Ain't Your Moma's Meatloaf......a pictorial

[Smoking Duck]

Allright, Smoking Soon got me pumped up on doing this, so I made it today for dinner.  It's pretty easy to do and I know everyone's thinking meatloaf....how hard could it be and why do a pictorial?  Well, it's cause I was bored mightily and sometimes people are more ready to try something if they see it.

The recipe comes from Smoke and Spice.

Here are the ingredients for the meatloaf:

1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 green or red bell pepper finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1 1/4 pounds of ground beef
1/4 pound of ground pork
1 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
3 T sour cream
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
1/4 cup stock, preferably beef
1 t Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce to taste

I took the minced onion, pepper, garlic, black pepper, sea salt and cumin and had a heavy pan with 1 T of olive oil (you can use vegetable; I always use olive cause it's the Italian in me  ;)):  You don't have to soften them up, but I love to smell onion, garlic, etc frying up.



After softened (took me about 5 mins), mix with the rest of your ingredients.  It should look something like this:



Place it in a smoke proof container.  I used a little bread pan that worked great.  Smoking Soon uses a disposable aluminum tray and then cuts the sides and slides on to jerky tray.  Here's what it should look like:



I did not put the meat probe in it at this point because I had to invert it out of the pan and didn't want a hole at the top where the juice would run out when inverting.  I placed it in the smoker and set the smoker at 250 (it was single digits here today with wind and snow) so that the smoker would reach a minimum of 225F (which mine did with no problem).  Let it stay in the smoker this way for 45 minutes so that it sets up a little.  While this is happening, you can make the optional mop sauce if you so desire.  Here are the ingredients for that:

Basic Beer Mop

12 oz beer
1/2 cup cider vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1/4 vegetable oil (I used olive)
1/2 medium onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves minced
1 T Worcestersire sauce
1 T Wild Willy's Number One-derful rub (I didn't use this)

I chose instead of Wild Willy's rub to use honey and brown sugar so as to balance out the vinegar a little because the yard apes don't care for it so "sour".  Here's what the mop looks like:



After 45 minutes, remove the meatloaf from the pan and place on the smoker rack.  Mop about every 30 minutes or so.  I didn't do it as much because it was so cold outside but I probably mopped it 4 times total.



I smoked for 2 hours with a combo of maple/pecan.  If I had it to do over again, I would probably add another 40 mins of smoke.  It had a light smoke flavor but I would have preferred just a little more.

Here's what it looked like finished:



And sliced:



I decided to do some potatoes with it.  Simply diced up some Yukon Gold potatoes.  In a heavy pan, melted 1/2 stick of butter, some freshly slaughtered pork fat, some hickory smoked sea salt, worcestersire pepper and some sweet paprika on top:



Probably not the healthiest of meals and my doc probably won't be happy with me but it's like I told him: "The way I cook is job security for you"  ;D

Take the IT of the meat to 160F and you'll be good to go.  I will definitely make this again and I think the next time I do it, I'll probably take some brown sugar and sprinkle it on top when the meat hits an IT of 158.

SD

[deb415611]

Very nice Duck.  I don't do meatloaf very often (almost never) but it might be time.

I see the back of a King Arthur Flour bag in one of the pics -- Are you making more pizza?

[Smoking Duck]

Yes......he said sheepishly  ;D

Actually, I had the KA out because I'm making brownies as well.  However, I made some more pizza sauce today and will make some more pizza tomorrow because Momma and the Yardapes requested it again.

Sd

[westexasmoker]

Thats some good grub there SD....I think I've got one frozen!

C

[Smokin Soon]

Lookin really YUMS duck! It's a recipe that can be tweaked a lot of ways. I am so hooked on fatty's, most of my meatloaf's are getting turned into fatty's. Net time try a shotglass full of Ice's sauce in there if you have it.

[Tenpoint5]

I kinda like the pictorial thing. Get to see it all come together. Looks really good SD. I'll take a plate!!

[FLBentRider]

Somehow I missed this...

Nice job, SD!

[Smoking Duck]

Thanks FLBR.  I've never been a really big fan of meatloaf but would definitely make this again.  It held up extremely well, was very moist and very good tasting.  Next time, I'd make two.  This one went too quickly.

SD

[beefmann]

thats beef not duck!!!... looks great SD

[Consiglieri]

Hey Duck:  What's the yellow wire in the pics?  And how do you keep the V pan so &*$@! clean?

[Smoking Duck]

Sigs,

That's the probe for my PID.

I really don't think it's that clean.....I simply spray with no-stick spray before every smoke and then scrub like hell afterwards.  There are some small black specks in there but they're hard to see.

Thanks for the kind words all......Smoking Soon deserves the credit....he turned me on to the idea.  And a very tasty one at that.

SD

[KyNola]

Duck and SS,
Meatloaf's in the smoker.  SS, took your lead and put Ice's sauce in the meatloaf.  Will be mopping with the Ice's sauce later.

Thanks for the ideas guys!!

KyNola

[Consiglieri]

So, SD, re-reading this thread the light switch went on...  Where would guys learn the word "pictorial?"  I think the only place I've seen that word, other than here, was in a periodical table of contents. 

[Smoking Duck]

pic·to·ri·al (pk-tôr-l, -tr-)
adj.
1. Relating to, characterized by, or composed of pictures.
2. Represented as if in a picture: pictorial prose.
3. Illustrated by pictures: a pictorial history.


Mine is derived from the third definition.  I illustrated my story with pictures.  A cornucopia of food pics, if you will. 

I did tell you that I have a degree in higher learning, didn't I?  ;D ;) ;D


Hope yours turn out as good as both of mine did yesterday, KY.


Yours in higher learning,

SD

[Brisket Lover]

Looks wonderful and as a new smoker I can say I love viewing the pictures.