Smoked Meatloaf

Take a classic comfort food to new levels by adding mouthwatering smoky flavor. This Smoked Meatloaf recipe will become a household favorite!

Meatloaf. It’s perhaps one of the greatest comfort foods of all time. When you think meatloaf, you probably think about cozy dinners inside on cold winter nights. Add in a side of mashed potatoes or creamy mac and cheese, and you’ve described one of the best meals ever. Well, we’re taking that meatloaf to a new level: we’re smoking it!

I’ll admit that I didn’t think there was a way to make meatloaf even better…until I discovered that it could be “baked” on a smoker. The smoke flavor combined with the traditional meatloaf flavors creates something magical. We love smoked meat around our house, and this Smoked Meatloaf quickly raced to the top of our list of favorites.

Smoked Meatloaf

Cooking that meatloaf on a smoker adds a whole new layer of flavor – smoke. There are a couple of tricks for making Smoked Meatloaf, but overall the process is fairly straightforward. Instead of turning on the oven, just fire up the smoker instead!

Using a bread pan is the traditional way to cook meatloaf in the oven. However, when it comes to the smoker, that bread pan blocks all of the wonderful smoke flavor. The solution? A grill basket. We still use a bread pan to shape the meatloaf, but we flip that uncooked meatloaf out of the bread pan and into a grill basket. A grill basket has holes all over it, so it helps create maximum exposure to smoke. I use this one from Cuisinart, and it works well.

Instructions

• Prepare the Smoker. Preheat the smoker to 300°F. While it’s preheating, add a few chunks of wood, but this is important – let that smoker go until the smoke turns from white to clear. The initial white smoke that comes when adding wood is a bit too harsh for smoking. Instead, let it burn off a bit until the smoke turns clear.
  
  As far as wood choices, I recommend hickory or mesquite when it comes to Smoked Meatloaf. Both of these types pair well with beef. Oh, and if you are using a charcoal smoker, then I recommend using larger wood chunks, too.
• Make the Meatloaf. While the smoker is warming up, head back into the kitchen and make the meatloaf. I included a classic meatloaf recipe below, but feel free to use your own version if you prefer. You can just shape the meatloaf into a log with your hands, but I recommend using a bread pan to create a more uniform shape.
• Smoke the Meatloaf. Place the meatloaf in that grilling basket and put it in the smoker. Let it cook (bake) until the internal temperature reaches 150°F – this should take about 1½-2 hours. A probe-style meat thermometer is very helpful as it takes all of the guesswork out of the process!
• Add the Glaze. When the temperature is close to 150°F, whisk together the simple glaze for the top of the meatloaf. Brush this glaze on and then let the meatloaf continue cooking until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. I used a simple ketchup glaze that I doctored with a few other basic ingredients. When this comes off the smoker, the glaze tastes like barbecue sauce – it’s delicious! Of course, feel free to use bbq sauce as the glaze – it would work well for Smoked Meatloaf.
• Rest and Serve. Let the meatloaf rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. For the ultimate comfort food, serve with these slow cooker mashed potatoes or this creamy macaroni and cheese.

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover Smoked Meatloaf should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Before refrigerating, make sure the meatloaf has fully cooled.

Meatloaf also freezes well. Just wrap the leftovers tightly in aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. To reheat, place frozen meatloaf in a 325°F oven for 1-1½ hours, or until heated through. If you let the frozen meatloaf thaw in the fridge overnight, it will reheat much faster.

And when we’re talking about leftover meatloaf, I have to note that these meatloaf sandwiches are amazing. I can’t even imagine how good these would be with a thick slice of smoked meatloaf!

If you’re looking for a way to put a tasty spin on a classic, then make this Smoked Meatloaf today. It’s a household favorite here, and I hope it becomes a household favorite for you, too! (I’m not sure we’ll ever go back to baking a meatloaf in the oven….) Happy Smoking!

Did you make this Smoked Meatloaf recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!

Smoked Meatloaf

Take a classic comfort food to new levels by adding a mouthwatering smoky flavor. This Smoked Meatloaf recipe will become a household favorite!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 384kcal

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Ingredients

For the Meatloaf

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onions
• 3 celery stalks diced
• 1 green bell pepper finely diced
• 1½ tsp minced garlic
• 2 pounds ground beef I used 85/15
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
• ⅓ cup ketchup
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1½ tsp Italian seasonings
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp smoked paprika

For the Glaze

• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

For the Meatloaf

• Preheat smoker to 300°F.
• Add several chunks of hickory wood to the smoker. Let smoker sit until the smoker turns from white to clear. (The initial white smoke that comes when adding new wood is a bit too harsh for smoking. Let it burn off first!)
• Meanwhile, using a large skillet, add olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onion, celery and bell pepper; sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
• Add minced garlic; continue sauteing for 1-2 more minutes.
• Transfer onion mixture into a large bowl and add all remaining meatloaf ingredients (ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, ketchup, egg, parsley, salt, Italian seasonings, pepper and smoked paprika; stir until just combined.
• Spray a 9”x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Press meatloaf mixture into pan.
• Spray a grill basket with nonstick cooking spray. Using a thin spatula, turn meatloaf mixture out of pan onto the grill basket. (Note: For smoked meatloaf, you want maximum exposure to smoke. The loaf pan helps shape the meatloaf while the grill basket is what you will use for the actual smoking process.)
• Place meatloaf on prepared smoker until internal temperature reaches 150°F (~1½-2 hours).

For the Glaze

• Using a small bowl, whisk all Glaze ingredients together.
• Brush mixture evenly on top of meatloaf.
• Continue smoking at 300°F until internal temperature reaches 165°F (~30 more minutes).
• Remove meatloaf from smoker and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Looking for more smoker recipes? Check out these other favorites, too: