Easy Smoked Meatloaf – Grillin With Dad

We’ve all had meatloaf at some point in our lives. Those childhood memories scream dry and tough slices of meat that we all tried to avoid. I’m here to put a stop to dry, hard, flavorless meatloafs for good! My Easy Smoked Meatloaf recipe is soft, juicy and flavorful. A few important tips and tricks will have you making meatloaf for dinner all the time.

For more easy dinner solutions try my delicious braised chicken in tomato sauce recipe or a fan favorite the smoked crab stuffed salmon.

What Makes a Good Meatloaf?

Key factors that make for one good meatloaf are moisture, flavor and does it hold together. Using the right meat blend, strong flavors and multiple binder options will result in the best easy smoked meatloaf you’ve ever had.

Trust me when I say, as a kid I hated meatloaf, as many of us did. But my kids love my recipe and enjoy it just as much as a grilled steak. Don’t over think it, don’t over do it and it will be perfect.

Ingredient List for an Easy Smoked Meatloaf.

• Ground Beef: I recommend a ground chuck 80/20 blend, meaning 80% lean and 20% fat. Any leaner than that and your meatloaf might come out dry.

• Eggs: work as a binder for the meatloaf mix.

• Milk: will mix with breadcrumbs to help add a lot of moisture.

• Breadcrumbs: binder to keep the meatloaf together.

• Onion: sautéed onions add flavor, savoriness and a caramelized taste to the dish.

• Garlic: roasted garlic adds a robust richness and savoriness to the flavor of the dish.

• Parsley: for a punch of freshness

• Worcestershire sauce: adds a savory and umami flavor the BBQ sauce.

• Mustard: I like using a horseradish mustard to give the meatloaf some tanginess to breakup the savory flavors.

Dad’s Seasonings

Must have grillin seasonings!

Secret to making a moist smoked meatloaf.

There are a few steps you can take to ensure a moist meatloaf once it’s done. All of this is in the prep work.

About an hour before starting the recipe, roast a whole head of garlic in the oven. Cut off the tip, drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt, wrap tightly in foil and in the oven it goes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. Let it cool off before adding to the easy smoked meatloaf mixture.

Next, dice a yellow onion and sauté until it is translucent. Let it rest and cool off.

What truly keeps a meatloaf moist is the breadcrumb paste. In a cup, add plain unseasoned breadcrumbs and milk. Mix the ingredients together and set to the side. Allow the breadcrumbs to soak up the milk. It will look like paste or oatmeal, but trust me, this is the secret to a tender and juicy meatloaf.

In a separate large mixing bowl, add ground beef. I recommend using a fattier chuck roast 80% lean and 20% fat. More fat renders down during the cooking process keeping the meat juicy and flavorful.

To the bowl add in 2 whisked eggs, the milky breadcrumb paste, sautéed onions, roasted garlic, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish mustard, finely chopped parsley and seasoning.

How to properly form a meatloaf.

The ingredients are half the battle to getting the perfect moist, tender and flavorful meatloaf. You need to put some love into it when mixing and shaping.

Mix the ingredients together by hand. Do not use a spatula or mixer. Gentle mixing of the ingredients allows everything to be combined while not over working it. By mixing too hard or too much, you run the risk of making the meatloaf tough and crumbly. Mix just enough to blend the ingredients evenly.

Next, remove the meatloaf blend, place it on a sheet pan lined with butcher paper and gently shape the mixture into an oval loaf. Make sure all sides and edges are sealed to prevent cracks later on.

Finish it off with a light layer of Dad’s All Purpose rub over the outside. This will give the meat additional savory flavors as well as create a nice bark.

Using an open sheet pan rather than a meatloaf pan will allow the smokiness from the grill to penetrate through the meat while it’s smoking away.

How to smoke a meatloaf.

The best way to enjoy a deliciously juicy and flavorful easy smoked meatloaf is to smoke it on the grill. The added smokiness adds a rustic layer that cannot be achieved in the oven.

For this cook, I used my Weber Searwood Pellet smoker. Preheat the grill to 250 degrees and set for indirect heat. Place the sheet pan with the meatloaf directly on the grates, close the lid and let it cook.

An hour into the cook, it’s time to start glazing the easy smoked meatloaf.

There are a few options when it comes to a meatloaf glaze. You can go down the traditional ketchup route, use a store bought sauce or make your own tangy homemade bbq sauce like I did.

Add the ingredients to a saucepan, mix and simmer over low heat. Once the sauce is thick and tacky, remove if from the heat.

With a brush, add a layer of the sauce of choice all over the outside of the meatloaf. Repeat this every 30 minutes until the meatloaf is cooked.

Once the internal temperature of this easy smoked meatloaf reaches 160 degrees it’s time to remove it from the grill or any other cooking device. The total cook time will be approximately 2 hours, start to finish, depending on your smoker and size of your meatloaf. Remember: ground meat needs to be cooked all the way through unlike steak.

Resting the easy smoked meatloaf is just as important.

Let the Easy Smoked Meatloaf rest for 5-10 minutes. This process is very important as it redistributes the juices making for one soft and tender slice after another. Using a long and sharp knife, cut the meatloaf into thick slices, serve and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions: