Smoked Meatloaf is an unusual and simply delicious version of a classic favorite. Made with a mixture of ground beef, pork, and turkey, roasted red bell peppers, sweet onion, and saltines. It will be your new go-to recipe for an easy meatloaf!
Smoked Meatloaf is the only way I will ever eat meatloaf. If it’s not smoked, then I’m not eating it. I’ve never, ever liked meatloaf and absolutely refused to eat it when I was younger (just ask my Mom).
I mean it’s a total waste of good ground beef. Here are a list of foods I’d rather make with ground beef than a meatloaf:
However, my extreme hatred towards meatloaf took a drastic U-turn one summer weekend, when J wanted a meatloaf and I wanted to smoke something on the grill.
Smoked Meatloaf is the BEST Meatloaf!
The first time I made this smoked meatloaf, I didn’t write down any of the ingredients. I just threw together a bunch of ingredients from the refrigerator and pantry stuff and made it.
Honesty, I really didn’t care about documenting it because I knew I wasn’t going to eat it (because it’s meatloaf). I also knew that I wasn’t going to make it again for J for another year or so (because it’s meatloaf).
Smoked meatloaf tastes NOTHING like regular meatloaf. It is beyond good and all full of smokey goodness. It’s a recipe worthy of ground beef.
This meatloaf had the most amazing flavor and I immediately wrote down the ingredients (guesstimating the amounts) on a small piece of paper. Safely stored it in my favorite BBQ cookbook for future reference, I’m now a converted meatloaf lover and make it at least once a month, even in the winter!
How to roast peppers
Bell peppers are so delish in a smoked meatloaf and I like to roast them first for an extra flavor bang. I always use red bell peppers, but green peppers can be used here too.
- Char the peppers on a grill or gas stove until they are blackened on all sides.
- Steam in a covered bowl or sealed paper bag.
- Peel all the skin off. DO NOT RINSE the skin off, just peel it off with your fingers.
- Remove all of the inside seeds.
- Chop that baby up and use!
Below are a few of my favorite smoking books! Project Smoke by Steven Raichlen is my go-to book whenever and I’ve done a few other recipes of his on TEA. Like these Smoked Stuffed Chicken Thighs With Cheese and Ham or this Double Rum Smoked Turkey.
Love all his recipes and there’s a reason why I use the hashtag #stevenraichlenismyhomeboy on all my Project Smoke recipe pics on Instagram. LOL!
Here’s the meatloaf mixture in my fancy homemade foil pan. This loaf was way too big for a single disposable aluminum foil pan so you can:
- MacGyver a big one (like I did)
- Divide up the mixture and use two disposable foil pans.
How to make your own BBQ foil pan:
- Take a large piece heavy duty foil
- Double it up
- Fold in the shape of a pan the size to fit your meatloaf
While you’ve got the smoker all nice and hot, try these recipes: Smoked Jalapeño Poppers or this fantastic Smoked Porchetta Pork Loin (my favorite because it’s so good on sandwiches the next day!)
So get out the smoker and enjoy this recipe for smoked meatloaf and PIN it for later. Please let me know how you like it in the comments below too!
Smoked Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds ground beef chuck
- 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 roasted red bell peppers , chopped (at home roasting instructions below)
- 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup onion , finely chopped
- 4 fresh garlic cloves , minced
- 2 eggs , beaten
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cup barbecue sauce , homemade or good quality store bought
heavy duty aluminum foil to make your own loaf pan or 2 disposable aluminum foil pans
Instructions
TO ROAST THE RED BELL PEPPERS:
- Grill bell peppers over a gas or charcoal grill. Grill all sides of each pepper until blackened, about 15-20 minutes.
- Place blackened peppers in a small bowl and cover with a plate to allow the steam to loosen up the skin on the peppers. Let steam about 15 minutes and then peel off the pepper skins and scrap out the seeds. DO NOT rinse the peppers under water to remove the skin and seeds because that will remove all the smokey flavor.
- Chop the bell peppers and set aside.
FOR THE MEATLOAF:
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients but only add 1/2 cup of the 1 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce. Reserve other 1 cup of sauce to top the meatloaf later. Mix all ingredients in the bowl together until thoroughly combined.
- Take a small baking sheet and place a foil pan on it. Fill the loaf pan with the meatloaf mixture and set aside to prepare the smoker.**Can make a homemade foil loaf pan by taking a 24" piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and doubling it over by folding it half. Mold the foil sides upwards to form a loaf pan.
