Smoked BBQ Meatloaf

Ah, meatloaf. It just happens to be my hubby’s favorite meal. In fact, he’s in a food coma right now after eating a big old plate of the magical stuff. It’s definitely the way to his heart. 🙂

The first time I ever tasted BBQ meatloaf was at a southern restaurant. They had one of those giant smokers for their pulled pork, ribs…and you guessed it, meatloaf.

It’s not enough to enjoy meatloaf the good-old fashioned way. In the south, we simply have to smoke everything…and for good reason.

I don’t have a smoker, or 8 hours to smoke anything in it, but I do have a bottle of liquid smoke, which will do in a pinch. So, today, I set out to make the best BBQ Meatloaf ever…and I’m pretty sure I came really close. If you have a smoker, then by all means, smoke this baby in it! Otherwise, liquid smoke is your best bet.

There’s no magic in this recipe. You simply substitute your favorite BBQ sauce for ketchup in the traditional dish. The magic comes when you serve it alongside hand-whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes and sweet tiny peas. Oh yeah. There’s nothing better!

I like to lighten it up by using a combo of ground turkey and ground beef. Of course, you can only use beef if you like, or just turkey. But, the combo of the two works best. Some people like ground sausage in their meatloaf. Use whatever floats your boat! 🙂

I added Trader Joe’s BBQ Rub seasoning and one tablespoon of liquid smoke to the meat before adding the BBQ sauce. The sauce I used in this dish is Sweet Baby Ray’s. The sweet, tangy taste blends nicely with turkey and beef.

The rest of this dish is nothing fancy….seasonings, bread crumbs, a beaten egg, peppers and onions round out the loaf. Just pop it into a greased loaf pan and 45 minutes later, the aroma will slap you silly!

Give it a try and tell me what you think…

Smoked BBQ Meatloaf

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Debi ~ QuicheMyGrits
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Description

Smoked BBQ Meatloaf will wake up your taste buds and slap you silly! 

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

LOAF

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small sweet red pepper, diced
• 1 Tbsp. barbecue rub seasoning 
• 1 tsp. liquid smoke 
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce 
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten

TOPPING

• 1 cup barbecue sauce 

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix turkey and ground beef with a fork.  
3. Add rest of loaf ingredients and mix together.
4. Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan and press down firmly.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
6. Take out of oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
7. Using a knife, loosen edges of loaf pan.
8. Invert loaf pan onto a serving plate. Meatloaf should slide out easily.
9. Cover meatloaf with 1 cup of BBQ sauce.
10. Cut loaf into 8 slices and serve immediately.

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Notes

Any brand of barbecue sauce and seasoning will work in this dish, but I use Trader Joe’s BBQ rub, Stubbs Liquid Smoke and Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce if you want to create the exact recipe. 

Leftover meatloaf makes great sandwiches the next day!

Smoked BBQ Meatloaf tastes great with The Best Squash Casserole. 

• Category: Main Dishes
• Method: Mix by Hand

Keywords: meatloaf, barbecue, BBQ meatloaf, main dishes

View this recipe on Meal Plan Monday!