Smoked Meatloaf and Broccoli

I love any excuse to fire up the smoker, and one of my favorite things to do with it is add a smoky spin to classic comfort food.  That’s exactly what this recipe is: a smoky, slightly spicy take on the meatloaf you grew up eating, with chorizo adding a little kick and a sweet-and-tangy BBQ glaze to bring it all together.  It takes a few hours to cook, but the prep is simple, making it a great recipe for a relaxed weekend when you have time to let the smoker do the work. And with three pounds of meat in the loaf, you’ll have plenty left over for another meal or two. 

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Ingredients:

2 LB 80/20 ground beef

1 LB chorizo 

1 Small yellow onion, chopped finely

1 Cup breadcrumbs

½ Cup milk

3 Eggs

1 Cup BBQ sauce (I used Home Team BBQ’s Sweet Red)

½ cup apple juice (I prefer Simply)

1 Large crown of broccoli

1.5 TBSP BBQ seasoning

Salt

Pepper

Bacon fat

Recipe:

  1. Finely chop a yellow onion and add it to a large bowl with the ground beef, chorizo, breadcrumbs, milk, and eggs.  Then mix by hand until everything is well combined and evenly distributed.  

  2. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil, then dump your meat mixture onto it and shape it into a loaf by hand.

  3. Cover the meatloaf with press-and-seal wrap, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set.  

  4. While the meatloaf is setting, preheat your smoker to 225 degrees.  

  5. Line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil and place a wire rack large enough to hold your meatloaf on top of it.  

  6. Take your meatloaf out of the fridge and carefully transfer it from the sheet pan to the wire rack.  Reform your meatloaf as needed once it’s on the rack, being careful not to press too hard, which could cause the loaf to form around the wire rack.  

  7. Once your meatloaf is ready, probe it with your Meater, remove the wire rack from your sheet pan, and place it on the smoker.  

  8. While the meatloaf cooks, prepare the glaze by adding 1 cup BBQ sauce and ½ cup apple juice to a small saucepan.  Cook over low heat until the sauce has reduced by about half - about 25 minutes.  You can use whatever BBQ sauce you prefer here, but I used a sweet-and-tangy red sauce to play against the spice of the chorizo and the smoke.  

  9. Separate the glaze into two bowls so you can use one to glaze the meatloaf and the other as a dipping sauce to avoid potential cross-contamination.

  10. Chop florets off your broccoli crown and set aside.  I like to cut them in half so there is one flat side.  I think this helps it char better as it cooks in the skillet.

  11. When the meatloaf reaches 145 degrees (3 hours), turn the heat up to 350 degrees and apply your first round of glaze.  Wait 15 minutes, then apply another round of glaze.

  12. When the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees, remove the wire rack from your smoker and place it on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Lightly tent with another sheet of foil and then set aside to rest for 10-20 minutes.  The tent will help it stay warm while all of the juices redistribute.  

  13. While the meatloaf is resting, heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a generous tablespoon of bacon fat.  

  14. Once the bacon fat has melted, add the broccoli to the skillet, toss to coat with the bacon fat, and then add the BBQ seasoning.  Cook until the broccoli has some char marks, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

  15. Slice the meatloaf and serve with the broccoli and reserved glaze for dipping.  Enjoy!