Especially Good Meat Loaf (South)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 12 lb ground veal
• 14 lb ground pork
• 14 lb smoked ham, ground, baked (3/4 cup)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 12 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (1 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 23 cup breadcrumbs, soft
• 2 eggs
• 1 12 teaspoons salt, to taste
• 12 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 slices lean bacon, smoked, cut in half

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine meats with the onion, thyme, breadcrumbs, eggs, salt & pepper, mixing well with a fork (not with your hands, since that will toughen freshly ground meat), then form into a large loaf.
3. Place 3 to 6 pieces of bacon in the bottom of a baking dish, then lay the loaf on top of the bacon, before covering the top of the loaf with the rest of the bacon (which adds flavor & moisture).
4. Bake about 1 1/2 hours or until the outside of the loaf is golden brown, the juices run clear when the loaf is poked with a skewer, & it feels firm to the touch.
5. Discard all the bacon & serve either hot or cold.

ground beef, ground veal, ground pork, ham, onion, thyme, breadcrumbs, eggs, salt, ground black pepper, lean bacon

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/especially-good-meat-loaf-south-375665 (may not work)