While I’ve smoked a lot of other meats now in my beloved new smoker, all with great results thanks to the advice/guidance/suggestions I’ve gleaned from this blog, meatloaf continues to be a favorite. It’s not that it's any better than other meats I’ve smoked, but the improvement that smoking gives to the standard-issue oven-roasted meatloaf is significant enough to make folks stand up and take notice. My neighbor’s comment after eating his first bite sums it up best … “who’da thunk?”
I’ve learned a few things that I’ll share since my last post (
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=2644.0).
DOUBLE THE RECIPE: More meat takes longer to cook and gives it more time in the smoker = more smoky flavor. This recipe doubled is a lot for me, but the loaf freezes beautifully whole or in individual slices. (If you follow the recipe I shared before in the link above, don’t double the eggs – just add one more egg, not two more. Also, don’t double the milk.)
MORE WOOD: I increased the wood chunks to 3 ounces. I switch between hickory, alder and apple wood and don’t detect any huge difference between them.
COOK IT TILL IT’S DONE: The first couple I made I cooked until they were not quite done (about 155°), then refrigerated them overnight with plans to finish cooking thick slices on the grill. Since then I’ve been cooking them until they’re completely done (160°-165°) for three reasons … 1) The longer cook results in a deeper, darker finished color on the pellicle-like skin that forms on the loaf, 2) if you are ready to eat right after the meatloaf is smoked, it’s fully cooked and ready to slice and serve after a brief rest, and 3) with only a couple minutes per side on the grill, there’s no worry about overcooking thick slices of meatloaf - they still come off juicy and delicious.
BETTER THE NEXT DAY: Fresh out of the smoker is unbelievably delicious, but like many other comfort foods, the flavor improves in the fridge. Smoked meatloaf gets smokier when it’s wrapped in plastic wrap and spends a day or two in the fridge – the smoke penetrates deeper into the loaf.
REASSERTION #1: I make a ketchup glaze to serve warm at the table with the meatloaf, but I don’t put it on the raw loaf before it goes into the smoker. I did that once, and the glaze got most of the smoke – less so the meat – and the delightful skin didn’t form. Better to pass the glaze at the table.
REASSERTION #2: Sliced thick and grilled on a blazing-hot grill is the hands-down the ULTIMATE way to serve smoked meatloaf. Smoked meatloaf burgers will take your breath away.
One more stop for smoked/grilled meatloaf on his way through town, and I think my brother is going to put me in his Will.
