Introduction: Smoked BBQ Meatloaf
Meatloaf is a great comfort food and it's even better on the smoker.
What you will need.
2 pounds ground chuck
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup of fresh bread crumbs.
seasoning salt
onion power
garlic powder
black pepper
milk
Worcestershire sauce
Steak sauce
a pan with several holes in it.
a hand full of wood chips for smoke.
Step 1: Mix Ingredients
In a large bowl add beef, pork, 1 tsp of the seasoning salt, 1 tbs each of the Worcestershire and steak sauce, the beaten eggs, 3 tbs of milk, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp of onion powder, 1 cup of fresh bread crumbs and 1/2 tsp of pepper.
Mix with hands until everything is well combined and form a ball in the bowl.
To make the bread crumb place 2-3 slices of bread in a food processor and blend until they are crumbs.
Step 2: Post Mixing
Now that the meatloaf has been mixed up place a pan with several large holes or a pre-made bbq pan like a grill wok on top of the bowl and flip over. Once the meatloaf in on the pan shape it into a loaf. Smooth out the surface with a spatula or the back of a table knife. Cover bottom of the pan with foil and wrap the top of the loaf tightly with plastic wrap. Place in fridge for 1 hour to let it firm up. This dish can be made the night before and left in the fridge until your ready to cook it.
Step 3: Smoking the Loaf
Fire up your smoker or prepare your grill for indirect cooking. Place a foil pan under where the meat will be to catch the grease.
You want your smoker or grill between 300 and 350 degrees.
Remove meatloaf from fridge. Remove foil and plastic wrap. Sprinkle the top with kosher salt and black pepper. You can also apply your favorite bbq rub.
Place meatloaf in pan on the smoker. Add 1 hand full of wood chips or a few thumb sized chunks of wood to the coals. It is very easy to over smoke this dish. Ground meat absorbs smoke much easier that whole meats so a little goes a very long way.
Close lid and let it rip for at least an hour before you check the internal temp.
Tip: Make sure the grease is draining away from the meat. If the loaf is sitting in grease then the bottom of the meatloaf will be very soggy. If you use something with small holes run your bbq tongs across the holes to unclog them.
Step 4: Time to Eat
Once the internal temp of the meatloaf has risen to 165 in the center you can remove the meatloaf from your smoker. This will usually take 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on your smoker/grills cooking temp.
Place meatloaf on cutting board and loosely tent with foil. Let is rest for 10 minutes.
Slice and serve. Meatloaf goes great with other comfort foods like mashed potatoes and fresh steamed green beans
This recipe makes enough for at least 6 adults. You can change the quantity of the ingredients to make a smaller loaf but why would you when the left overs make awesome sandwiches.
Happy Smoking!
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9 Comments
11 years ago on Introduction
I've been smoking meatloaf for some time. A friend recently told me of a mac and cheese stuffing he uses for smoked meatloaf. We're going to take our current reciepe and see what we can dream up.
11 years ago on Introduction
Every time we smoke a meatloaf, we wrap a head of cabbage in foil and throw it in the smoker, too. It's always done when the meatloaf is. The flavor of the cabbage is soooo much different. Everybody goes for it, first.
13 years ago on Introduction
I have been doing a version of this for some time now-great recipe, and every time I make it I get a new devotee. Around here in Northeastern PA, people like it because it reminds them of Kielbasa, as we have a fairly large immigrant Polish population-it's a combination of the smoking, and the fair amount of garlic I add....awesome!
13 years ago on Introduction
It certainly looks good but my question is, why such a high temperature for cooking it? Isn't smoking typically done in the 225 range?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
The infamous 225 degrees applies to whole meats that, in order to be tender, must be cooked for long periods of time so tough connective tissues break down. Meatloaf is made from ground meat and there's nothing to break down. If you were to smoke this at a lower temp for a longer time you would end up with a brick of dry meat that would be way over smoked. Don't get caught up in the hype about 225 degrees. My smoker settles in at 250 every time and the results are magical.
Remember, good BBQ is all about good technique.
13 years ago on Introduction
All i can say is WOW
13 years ago on Introduction
Holy Cow! (Should I say Holy Smoke?) I've never thought about actually SMOKING my meatloaf. This won't heat the house up either. Thanks for the recipe!
13 years ago on Introduction
For once in my life, meatloaf sounds good. Thanks for the recipe!
13 years ago on Introduction
mmmm that looks really tasty ! ! I like to add chopped onions and peppers to my meatloaf, adding grated chedder cheese to the mix or "hiding" cheese in the center can give a bit of spark to the s.o.s.o but then there are as many recipes for meatloafs as there are cooks (or 3-5 per cook?) I never thought about smaoking a meatloaf though, going to have to remember this one !