I fired up the Camp chef Woodwind to smoke a coupe of meatloafs. My recipe isn’t anyhing fancy, just a basic meatloaf recipe. The only difference is I add 1lb of ground deer (venison with 10% beef fat added) to 1.5lbs of ground chuck and I brown diced Vidalia onion with minced garlic, salt, pepper, butter and olive oil ahead of time and add that to the meatloaf after it has cooled. Then my regular compliment of salt, pepper, sage, beaten eggs, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce and milk goes into the meat mixture and I form them into loafs (each one being 2lbs).
Then, I get’em on the smoker at “high smoke” (225 degrees) until the IT reaches 160 degrees (roughly 3 hours). During the smoking process, I begin adding the glaze in thin layers. The first layer goes on when the IT reaches 130 degree. I add it again at 140 degree and then for the last time at 150 degrees. My glaze is very simple. It’s a combination of ketchup, dried mustard, brown sugar, and your favorite tomato based BBQ sauce. Waiting to add the glaze allows the smoke to penetrate the loafs before sealing it in with the glaze. The smoke adheres to the glaze very well too.
I’m waiting for my jerky racks to come in. I used a standard baking cooling rack to smoke a meatloaf once before but the grid was too “coarse” and it made it very difficult to get the meatloaf off of the rack. So I improvised and poked holes in a couple of shallow aluminum baking pans. They worked well but I didn’t get the caramelization on the bottom that I like. the jerky racks will be perfect since the grid is considerably “tighter.”
Looks good.I have some jerky racks ,so I’m going to give it a try.The moll usually makes mine in the house,she’ll be happy if I can fix it better outside.What type of wood chips do you prefer,or does it matter.
I have a Woodwind pellet smoker by Camp Chef so it doesn’t use wood chips. I use their “Competition blend” pellets. It’s a hardwood combination of maple, hickory, and cherry woods so it goes well with a wide variety of meats. That said, it’s a matter of what flavor profile you’re looking for. In my opinion, hickory is a must and if you want to add a touch of sweetness then I’d add cherry or apple.
have yall tried using pecan wood to smoke? My pecan trees keep dropping limbs so i started cooking with some of that. it’s certainly not as smokey or distinct as my hickory trees, but it has a good mild smoke flavor. good for smoking things like fish, not sure it would have any effect on a meatloaf though.
Proline 201WA
Aloha 24ft pontoon (LooneyToon)
Old Town stern with 7.5 johnson
I definitely like the mild tone of pecan wood. I think it imparts good flavor but not heavy smoke. It burns “cool” so it lends itself well to many applications.
The recipe that came with my Holland grill is the best that I have ever had and I have been making it for years. A pound and a half of hamburger, some diced onion and bell pepper, an egg, some crushed up saltine crackers, shredded cheddar cheese, evaporated milk, salt, pepper, and a little dried basil. Mix it all up and press it into a loaf pan then dump it out on the grill. Go have a couple of adult beverages and come back in an hour and take it off. The grease drips into the drip pan and the burner under it smokes up some of it making a nice little smoke ring. The rest runs out through a drain pipe into the grease bucket.
Temperature probes in meatloaf? Y’all are getting too fancy!
Sure looks good!
“live and let live” … “those that deserve it.”
I like a temp probe because, like they say, “cooking times may vary.” There’s no more accurate or consistent way to cook meat than by internal temp. Using the ThermoPro (TP-20) wireless thermometer keeps me from having to go back and forth checking the temp with a handheld thermometer and opening and closing the smoker lid, which we all know is a big no-no in the grilling/smoking game. I put the probe(s) in the meat, plug them into the transmitter and then set the desired IT on my remote receiver and let it roll. I take the wireless receiver with me back into the house and I can monitor the IT from the comfort of my home. Then, when the IT hits the programmed temp, an alarm sounds and I go pull the meat from the smoker. Easy as that.
I like my temp probe because I tend to overcook if I don’t use one. I like my food rare but safe and we all know hamburger can be dangerous if under cooked.Temp probes are a lot like other inventions that I scoffed at,but now use regularly. Ex. Cellphone,microwave,gps. I remember some of the old timers saying I was getting fancy when I broke out a Coleman stove on a camping trip.
those meat loafs look good. i am going to cook a couple and some ribs on my REC TEC pellet grill. also need to do another pork belly. they come out like pig candy.
