Smoked meatloaf with sweet BBQ glaze

The gentle heat of the barbecue pit and a few clever ingredients keeps this smoked meatloaf incredibly juicy while cooking.

If you conducted a random survey to determine America’s greatest comfort food, you’d end up with a LOT of votes for meatloaf. I think there’s a lot of folks out there that have great memories associated with meatloaf. Maybe their mom’s secret recipe. Maybe their grandmas classic meatloaf loaded with a side of mashed potatoes. Or maybe it’s just that we love any kind of ground beef formed into a shape!

If you thought you loved meatloaf before, you are going to go crazy for this smoked version. The smoke sort of acts like an extra ingredient, giving an incredible bonus aroma and flavor to the beef. And while a traditional meatloaf has a tomato glaze, it makes total sense to give this one a barbecue sauce twist. You can make this on any kind of smoker, BBQ pit, pellet grill and even a regular grill set up for indirect cooking with some wood chips.

I’m particularly proud of this recipe because it produces such moist results. Too often you see an overworked, sad, dry and crumbly meatloaf slice. And that’s NOT my idea of a delicious dish. This version is so juicy it’s nearly like a slice of sloppy joe! And best of all, it tastes like beef, not just ‘filler’ ingredients.

This recipe was made possible by the good folks at the Beef Loving Texans.

Smoked meatloaf with sweet BBQ glaze

Ingredients

• 2lb ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
• ¾ c bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon dried or fresh parsley
• ½ cup bbq sauce
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Pre heat a smoker or pellet grill to 250f.
2. In a small pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until softened, 7-10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
3. In a small bowl, combine milk and breadcrumbs to form a thick paste, stirring well. Leave 5 minutes to allow crumbs to absorb all the milk and swell.
4. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, cooled cooked onion, breadcrumb mix, eggs, garlic, paprika, Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, salt and parsley. Work quickly to mix the ingredients thoroughly, but be carefully not to overwork or overmix the meat.
5. Carefully scrape the meat out onto a wire rack, and shape into a loaf.
6. In a bowl, combine remaining tomato paste, BBQ sauce and cider vinegar to make a sauce.
7. Brush meatloaf with first coating of sauce, and place the entire rack into the smoker. Brush with the sauce during cooking every 35-40 minutes.
8. Cook the meatloaf until it reaches an internal temperature of 165f, about 3-4 hours.