Smoked Meatloaf
How to Smoke Meatloaf – This easy and fun twist on the best classic meatloaf recipe makes deliciously tender, moist, and deeply flavorful smoked meatloaves with barbecue sauce on your Traeger grill.
Why We Love this Traeger Smoker Recipe
My friend Michelle of The Wooden Spoon Effect has many amazing meatloaf recipes on her site. Make sure to check them out! But we were especially inspired by her smoked version and wanted to create our own rendition of the Best Smoked Meatloaf recipe.
This classic meatloaf recipe is loaded with puréed veggies to give it extra flavor and moisture, then I’ve added Southwest spices, and topped it with barbecue sauce instead of the traditional ketchup glaze. The spices and barbecue sauce, along with the smoke flavor created by the cooking method, create an irresistible flavor.
I especially like that this Traeger smoked meatloaf recipe makes two meat loaves that are about 1 ½ pounds each. That means you can feed a large family, or make one to serve for dinner tonight and wrap and freeze one for later.
Ingredients You Need
- Ground beef – I suggest 80/20 fat for the most moist meatloaf
- Veggies – bell pepper, carrots, onion, celery
- Garlic – peeled
- Jalapeño – feel free to omit
- Breadcrumbs – regular unseasoned bread crumbs, or panko
- Milk – whole or 2%
- Eggs – room temperature
- Spices – chili powder, salt, cumin, dried oregano
- BBQ sauce – your favorite brand
How to Smoke a Meatloaf
Roughly chop the fresh produce. It does not need to be chopped well because it’s going in the food processor.
Add the chopped bell peppers, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and jalapeno to the food processor.
Pulse until the vegetables are ground into a fine mince.
Next, preheat an electric smoker (or pellet grill) to 200°F, and add your favorite wood pellets. (Hickory, apple, cherry, or mesquite are good options.)
Set out a large mixing bowl. Add the ground beef, pureed veggies, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, and all spices to the bowl.
Mix by hand until very smooth.
Get the Complete (Printable) Smoked Meatloaf Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Divide the meat mixture into two equal portions.
Shape each portion into a loaf about 10 X 4 inches, and place both loaves on a rimmed baking sheet.
Brush the tops and sides of the meatloaves with barbecue sauce.
Smoke the meatloaves for 30 minutes. Leave the loaves in the smoker, and raise the temperature to 350°F. Once the temperature reaches 350, set a timer for 1 hour. Continue to cook the meatloaves until the timer goes off. The internal temperature reads 165°F on a meat thermometer.
Let the loaves rest for 5 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Slice the meatloaf and serve warm with comfort food side dishes.
Traeger smoked meatloaf is delicious to pair with classic potato recipes! Here are a few of our faves for you to try:
- Classic Mashed Potatoes
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Haricot Vert (Green Beans) and Baby Potatoes
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes (Potatoes au Gratin)
- Baked Potato (in a microwave!)
- Spicy Mesquite Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Duchess Potatoes
We also love bringing some green veggies to the table… But there’s no reason to make things complicated! Whip up simple steamed or roasted broccoli, air fryer asparagus, or green beans, or Brussels sprouts, or cook some frozen veggies on the stovetop.
If you have leftovers I highly suggest using slices of meatloaf to make sandwiches! Enjoy cold or hot and loaded with your favorite sandwich fixings. They are super yummy with a scoop of leftover mashed potatoes included!
Frequently Asked Questions
Use an internal meat thermometer to make sure the temperature reaches at least 165°F. The inside of the meatloaf should be cooked brown throughout, without any pink color.
Store leftover meatloaf in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes, you can freeze meatloaf either raw or after smoking. If raw, leave off the barbecue sauce. Raw or cooked, wrap the whole shaped loaf in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil for extra protection. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake per recipe instructions, or smoke from frozen for 90 minutes up to 2 hours.
Looking for More Traeger Smoker Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Prime Rib au Jus
- Smoked Pork Loin (+ Tenderloin)
- Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- Chicken Breast and Thighs
- Easy Smoked Pork Chops (with Brine)
Smoked Meatloaf (How to Smoke Meatloaf)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef (or half beef and half ground turkey)
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped carrot
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 4-6 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
- 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs (or GF breadcrumbs)
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Roughly chop the fresh produce. It does not need to be chopped well because it's going in the food processor.
- Set out a food processor. Add the chopped bell peppers, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and jalapeno to the food processor. Pulse until the vegetables are ground into a fine mince.
- Preheat an electric smoker to 200°F, and add your favorite wood pellets.
- Set out a large mixing bowl. Add the ground beef, pureed veggies, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, and all spices to the bowl. Mix by hand until very smooth.
- Divide the meat mixture into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a loaf about 10 X 4 inches, and place both loaves on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the tops and sides of the meatloaves with barbecue sauce.
- Smoke the meatloaves for 30 minutes. Leave the loaves in the smoker, and raise the temperature to 350°F. Once the temperature reaches 350, set a timer for 1 hour. Continue to cook the meatloaves until the timer goes off. The internal temperature reads 165°F on a meat thermometer.
- Let the loaves rest for 5 minutes. Slice the meatloaf and serve warm.
My fam loved the fun twist of this smoked meatloaf! So tender and incredibly delicious. We’re obsessed!
Brilliant! I never thought to smoke this and it came out beautifully. I served with mashed potatoes and green beans and it was perfect.
I loved this meatloaf, smoking it added so much flavor to it.
Holy Smoke! This was everything that I wanted it to be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe