This Smoked Meatloaf with Caramelized Onion Gravy recipe is prepared on an Yoder Smokers Loaded Wichita Offset Smoker for the perfect smoked flavor.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Mushrooms get blitzed into the mix, not just chopped. Processing shiitakes into fine pieces before folding them in adds umami depth and moisture without leaving big, obvious mushroom chunks throughout the loaf.
- The vegetable paste gets caramelized before it ever meets the meat. Cooking the onion-pepper-carrot-celery blend down until darkened builds concentrated flavor into the base, rather than leaving the vegetables raw and diluting the loaf's texture.
- A foil-wrapped loaf pan, then inverted, sets the shape without steaming it soggy. Cooking covered first, then removing the pan entirely partway through, lets the meatloaf hold its form while still getting direct smoke exposure for the back half of the cook.
- The glaze goes on in the final stretch, not the whole cook. Brushing on the warmed ghost pepper ketchup and W Sauce only for the last 15 minutes keeps it from burning while still building a tacky, flavorful crust.
Smoked Meatloaf with Caramelized Onion Gravy
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.1 stars by 13 users
Category
Beer
Cuisine
American
Servings
8
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 5 minutes
Calories
500
Enjoy succulent smoked meatloaf with a side of caramelized onion gravy, cooked to perfection in the Yoder Smokers Loaded Wichita Offset Smoker! Ignite your senses with the authentic, smoky flavor that only a Yoder Smoker can provide.
Ingredients
-
2 lb Ground Beef
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1/2 cup panko
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1/4 cup half and half
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1 cup (4 oz) shiitake mushroom, blitzed in food processor
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2 eggs
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4 oz white cheddar cheese curds, chopped
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1 cup sweet yellow onion, diced
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1 cup red bell pepper, diced
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1/2 cup carrot, diced
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1/2 cup celery, diced
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2 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled
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1/4 cup W Sauce
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1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine
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1 tbsp smoked paprika
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1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
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2 tbsp unsalted butter
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1/2 cup Hoff Smoken ghost ketchup - warm and brush on to glaze
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1 tbsp W Sauce
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4 tbsp unsalted butter
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4 cups Sweet yellow onions
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1 tbsp Yoder Smokers Beef Rub
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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1/4 cup flour
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1 1/2 tsp Kozlik’s Dijon Classique
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2 cups beef stock
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2 tbsp half and half
Meatloaf
Glaze
Caramelized Onion Gravy
Directions
Light a chimney of lump charcoal and dump in the back half of the fire box inside your Yoder Smokers Loaded Wichita Offset Smoker. Add a couple of splits of hickory wood and bring the temperature up to 400ºF.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the panko and half and half. Let the panko sit and absorb the liquid from the half and half.
Place your mushrooms in a food processor and blitz until broken down into fine pieces. Add to the bowl with the soaking panko.
In the food processor, combine your onion, bell pepper, celery, carrot, garlic, W Sauce, Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine, smoked paprika and thyme. Process until a paste is formed.
Melt the butter in a Lodge 10” Steel Skillet. Add the paste. Cook until most liquid is gone and mixture begins to darken in color and caramelize. Transfer to the refrigerator to cool.
Add the cooled veggies to the bowl with the panko and mushrooms. Add eggs and cheese curds. Mix well by hand just until well combined. Pinch off a little and cook in a skillet to taste for seasoning.
Transfer to a loaf pan. Cover the pan with foil and pinch the edges, leaving plenty of extra foil around the pan. Invert the whole thing onto a sheet pan. Loosen the edges of the foil from the pan. Cook until the loaf is just set, about 30 minutes, spinning halfway through. Lift the loaf pan off of the meatloaf and remove the pan completely.
Stabilize the smoker temperature around 300ºF and continue smoking until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 140ºF, about 30 minutes more.
Warm the Hoff Smoken Ghost Ketchup and W Sauce in a small sauce pot. Brush onto the meatloaf. Cook until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 155ºF, about 15 minutes more (approx. 1 hour 15 minute total cook time). Remove from the smoker to rest.
While the meatloaf is smoking, make the caramelized onion gravy. Melt the butter in a Finex 12” Cast Iron Skillet. Add the onions and Yoder Smokers Beef Rub. Cook over low to medium-low heat until all liquid is gone and onions are caramel brown in color, about 20-30 minutes. Add garlic, flour and Kozlik’s Dijon. Cook, stirring constantly, for about one minute. Slowly add the beef stock, stirring. Bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened. Stir in the half and half. Cover with a lid to hold warm.
Slice meatloaf into 8 equal slabs. Serve with mashed potatoes, smothered in caramelized onion gravy.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why blitz the mushrooms in a food processor instead of chopping them by hand?
Processing them into fine pieces distributes their umami flavor and moisture evenly through the loaf, without leaving large chunks that could create uneven texture.
Why caramelize the vegetable paste before mixing it into the meat?
Cooking the onion, pepper, carrot, and celery blend down until darkened concentrates their flavor. Adding them raw would dilute the loaf and leave a rawer, less developed taste.
Why cover the loaf pan with foil and then remove it partway through?
The foil-wrapped pan holds the meatloaf's shape early in the cook. Removing the pan later exposes the loaf directly to smoke for the rest of the cook, building flavor on the crust.
What internal temperature should the meatloaf actually reach?
This recipe lists 155°F, but USDA's minimum safe internal temperature for ground beef is 160°F. Cook to at least 160°F to make sure the meatloaf is fully safe before serving.
Why brush on the glaze only in the final 15 minutes?
Adding it late in the cook keeps the sugars in the ketchup and W Sauce from burning over the longer smoke, while still giving it time to tack up into a glossy, flavorful crust.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — the meatloaf mixture and gravy can both be built in a standard kitchen; a hot oven can replicate the bake, though you'd be missing the smoke flavor from the offset smoker.
Recipe Highlights
Processed mushrooms for umami: Blitzing shiitakes into fine pieces blends their flavor and moisture seamlessly into the loaf.
Caramelizing the vegetable base: Cooking the paste down before mixing it in builds concentrated flavor rather than leaving raw vegetable notes.
The foil-then-uncovered method: Starting wrapped and finishing exposed lets the loaf hold its shape while still picking up smoke flavor.
Late-stage glazing: Brushing on the ketchup and W Sauce glaze only near the end prevents scorching while still building a tacky crust.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 8
- per serving
- Calories
- 500
- Fat
- 23 grams
- Cholesterol
- 184 milligrams
- Sodium
- 1047 milligrams
- Carbs
- 28 grams
- Protein
- 43 grams
