This smoked BBQ meatloaf is one of my favorite recipes to make on my Traeger. It's smokey, juicy, and cheesy—and *just* easy enough that you can make it for a weeknight dinner.
We're elevating your classic "mom's meatloaf" by using ground beef & pork, tossing in some sharp cheddar, and glazing the top with some BBQ sauce. Easy to prep, and big enough to feed the whole family. Let's make this thing.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Ground beef & ground pork — I find that using both ground beef pork make for a perfect duo. The beef is a nice beefy flavor while the pork brings a nice element of extra fat.
- Panko breadcrumbs & eggs — I'm using panko breadcrumbs and a couple of eggs to make my binder to hold my meatloaf together.
- Sharp cheddar cheese – I love adding cheese to my meatloaf, you get a nice bite of cheesy goodness in every single bite. Feel free to use your favorite cheese here.
- BBQ sauce — I'm going to glaze the meatloaf during the last 15 minutes or so with some Sweet Baby Ray's to add some extra BBQ flavor.
- BBQ rub — Forget plain salt & pepper, if we're making BBQ smoked meatloaf, then use your favorite BBQ rub. I'm going with Pork Perfect from Fire & Smoke Society.
- Yellow onion — I love putting onion on all my burgers, so I'm dicing up some yellow onion to throw in my meatloaf as well.
- Milk — The milks adds some moisture to the mixture which helps prevent the meatloaf from drying out.
HOW TO MAKE SMOKED BBQ MEATLOAF
1. Mix the Ingredients
Start by taking the ground beef, ground pork, eggs, breadcrumbs, milk, BBQ rub, diced onion, and shredded cheddar cheese and mix them together in a large bowl. Use your hands to gently mix everything together—don’t overdo it.
2. Shape the Meatloaf
Then use your hands to form the meat mixture into a loaf shape, like in the picture above. Place it on a grill-safe pan or wire rack to allow the smoke to circulate around it evenly.
3. Smoke the Meatloaf
Set your smoker to 300F and smoke the meatloaf until it hits an internal temperature of 155F. This should take between 2-3 hours.
4. Glaze the Meatloaf
When the meatloaf hits 155F internal, it's time to glaze. Brush the BBQ sauce all over the meatloaf until its fully covered. Continue smoking the meatloaf until it hits an internal temperature of 165F, then pull it off.
5. Slice & Serve
Let the meatloaf cook for a few minutes, then slice into it and serve immediately.
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
Nothing goes better together than meatloaf and potatoes. So try pairing this smoked meatloaf with my smoked garlic mashed potatoes or my smoked baked potatoes.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Don't overwork the meat. When you're mixing all the ingredients together make sure to do it lightly. If you overwork the meat, you risk making it too tough.
- Pellet flavor. I prefer using milder pellet flavors for the meatloaf. So try to use something like cherry, apple, or even pecan.
- Keep an eye on temp. Some other recipes say this will take almost 4 hours for the meat to finish cooking. This wasn't the case when I made this. I would start temping the meatloaf around the 90 minute mark to make sure you don't overcook it.
Smoked BBQ Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tbsp BBQ rub
- 1/2 yellow onion finely diced
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Mix ground beef, pork, eggs, breadcrumbs, milk, BBQ rub, onion, and cheddar cheese in a bowl.
- Shape the mixture into a loaf and place it on a grill-safe pan or rack.
- Smoke at 300F for 2-3 hours, brushing with BBQ sauce at 155°F.
- Remove the loaf when it hits an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Don't overwork the meat. When you're mixing all the ingredients together make sure to do it lightly. If you overwork the meat, you risk making it too tough.
- Pellet flavor. I prefer using milder pellet flavors for the meatloaf. So try to use something like cherry, apple, or even pecan.
- Keep an eye on temp. Some other recipes say this will take almost 4 hours for the meat to finish cooking. This wasn't the case when I made this. I would start temping the meatloaf around the 90 minute mark to make sure you don't overcook it.
