Ultimate Grilled Meatloaf Recipe
This is the ultimate meatloaf recipe, moist, flavorful, and cooked on the grill, where it picks up smoke flavor as well.
Ingredients
Wet Stuff
- 2 raw eggs
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I prefer Chipotle Tabasco, or my homemade Controlled Burn Hot Sauce)
- ⅓ cup whole milk or 2% milk
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest (about 1 large orange)
Dry Stuff
- 1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon dried crumbled basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried crumbled oregano leaves
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Veggies
- 1 small onion
- ½ small sweet red bell pepper or you choice of colors
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes or Smoked Cherry Tomatoes
Meat
- 1 pound coarsely ground beef chuck, 80 to 85% lean
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ pound uncooked bacon
Method
- Prep. In a big bowl, mix the wet stuff thoroughly. In a small bowl, mix the dry stuff thoroughly. Add the dry stuff to the wet stuff and stir it together. Let it soak for a minute or two.
- Chop the onions, peppers, and sun dried tomatoes into small bits. Add the veggies to the big bowl. Chop the bacon into small bits and add that to the bowl along with the rest of the meat. Mix gently. Resist the temptation to overwork the mass and pack it tight. We don't need no stinkin' meat bricks. If it doesn't mix thoroughly, that's OK: bursts of flavor are fun. Form it into a cylinder about 3" (7.6cm) in diameter. Yes, I know this sounds weird, but this tube shape will insure that it cooks evenly on all sides and it makes it easier to roll around on the grill to brown on all sides.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and place the meatloaf in the refrigerator to firm up while you prepare the grill.
- Fire up. Set up your grill for 2-zone cooking. Preheat the indirect side to about 325°F (163°C). That's a good temp for browning things without squeezing out too much moisture. Start a pot of water boiling for the potatoes.
- Cook. Place the loaf on the grate on the indirect side. Throw some wood on the fire to add a bit of smoke, but not too much. Roast until the temp in the center of the loaf is 150°F (65°C) and then move it over to the direct infrared heat side and roll it around, lid open, until you have a nice crust on all sides and it hits 155°F (68°C). The paint it with a glaze of KC Style red barbecue sauce and let it bake on until it hits 160°F (71°C), the temp at which the eggs are thoroughly cooked and safe.
- Serve. Remove the meatloaf from the grill, slice and serve with mashed potatoes and/or your favorite side dishes.
- Now tell us, what do you do with your leftovers?
Notes
About the sundried tomatoes. Use soft, pliable sundrieds. If yours have dried hard, soak them in warm water for about 15 minutes before chopping or else they will soak up all the other liquids in the loaf and make it dense. I use my home made smoked sundrieds. If you wish, substitute chopped dried plums, raisins, or apples.
About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.
Glaze. If you want to paint with a glaze, try Red Kansas City BBQ Sauce or Yakitori Sauce.
Optional toppings. This loaf is flavorful and moist, so it should not need toppings, but I must confess, I like caramelized onion or even a sunnyside up egg occasionally.
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