- Prepare the smoker and set it at 225F/107C degrees (I like to use fruit woods with this, like cherry or apple). **Alternative oven cooking method to smoking the meatloaf: Bake meatloaf in a preheated 350F/177C degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until middle registers 165F/74C. Top the uncooked meatloaf with the 1 cup of remaining barbecue sauce before placing it in the oven.
- Place the meatloaf pan directly on the rack of an indirect heat source of the smoker and smoke for 3-4 hours, or until middle of meatloaf registers 165F/74C degrees.
- Remove fully cooked meatloaf from the smoker or oven, allow it cool for a couple of minutes in the pan. Then remove from the pan, cut into slices, and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Use a fruit hardwood for smoking. I like to use apple or cherry hardwood to smoke this meatloaf.
- Freeze the cooked meatloaf for later! Freeze whole or individual thick slices by wrapping it really well with freezer butcher paper or plastic wrap and then put in a freezer proof bag.
James Mills says
Trying it for the first time, smoking w/cherry! Hope it comes out delicious…. we shall see.
Karrie says
Cherry is one of my favorite woods to smoke with James and hope you like the recipe!
Kevin says
I don’t mind oven cooked meatloaf but I just smoked one and may never eat another oven cooked one. The wife told me that…. I need to be ready to be smoking in the snow 🙂
Karrie says
LOL Kevin!! Sooooo glad you and your wife liked this recipe and hope you send me a pic of you smoking a meatloaf in the snow this winter 😉
Tom Wilkison says
Great recipe! I wrapped the loafs in bacon. Best meatloaf i’ve eaten Thank You!
Karrie says
Thank you very much Tom and so happy you enjoyed it! Bacon wrapped is the best!!
William R.York says
Well it sounds like a great recipe and smoking is a great way to cook meats. While rehabilitating from a three day stay in the hospital, (three weeks in a skilled nursing and rehab facility) my 89 year old Korean War vet, roommate’s, son-in-law, an avid smoker afisicanado, smoked a brisket for thirteen hours. He smuggled in two chopped beef sandwiches each on a weekend. Delicious! Even so I can’t justify the cost of a smoker though, as I would use it to little. Thanks and Best of Luck in your future endeavors.
Karrie says
Thank you so much William and love that story! Hope you are feeling better now and thank goodness your roomate’s son-in-law smuggled in those smoked brisket sandwiches! I bet they were fantastic because there’s nothing like a good brisket to make you happy.
Azad says
Thank you for the amazing idea and thank you for sharing the wonderful recipe. Can’t wait to try it this weekend!
Karrie says
Thanks Azad and please let me know how you like it!
Todd says
Hi Karrie, not sure how I missed this until now but I definitely need this in my life! My only question to you is, how much smoke and how long? I’ve smoked many meats but nothing ground so I’m curious how much and how long you smoke so as to not over power it.
Karrie says
Hi Todd! The meatloaf can be smoked for 3-4 hours, or until middle of the loaf registers 165F degrees. It’s super easy to make and if you try it, please let me know how you like it.
Jeff the Chef says
What crazy good meatloaf!
Karrie says
Thanks Jeff and it’s so crazy good!
Susan says
Step by step explanation is great !! explained the recipe using simplest possible words and I loved it.
Thank you for all of the work you put into your recipes
Karrie says
Thanks Susan!
Isadora Guidoni says
Damn, this is delicious. I tried this recipe a couple of times adjusting to my own taste with the seasonings and I simply love it! I found that the perfect measurament is 1 full tbs of black pepper and 2 of dried oregano.
Karrie says
Thanks so much Isadora!!! Love that you love it and I’m going to try your suggestions on the black pepper and dried oregano next time I make it!
Candee says
Could you freeze this do you think? Looks amazing. I’d like to make it ahead for our vacation in the mountains
Karrie says
Thanks so much Candee, and yes, you can freeze this meatloaf! I usually make 2 loaves and freeze one to bring out later for dinner or to have for lunches through the week (I cut it into thick slices before freezing for the lunches). I wrap it really well with freezer plastic wrap and then put it in a freezer proof Ziploc bag. Have a wonderful vacation and please let me know how you liked the meatloaf when you get back.
Mike says
I sure hope you’re still monitoring this thread
I’m pretty good with a fire smoker, but age and laziness have caught up with me, and I impulse bought am electric smoker yesterday. I was going to test it with a Pork Belly, but that’s just been trumped with your meatloaf.
