I posted this recipe a couple of years ago; I have since modified it a bit mostly for the sake of streamlining.
My favorite meatloaf recipe, sorry Meathead yours is excellent though. The biggest issue is this meatloaf is it’s a bit labor-intensive, at least compared to other recipes. However, I have come up with a technique the greatly speeds up the process. I make a starter then freeze. What’s nice about making a starter, once it’s made you can get your meatloaf cooking faster than pretty much any other recipe. To make the starter get a quart of half & half (4 cups) and using the entire container and simply multiply everything by 8 all the way through the ketchup, prepare everything through step 4. Then divide into 8 equal portions in quart freezer bags and freeze. When ready, thaw, and resume at step 5. If you start with a pint (2 cups) scale accordingly by multiply by 4.
Regardless of the recipe, the concept of a starter is a huge time saver.
1 Tbl butter
¾ cup minced green onion
¾ cup minced onion ~ 3 oz
½ cup minced carrot ~ 2.5 oz
½ cup minced celery ~ 1.25 oz
¼ cup minced red bell pepper ~ 1.5 oz
¼ cup minced poblano pepper ~ 1.5 oz
3 Tbsp minced garlic ~ 4 large cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cumin
½ cup ketchup
½ cup half & half
3 eggs, beaten
2 lbs 80/20 ground beef (feel free to use lean, I like the 80/20 best)
1 lb ground breakfast sausage
¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
1. Bring smoker to 225 deg. (350 if using an oven)
2. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat.
3. Chop and add green onion, onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and garlic (I just toss everything in large chunks in a food processor) to skillet, stirring often for 10-15 minutes or until moisture has evaporated. Let cool. (I have done this up to a couple of days in advance and stored in frig)
4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cumin, ketchup, half & half, and eggs. Mix well.
5. In a large mixing bowl add ground beef, sausage, breadcrumbs, and vegetable/half & half mixture
6. Mix well, but be careful to not over work. (Hands are recommended.)
7. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
8. Line a 10" loaf pan with plastic wrap and add the meat mixture, pressing it into the corners. (As often as not I just free form it by hand on a cookie sheet)
9. Turn loaf pan upside down onto cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, the raw meatloaf will drop out. Remove plastic wrap.
10. Smoke at 225 for 30 min for good smoke, then bump to 350. Pull when probe hits 155, carryover will raise internal temp to 165.
11. Tent with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving
Note: The raw meatloaf mixture is very wet. Once in the loaf pan, I like to put it in the frig for at least a couple of hours which helps it firm up a bit. I also forgo the cookie sheet sometimes and cook directly on the grill grates, if I do, I cut a piece of aluminum foil the size of the loaf pan opening. Place the piece of foil on top of meatloaf before turning out to grill grate. Keep in mind the drippings make an excellent gravy if you use the cookie sheet.
Also, 2 hrs on a MAK 1 Star: 30 min at 225, 1:30 at 350. Given time I take it an hour or even two at 225 before the bump. This works well for me, obviously, time will vary given your smoke temp/time.
This meatloaf really doesn't need a topping, still about half the time I do with brush sauce the top and sides about halfway through the cook. In the attached pics it was topped with an espresso BBQ sauce.
My favorite meatloaf recipe, sorry Meathead yours is excellent though. The biggest issue is this meatloaf is it’s a bit labor-intensive, at least compared to other recipes. However, I have come up with a technique the greatly speeds up the process. I make a starter then freeze. What’s nice about making a starter, once it’s made you can get your meatloaf cooking faster than pretty much any other recipe. To make the starter get a quart of half & half (4 cups) and using the entire container and simply multiply everything by 8 all the way through the ketchup, prepare everything through step 4. Then divide into 8 equal portions in quart freezer bags and freeze. When ready, thaw, and resume at step 5. If you start with a pint (2 cups) scale accordingly by multiply by 4.
Regardless of the recipe, the concept of a starter is a huge time saver.
1 Tbl butter
¾ cup minced green onion
¾ cup minced onion ~ 3 oz
½ cup minced carrot ~ 2.5 oz
½ cup minced celery ~ 1.25 oz
¼ cup minced red bell pepper ~ 1.5 oz
¼ cup minced poblano pepper ~ 1.5 oz
3 Tbsp minced garlic ~ 4 large cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cumin
½ cup ketchup
½ cup half & half
3 eggs, beaten
2 lbs 80/20 ground beef (feel free to use lean, I like the 80/20 best)
1 lb ground breakfast sausage
¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
1. Bring smoker to 225 deg. (350 if using an oven)
2. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat.
3. Chop and add green onion, onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and garlic (I just toss everything in large chunks in a food processor) to skillet, stirring often for 10-15 minutes or until moisture has evaporated. Let cool. (I have done this up to a couple of days in advance and stored in frig)
4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cumin, ketchup, half & half, and eggs. Mix well.
5. In a large mixing bowl add ground beef, sausage, breadcrumbs, and vegetable/half & half mixture
6. Mix well, but be careful to not over work. (Hands are recommended.)
7. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
8. Line a 10" loaf pan with plastic wrap and add the meat mixture, pressing it into the corners. (As often as not I just free form it by hand on a cookie sheet)
9. Turn loaf pan upside down onto cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, the raw meatloaf will drop out. Remove plastic wrap.
10. Smoke at 225 for 30 min for good smoke, then bump to 350. Pull when probe hits 155, carryover will raise internal temp to 165.
11. Tent with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving
Note: The raw meatloaf mixture is very wet. Once in the loaf pan, I like to put it in the frig for at least a couple of hours which helps it firm up a bit. I also forgo the cookie sheet sometimes and cook directly on the grill grates, if I do, I cut a piece of aluminum foil the size of the loaf pan opening. Place the piece of foil on top of meatloaf before turning out to grill grate. Keep in mind the drippings make an excellent gravy if you use the cookie sheet.
Also, 2 hrs on a MAK 1 Star: 30 min at 225, 1:30 at 350. Given time I take it an hour or even two at 225 before the bump. This works well for me, obviously, time will vary given your smoke temp/time.
This meatloaf really doesn't need a topping, still about half the time I do with brush sauce the top and sides about halfway through the cook. In the attached pics it was topped with an espresso BBQ sauce.
Attached Files
Thanks for sharing .
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