Smokin’ Hot Meatloaf

Smoked Meatloaf off the Royall

Patti and I have set one night a week just for us. It’s our date night. We usually put something special on the grill but sometimes we cook inside. We always eat outside on our patio where it is very comfortable with a rainforest theme.  Wood burning stove, little lights, candles, lanterns and surround sound. We enjoy a little wine, or strawberry margaritas using frozen strawberries for ice, good food, music and sometimes a dance or two…

Today has been a long week and comfort food was mandatory. For us that also means something on the barbecue. We both love meatloaf and it sounded like the perfect plan. Served with Patti’s garlic mashed potatoes, of course. Also, because we got some good sourdough bread. So, meatloaf sandwiches are on board for tomorrow’s lunch. Ken thinks that’s the best reason to make meatloaf.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes
Grill: Royall 3000 Wood Pellet Grill/Smoker
Pellets: Oak

Ingredients: Smokin’ Hot Meatloaf

2lbs. lean ground beef 80/20
1lb. bulk hot sausage
1 jar chunky hot salsa
2 eggs, beaten
1 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh garlic
4 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
3 cups cheese crackers, crushed
1 Tablespoon BBQ Bros. Texas Style Rub
½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 cup Grandville’s Extra Spicy BBQ Jam

Mix your seasoning

Directions: Smokin’ Hot Meatloaf

In large bowl mix all ingredients, except BBQ Jam, thoroughly. Refrigerate at least two hours. Form into loaf on grill grate. Make a tunnel down center of loaf and fill with BBQ Jam. We love using the grill grates because the fat drips away and you’re not cooking your meatloaf in lots of melted grease. It’s a healthier way to cook.

Cooking Directions: Royall Wood Pellet Grill/Smoker

Open the lid and set the dial to “Smoke”, turn it on. After about five minutes you can shut the lid. Give it about 10 minutes to heat up. Patti has lined the drip pan with foil for me, it makes for easier clean up.

Place everything directly onto the grill and just let it hang out in the smoke and get happy for 30 minutes or so. This is referred to as “smoking”, the temperature is around 165-180 degrees. 30 minutes of smoking is not enough to have any cooking effect on your meat but it is enough to open the pores up so that the meat can pick up all the flavor of the smoke

After 30 minutes, turn the digital control up to 350 degrees. Leave the meat on the grill while it comes up to temperature. Cook for an hour at 350, you are looking for an internal temperature of 165 U.S.D.A..

Looken Good

Note: I get a lot of questions about the kind of pellets you can use with a recipe. Keep in mind that a recipe is just an outline. Some you need follow closely like when you are making bread, but most you can do anything you can dream, our favorite way to cook. Feel free to mix and match the pellets until you find a combination you really like. Also you are only smoking at temps less than 250 degrees, anything higher is cooking and there will not be much if any smoke so it does not matter what kind of pellet you are using.

Directions: Gas Grill
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes
Grill: Direct Medium Indirect Heat

Preparing Grill: Medium Indirect Heat

Preheat your grill to medium heat (300 – 350) and turn off one side so you will be cooking with indirect heat. Add your wet hickory chips over the fire and oil the grill. A cooking spray is easiest for this. (Note: you can add your hickory directly to the grill or you can use foil smoke packets.(Two handfuls wet chips and one dry, fold foil into a packet, poke holes in it with a fork and you’re good to go.)

Cooking In the Oven:

We have been getting requests for recipe conversions for the oven. I tell folks all the time that cooking on a Royall wood pellet grill is just as easy as cooking in your oven. Just about anyone can do it and do it well. Think about it. You set your control knob to the temp you want, put your meat in and leave it for a set time.

It is the same thing, time and temperature is what it is all about. The Royall is just like your oven except it uses wood pellets and has wheels.

If you want to smoke in your oven they sell oven smokers for that. I, myself, would not spend the money on one of those when you can make your own out of foil.

Foil smoke packets. (Two handfuls wet chips and one dry, fold foil into a packet, poke holes in it with a fork and you’re good to go.) Just set it in the oven. You might want to make sure you turn on your vent fan or your house will fill up with smoke. You will give your alarms a good work out.

About our Recipes

We do our recipes on our patio where we have a lineup of grills, including Royall Wood Pellet Grill/Smoker, Traeger, Char Griller side box smoker, Charmglow, Char-Broil, The Big Easy, Brinkman and Weber. I call it our “Wall of Grill”. Our grilling styles are healthy and low fat and will fit pellet heads, gas, natural wood and even charcoal purists. Almost any of our recipes can be done on any kind of good BBQ.

The important thing to keep in mind is TIME & TEMPERATURE. You can even do some of them in the oven or crock pot, but, then you lose all the flavors you get from cooking outdoors. But sometimes it does rain.

Remember that a recipe is simply an outline; it is not written in stone. Don’t be afraid to make changes to suit your taste.
Take it and run with it….

Live Your Passion,
Ken & Patti

http://datenightdoins.com
blog.datenightdoins.com 

For REAL GOOD BBQ Sauce/Jam
Check out Grandville’s Gourmet BBQ Jam 

Steve 360 943 2861
www.grandvillesbbqsauces.com

MM Livestock Co.

Megan McDowell 951 805 7341

builttoslide@msn.com
http://www.california.beef.com