Thanks for sharing <3
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
Congrats Mike on your new electric smoker! Did you break it in with the meatloaf? If yes, I’d love to know how it turned out. Yay on the pork belly too! I use Steven Raichlen’s BBQ pork belly recipe a lot because it’s so dang good. His rub is spot on and the belly turns out perfect each time. Here’s the recipe, in case you’re interested: https://barbecuebible.com/recipe/barbecued-pork-belly/:
Happy smoking! )
Todd says
Amazing! I’ve seen a few similar recipes now. Going to have to try this soon. I saw one that after it’s smoked, they slice it, baste the individual slices with BBQ sauce, and then hit it with a hot grill to caramelize the outer sides of the individual slices!
[email protected] says
Thanks Todd! Love the idea of basting meatloaf slices with BBQ sauce and grilling it! Trying that next time I make this
Aaron says
I loved the idea so much, that I had to try my own thing…. I used 3 lbs of 85/15 ground turkey, one orange and one yellow bell pepper, 2 portabella mushroom caps, some secret seasonings, panko breadcrumbs, and then did a bacon lattice wrap over the top, cuz nothing has to be 100% healthy, and who doesn’t love bacon…..
https://www.dropbox.com/s/t9fz4bxqk88j9je/20170627_184711.jpg?dl=0
[email protected] says
WHOA!!! Nice bacon lattice work Aaron! I love bacon so why didn’t I think of encasing the whole meatloaf in a bacon blanket??? Thanks so much for taking the time to comment on what you did and I’ve going to try your method next time I make this because…BACON!!!!!
Jeremy D'Souza says
I have never really been a fan of meatloaf, but while looking for new things to smoke on my kamado, I came across this recipe.
Not sure if I’ll ever like standard oven baked meatloaf, but I LOVE this smoked version. Second time making it today and it did not disappoint :).
[email protected] says
Thanks so much Jeremy and I’m sooooo happy you like it! I’ve never been a fan of meatloaf either but luckily, one day I smoked one! It’s so different from a plain old boring regular meatloaf. And the leftovers are fabulous too Everything tastes better smoked, right?
Love that you have a kamado. I’ve been wanting one of those for a while, but I already have 4 smokers and can’t seem to get motivated to splurge on another one. Maybe I’ll get one for my birthday this summer. heeheehee
JOE says
Please tell me, what kind of wood did you use?
[email protected] says
Hi Joe! I like to use a fruit wood to smoke this meatloaf and I’ve used both cherry and apple before. Although feel free to your favorite wood. If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you
James Vickers says
I made this recipe last night, on the smoker. 260° for 3 hours 15 minutes. I used charcoal and hickory, in my barrel smoker. I didn’t use turkey. 2lb ground Chuck, 1½lb ground pork. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly. My wife and I both thought that it’s the best meatloaf we’ve ever had. Kudos and thanks!
[email protected] says
Thanks so much James! Love the beef and pork combo you smoked. We just bought a barrel smoker and love it. I haven’t tried this meatloaf in it but may do one this weekend
James Wallace says
Loved it, used apple wood, smoked the onions with the peppers. also smoked a jalapeno to give it a little heat.
[email protected] says
I’m so happy you liked it James and thank you so much for taking the time to give feedback. Good idea on the smoking of the onions, peppers, and jalapenos! Definitely trying that next time
Jodie Henry says
This is the BEST meatloaf I’ve ever had! I HATE meatloaf, but hubby loves it. I decided to try this as I love using my smoker. Amazing, so flavorful and satisfying!
[email protected] says
Yay!! Thank you so much Jodie! Very happy you and your Hubby liked it. I don’t like meatloaf either but I love it smoked
Neal says
I tried this recipe and it was awesome. Thank you. I’m keeping this recipe for future use. I used hickory wood chips from weber. Turned out perfect. Loved it. I will be making this again. I love Trying new things to grill.
[email protected] says
Yay Neal! I’m so glad you tried the recipe and liked it! I bet the hickory wood chips gave it a wonderful flavor. Thanks again for taking the time to give your feedback and I’ll try to put up more grilling/smoking recipes
Walt says
could one smoke a meatloaf right on tbe grates to gey rid of the grease that mskes the boymttom all soggy?
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
Hey Walt, I’ve seen people smoke it directly on the smoking grill grates, but I haven’t tested that technique with my recipe.
Kimberly Wagner says
You can make foil rolls in your pan to make a grate keep it out of the grease or just put it on a baking rack. That would be alot of grease all over the smome if not.
GrammaSue says
Hey Walt! Yes, my husband puts the meatloaf directly on the grill (indirect) so the fat drips out (he uses a drip pan below so it doesn’t start a fire). If the meatloaf is large, two spatulas will help to remove it to a plate.
Keith says
Try cutting an onion slice about 1/2” or thicker an place under meatloaf.
Or you can put a hole(s) in the bottom of the pan. Put empty pan below to catch grease. Happy smoking. Haha