Mom wanted meatloaf for dinner and I had a new smoker I needed to take for a spin.
Inspiration for this recipe came from here and here both of which are similar and pretty standard oven meanloaf recipes.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onion. Cut a few onion rings and set aside. Finely chop the remaining onion.
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 heaping teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1.5 lb ground beef (80/20)
- ¾ cup bread crumbs. I used a mix of Panko and Italian, because that is what I had.
- ¾ cup BBQ sauce, divided
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat smoker to 325°F. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper or heavy-duty, nonstick foil.
- Combine chopped olive oil, onion, garlic and thyme in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk to combine.
- Add the onion mix, ground meats, bread crumbs and 1/4 cup BBQ sauce to the egg mixture and mix with your hands until just combined.
- Form the meat mixture into a 12 x 5-inch loaf shape directly on the prepared baking sheet. Spread remaining BBQ sauce evenly over the top and sides of the loaf. Spread the onion rings on top of the meatloaf.
- Cook in smoker until an instant-read thermometer or probe registers 165°F in the middle of the meatloaf. It will probably take a little over 1 hour. Let the meatloaf rest for about 10 minutes. Scrape any fat away from the edges of the meatloaf (it will ooze out and brown while baking), then use a wide spatula to transfer the meatloaf to a cutting board or serving platter. Slice and serve.
Notes
- The onions on top were OK, but they didn’t get crispy. Next time I might try sprinkling some french fried onions on top after cooking to get a little crunch. Or maybe sprinkle them on after slicing along with a little chopped parsley to make it all pretty.
- For step 2 you could also saute the onions and garlic, but I find microwaving to be a little quicker and easier. And the dish can go in the dishwasher so no pan to clean.
- You could also cook this in the oven. I haven’t tried this, but I’d increase the temp to 350. I did a little lower and slower in the smoker to get more smoke flavor.