Bacon Mushroom Swiss Meatloaf

Name: Bacon Mushroom Swiss Meatloaf
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 27 min
Total time: 1 h 57 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 lb ground beef; 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs; 2 eggs, whisked; 1 tbsp Yoder Smokers Beef Rub; 1 tbsp garlic, finely grated on the microplane; 1 tsp Bear &amp; Burton The W Sauce; 1 cup (4 oz) Swiss cheese, divided; 1/2 lb thick cut bacon, diced; 1/2 lb baby bella mushrooms, sliced 1/4”; 1 cup beef stock; 1/2 cup Heavy cream; 1 tbsp Kozlik’s Triple Crunch mustard

Dec 10, 2024 • Tom Jackson

Bacon Mushroom Swiss Meatloaf combines smoky, savory flavors with a creamy topping. Made with ground beef, panko, eggs, beef rub, garlic, W Sauce, and Swiss cheese, the meatloaf is shaped into a log, seasoned, and smoked at 350ºF to an internal temperature of 155ºF-160ºF, then rested. The topping is a rich mixture of rendered bacon, sautéed baby portabella mushrooms, garlic, beef stock, and cream, cooked to a creamy consistency. Slices of the meatloaf are topped with the bacon mushroom sauce and grated Swiss cheese for a hearty, flavorful dish.

What You'll Love

The meatloaf is shaped in plastic wrap before it goes on the grill — no loaf pan. Rolling the mixture into a log in plastic, twisting the ends to compress and form it, then unwrapping onto the grill produces a tighter, more uniform shape than a pan-formed meatloaf with better bark development on all sides.
The bacon mushroom sauce is built in the same Dutch oven the bacon rendered in. Two tablespoons of reserved bacon fat go back into the pan before the mushrooms — that's the cooking fat for the entire sauce, which means every component carries the smoked, rendered bacon flavor from the start.
Kozlik's Triple Crunch mustard in the sauce is a specific choice. Triple Crunch has whole seeds, cracked seeds, and ground seeds in one jar — the texture and the sharp, grainy mustard bite it adds to the cream sauce is different from smooth Dijon, and it's a deliberate textural and flavor contrast to the silky Swiss cheese that goes on top.
Half the Swiss cheese goes inside the meatloaf, half goes on top at serving. Inside, it melts into the ground beef and creates pockets of dairy richness throughout the loaf. On top, grated fresh over the hot sauce, it melts into a second layer that ties the topping to the meat below.

Bacon Mushroom Swiss Meatloaf

Tom Jackson

Rated 4.3 stars by 7 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

8

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour 45 minutes

Calories

354

Add a delightful twist to your dinner table with this Bacon Mushroom Swiss Meatloaf! Perfect for cozy family gatherings, this dish combines smoky, savory flavors with a hint of indulgence that suits any time of year. With its rich topping of crispy bacon, buttery mushrooms, and a velvety garlic cream sauce crowned with melty Swiss cheese, every bite offers a warm embrace of flavor. Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or enjoying a quiet evening at home, this recipe is sure to delight.

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Ingredients

2 lb ground beef
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
2 eggs, whisked
1 tbsp Yoder Smokers Beef Rub
1 tbsp garlic, finely grated on the microplane
1 tsp Bear & Burton The W Sauce
1 cup (4 oz) Swiss cheese, divided

Bacon & Mushrooms:

1/2 lb thick cut bacon, diced
1/2 lb baby bella mushrooms, sliced 1/4”
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup Heavy cream
1 tbsp Kozlik’s Triple Crunch mustard

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Directions

Combine all meatloaf ingredients (half of the Swiss cheese - reserve the rest for topping) in a bowl and mix by hand to combine.
Transfer to a sheet of plastic and form into a log shape, then roll the plastic around the meat and twist the ends of the plastic to form into a log/fatty shape.
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 350ºF. Set up for indirect cooking.
Remove the meatloaf from the plastic, keeping its loaf shape. Place on a prep tray, then season with more Yoder Smokers Beef Rub.
Place the meatloaf on the second shelf of the grill and roast to an internal temperature of 155ºF-160ºF, about 1 hour 45 minutes and rest 15 minutes before slicing.
To make the bacon mushroom topping, first render the bacon in a Lodge Enameled Dutch Oven over medium heat. Strain the bacon fat from the bacon. Add two tablespoons of bacon fat back to the dutch oven.
Add the mushrooms to the dutch oven. Cook to soften, and slightly brown.
Add the garlic and mustard. Cook one minute.
Add the beef stock and cream. Cook until reduced to desired consistency and add bacon.
Slice the meatloaf into 8 pieces. Plate each slice. Top with the bacon mushroom sauce. Grate more Swiss cheese over the top.

Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

Why shape the meatloaf in plastic wrap instead of using a loaf pan?

Shaping in plastic wrap and unwrapping onto the grill exposes the entire exterior of the meatloaf to the YS640s's ambient smoke and heat — all sides develop bark simultaneously. A loaf pan insulates the bottom and sides, producing a softer, steamed exterior on those surfaces and concentrating crust development on the top only. The log shape formed in plastic also holds together without sides, giving you clean, compact slices and an even crust all around. It's the same technique used for competition BBQ fatties.

Why cook the meatloaf to 155°F–160°F instead of the standard 160°F for ground beef?

The 155°F pull target accounts for carry-over heat during the 15-minute rest — the internal temperature will rise to 160°F or above while the meatloaf rests loosely tented. Pulling at exactly 160°F and then resting produces a meatloaf that's already at 165°F+ before slicing, which is noticeably drier. Pull at 155°F, rest, and slice at temperature.

How do I know when the bacon mushroom sauce has reduced enough?

The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and holds a clean line when you drag your finger through it — loose enough to spoon over the meatloaf slices but thick enough not to pool into a puddle immediately. The 1 cup beef stock plus 1/2 cup cream reduces to roughly half volume at a steady simmer, which takes about 8–12 minutes over medium heat after the stock and cream go in. Watch the consistency rather than the clock.

Can I make the meatloaf and sauce separately ahead of time?

Yes — the meatloaf keeps refrigerated for up to 4 days and reheats well. Slice cold, then warm slices in a 325°F oven covered with foil for 15–20 minutes, or reheat in a skillet with a splash of beef stock to keep them moist. The bacon mushroom sauce keeps refrigerated for 3 days — reheat over low heat, adding a splash of cream or stock to loosen it back to pouring consistency if it thickens in the refrigerator.

Can I make this indoors?

Indoor cooking rating: 4 out of 5 — Great in the kitchen, better on the grill. A conventional oven at 350°F roasts the meatloaf log on a wire rack over a sheet pan to the same 155°F–160°F internal target — about 60–75 minutes depending on diameter. The bacon mushroom sauce is fully stovetop. What you lose is the pellet smoke character from the YS640s, which adds a faint smoky depth to the meatloaf exterior that an oven can't replicate. The dish is excellent either way.

Recipe Highlights

Mix by Hand Only — Don't Overwork: Direction step 1 says "mix by hand to combine" — that's the correct technique for meatloaf. A stand mixer or aggressive mixing develops the myosin proteins in the ground beef, producing a dense, rubbery texture rather than a tender one. Mix just until all ingredients are evenly distributed with no visible pockets of egg or breadcrumbs. The moment it looks uniform, stop.
Reserve the Bacon Fat — Don't Discard It: Direction step 6 specifies straining the bacon fat from the bacon and returning two tablespoons to the Dutch oven. That reserved fat is the cooking medium for the mushrooms, garlic, and mustard. Don't skip the strain — the bacon bits go back in later after the sauce has reduced. Adding them too early makes them soft and loses their textural contrast in the finished sauce.
Brown the Mushrooms Before Adding Liquid: Direction step 7 says cook the mushrooms "to soften, and slightly brown" before the garlic and mustard go in, and before the stock and cream go in. Mushrooms release significant moisture — adding liquid before they've shed that moisture and browned dilutes the sauce and produces a thin, watery result. Let them cook in the bacon fat until they've released their liquid, it evaporates, and they start to color before moving on.
Add Bacon Back at the End of the Sauce: Direction step 9 adds the rendered bacon back to the sauce after the stock and cream have reduced. Adding it at the beginning would make the bacon soft and lose its rendered, slightly crispy texture. Added at the end, the bacon retains more of its bite and distributes through the finished sauce as distinct pieces rather than dissolving into the background.