the parchment paper handles, slice and serve.

Notes

NOTE 1: You can use campfire coals or charcoal briquettes. If you use a propane camp stove, use a Dutch oven dome and heat diffuser plate. If you use an RV oven or conventional oven, just pre-heat the oven with a 12-inch oven-safe baking dish.

NOTE 2: You will need TWO sets of coals because of the length of the baking time. If you are using charcoal, start the second batch of coals about 20 minutes in to the cooking process so they are ready as the first set is burning out.

NOTE 3: Deep Dutch ovens are designed to be used for cooking soups and stews, I don’t recommend one for this recipe because the coals sitting on top of the oven the lid are too far away from the food. The bottom of the meatloaf will burn before the top is fully cooked. And, it will be almost impossible to cook the bacon. If you decide to use a deep Dutch oven you will need more coals and you’ll have to monitor the meatloaf through the baking process and move more coals to the lid to build up the heat above the meatloaf.

NOTE 4: If you use a 10-inch Dutch oven, your meatloaf will be thicker so you’ll need to allow for a bit more cooking time.

NOTE 5: If you use an RV oven or conventional oven, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and use an oven-safe baking dish that is approximately 12 inches in diameter. A parchment paper liner is not necessary because you will just lift the entire dish out of the oven to slice and serve. If using a different Dutch oven size, check out our Dutch oven temperature chart. https://www.campingforfoodies.com/dutch-oven-temperature-chart/

NOTE 6: For the bottom coal placement under the oven, avoid setting a coal in the center. If there is a “center coal” the meatloaf will burn because even if you are rotating the lid and the oven in opposite directions during the cooking process, that center part of the oven is constantly over that center coal.

NOTE 7: If the meatloaf reaches the proper temperature but the bacon is not crisp, the only way to finish cooking the bacon without drying out the meat loaf is to create a “broiler effect”. Remove the coals from the bottom of the oven and place all of them on top to concentrate the heat. Allow plenty of time, it might take about 10-15 minutes, be patient, you want to make sure the bacon is fully cooked and has a nice crispy texture.

NOTE 8: When baking Dutch oven recipes with ground meats, use an instant-read thermometer to quickly check the temperature of the food. Replace the lid quickly to minimize heat loss if you need to continue cooking.