Do you know those dreams that you have at night that wake you from a deep sleep? Well I had one of those dreams the other night. In this dream, I made a delicious beef pie, but it wasn't a pot pie or a shepherds pie. In fact, it was a bacon weave with an apple and fennel stuffed meatloaf pie! Well I put this recipe to the test on Monday. I prepped it on Sunday night, so on Monday while at work, I started the Weekender and put this dish in for two hours at 325 and BOOM! It was done and supper was ready!
Here's the ingredients:
Meat
- 10 slices Bacon
- 1 lb Ground beef, lean 85 percent, min
- 1 lb Ground pork
Produce
- 5 stalks Celery
- 1 Fennel, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup), small bulb
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Granny smith apple, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup Parsley
- 1 tbsp Sage, leaves
- 2 Yellow onions, finely chopped (about 3 cups)
Refrigerated
- 2 Eggs, large
Canned Goods
- 1/2 cup Beef broth, low sodium
- 1/2 cup Chicken broth, low-sodium
Condiments
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, whole grain
- 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire
Baking & Spices
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
Bread & Baked Goods
- 12 oz French bread
Dairy
- 2 tbsp Butter
Desserts
- 1/2 tsp Gelatin, unflavored powdered
Make ahead recipe
- For the meat crust, melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion. Cook and stir occasionally until translucent, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Whisk beef broth and eggs together in a large bowl. Add the gelatin in one layer and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the bread pieces, worcestershire, dijon, salt, and pepper. Add ground meat and 1/2 cup of the cooked onions. Gently mix together using your hands (they are the best kitchen tools you’ll ever have!).
- Evenly and firmly press the meatloaf mixture into one even layer along the bottom, sides, and lip of the pan (I suggest a deep cast iron skillet). Make sure to make enough room in the pie pan for the filling. Loosely cover and refrigerate.
- For the filling, return the skillet with the remaining onions to medium-high heat. Add the celery, apple, and fennel. Stirring occasionally, cook until everything has slightly softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat and add torn bread, parsley, sage, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Mix well.
- Remove the pie from the refrigerator, uncover, and fill the center with the stuffing mixture.
- Using the methods for a normal lattice-topped pie crust, weave the bacon slices together over the stuffing. Tuck any loose bacon ends between the stuffing and meat crust.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
- Light the smoker and preheat to 325 degrees. Take the plastic wrap off the Meatloaf and cook for 2 hours until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Drain the grease. Enjoy!
We enjoy the ground beef and pork from Snake River Farms. Click the banner to receive free shipping!