ALL AMERICAN DECADENT MEAT LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Using a food processor, grind the croutons with the chili powder. Set aside. Process the onion, garlic, carrot, pepper, and parsley in the food processor until finely, finely diced.
• Mix the meat, ground croutons, and vegetables until well mixed. Season liberally with sea salt and pepper. Add the 3 eggs, mix without squeezing the meat too much.
• Mix the bottle of A1, ketchup, brown sugar, hot sauce, and dijon mustard in a bowl.
• I made mine freehanded, which in my opinion is more fun.
• When you form the loaf you want it to be pretty even to ensure its fully cooked when all is said and done. Mine was about 3 1/2 inches thick.
• Place strips of bacon horizontally over the loaf until it is fully covered. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Take out of oven and add a heavy glaze of sauce. Bake for another 40 minutes. Add another layer of sauce. Cook until done, probably another 30-45 minutes. Using a meat thermometer, ensure that the thickest part of the loaf is 160 degrees. Add a final layer of sauce to the loaf and cover with foil until ready to serve. It stayed pretty hot for about an hour.