Smoked Weber Q Meatloaf with Sweet Honey BBQ Glaze
Take cooking up a notch with my smoked Weber Q meatloaf. It's packed with mushrooms, cheese and bacon, and the lip-smacking sweet honey BBQ glaze is to die for.
Equipment
- Hickory Wood Chips
- Smoker Box
Ingredients
Meatloaf Ingredients
- 500 g ground beef
- 500 g ground pork
- 200g white mushrooms sliced (see note 2)
- 1 large red onion diced
- 150 g bacon thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves diced
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 1 egg 1 extra egg if mixture is not binding
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- smoke flavoured rub optional (see note 1)
Glaze
- ½ cup bbq sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
Preparing the Meatloaf
- To a large pan, add 3 tbsp of olive oil. Then add 200g of chopped mushrooms, one large diced red onion, 150g of thinly sliced bacon and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Lastly, add diced garlic and continue sautéing for a further 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside in a bowl to cool for 10-15 minutes, keeping any liquid.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef and pork. Season the meat with salt and black pepper, then add ¼ cup of ketchup, 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese, and ¾ cup of breadcrumbs.
- In the same bowl, add the sautéed mushroom mixture and finally one lightly beaten egg. Use a second egg if the mixture isn't binding. Using your hands, quickly mix the ingredients. Try not to over mix to avoid a mushy texture inside the meatloaf.
- Line a loaf tin with baking paper and place the meatloaf mixture inside. Push the mixture down to compact and level out the meatloaf in the loaf tin. Then place in the freezer for one hour.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, add ½ cup of bbq sauce, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Then add 1 tbsp honey and ½ tbsp of maple syrup. Mix ingredients together until the sauce is well combined.
Smoking the Meatloaf
- Fill your smoker box/s with hickory woodchips and place them on the weber with a convection tray. Pre-heat your Weber Q on high until you begin to see smoke generating.
- While you're waiting for the smoke to generate, remove the meatloaf from the freezer and tip the loaf tin upside down onto a wire rack/trivet. Optionally drizzle your favourite rub and carefully brush the glaze over the top and sides.
- When you begin seeing smoke, place the meatloaf onto the centre of the convection tray, insert the meat probe into the middle of the meatloaf and close the lid. Turn the gas control knob down to the middle/medium setting.
- Try to maintain a temperature between 170°C (340°F) and 180°C (355°F). Adjust the gas control position if required. Cook for approximately 1 ½ hour to 1 ¾ hour until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 74°C (165°F).
- Once the temperature reaches 35°C (95°F) internally or 45 minutes into the cook, brush the glaze onto the meatloaf for a second time.
- When ready, set the meatloaf aside for 15 minutes to rest under aluminium foil, then slice and serve.
Notes
Note 1: I used a Kansas smoke rub to enhance the natural smoke created by the hickory. You of course can skip this step if you like. You will still get that perfect smokey flavour from the hickory.
Note 2: Thinly slice the mushrooms. If they are too large the meatloaf won't bind. Slice the mushrooms then slice them in half again. Try to do the same with the bacon.
