You've never tasted a better meatloaf in your life! This bacon wrapped meatloaf is smoked and stuffed with cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Brushed with a delicious Kansas City-style BBQ sauce and smoked for 4 hours, this stuffed meatloaf recipe is packed with flavor!
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For me, a classic meatloaf recipe was a staple food growing up. It was something my mom could quickly throw together to feed some young, starving boys.
Now, I cannot with a good conscience say that this version is better than "mom's old fashioned meatloaf"...so I'll just say that this smoked stuffed meatloaf recipe has been adapted from hers and I have perfected it over the years into this equally delicious masterpiece! This is the best meatloaf ever!
And it pairs amazingly well with this homemade potato salad recipe, creamy mashed potatoes, and these smoked green beans with bacon! You're going to love every bite!
ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
1. Don't let the name intimidate you. This is an easy meatloaf recipe to make.
2. This smoked BBQ meatloaf is wrapped in bacon so of course, it is amazing!
3. While using ground pork brings extra flavor to the mixture, it also has a high-fat content which helps to keep it moist and tender as it cooks. It's ALSO stuffed with cheese that oozes out when it is cut open!
4. One of the things that really pulls this recipe together is the vegetable mixture. The onions benefit so much from being sautéd in order to release the natural sugars, and that is the key to this recipe.
5. Cooking the onions, jalapeños, and garlic before mixing them in with the ground meats makes all the difference and will take your meatloaf to the next level!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
I like to use a blend of ground meat for this recipe It's best to either do a 50/50 or 75/25 mixture of ground beef to ground pork. I like the extra flavor and fat content from the ground pork. Speaking of fat content, look for 20% lean (80/20) ground beef. The extra fat in the beef and pork will help to maintain a moist and tender loaf.
I love spicy food, so I added 4 jalapeños. Feel free to adjust the recipe if you want to tone down the heat a bit. To make this even hotter, leave the seeds in. The barbecue seasoning also brings a ton of delicious flavor and a bit of sweetness.
This cheesy meatloaf features both cheddar and mozzarella cheese. There's nothing better than a cheese stuffed meatloaf mixed with sauteed garlic, onions, and my BBQ spice mixture.
While any type of bread will work for the breadcrumbs, I recommend using Italian-style bread or sourdough bread. It really helps bind and hold the ingredients together.
Everything's better with bacon, so I wrapped this homemade meatloaf in 10 strips of delicious bacon, which rendered into a wonderful crust on the outside of the meatloaf. It was finished with a brush of Kansas City-style BBQ sauce, which caramelized and makes an amazing glazed meatloaf during the final minutes on the smoker.
📋 Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
Cooking meatloaf has never been so easy. Begin by adding oil to a sauté pan and sweating the diced onions. Then add the chopped jalapeños and minced garlic and allow the flavors to come together until they are aromatic. Expert Tip: Sautéing the veggies first makes all the difference in flavor!
In a large bowl, pour the milk over the breadcrumbs. I made my breadcrumbs from a loaf of sourdough bread, using a food processor. They will become soggy from soaking in the milk, but this helps add moisture.
Mix in the beaten eggs, Kansas City-style BBQ sauce, barbecue seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce and combine.
Now, mix in the ground pork and ground beef. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty! Be sure not to overmix too much as this will cause your meatloaf to lose its texture. Mix just enough to have a uniform combination.
Then, dump out the meatloaf sauce mixture onto some parchment or butcher paper and form a rectangle about ¼" thick. Sprinkle the cheese mixture onto the meatloaf. Carefully roll the loaf into a log while peeling back the parchment paper.
Transfer the meatloaf to a grill pan or a wire rack. Expert Tip: It is preferable to have a pan with holes or perforations which allow for smoke to penetrate the meat on all sides. Now, shape your meat roll into a loaf!
Wrap it in the strips of bacon and smoke on your grill at 225°F. The meatloaf cook time should take about for 3-4 hours to fully smoke. Brush on the Kansas City-style BBQ sauce and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes until the BBQ sauce has caramelized and soaked into the meatloaf.
🌡️ Done Temperature For Meatloaf
This bacon wrapped meatloaf is done when it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. When done, remove it from the smoker. Allow it to rest for a 3-5 minutes before slicing.
You are about to taste the best meatloaf you've ever had! Enjoy with your favorite sides, such as this Smoked Macaroni and Cheese or these mashed potatoes!
💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
- Be sure not to overmix the ingredients. If you do, it will leave you with a tough, dry texture.
- Always pick out a coarse grind when selecting your ground meat. This will give the meatloaf more texture and prevent it from becoming mushy.
- Smoke at 225°F using your favorite wood. I use competition blend pellets by Pit Boss.
- For a quicker cook time, you can increase the temperature to 275°F or 300°F, but you will get a more intense smoke flavor at lower temperatures.
- Leftover meatloaf makes for a great sandwich the next day!
📖 What Am I Cooking Up Next?
Did you know you can smoke a chuck roast? Learning how to smoke a chuck roast is so easy and requires minimal effort. And it results in the most tender and juicy meat.
I absolutely need chicken wings in my life. They might be my favorite finger food to bring to a party. These air fryer buffalo chicken wings - from frozen are incredibly easy. You don't even need to worry about thawing the chicken first. The air fryer does an incredible job of making these super crispy, just like you would expect from your favorite bar!
You gotta have dessert right?! Try out these air fryer chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. I always have some of this cookie dough in my freezer so that I can quickly bake some cookies in the air fryer whenever I have that sweet tooth. Actually, I am eating one right now as I....type...this!
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Smoked Meatloaf
Equipment
- Smoker
- Grill Pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 small onions, diced
- 2-4 jalapeños, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup Kansas City-style BBQ sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons barbecue spice blend
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 10 slices bacon
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 225°F using your favorite wood or pellets.
- In a medium sauté pan, sauté the diced onions and chopped jalapeños for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 minute. Set the vegetables aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the breadcrumbs and pour in the milk so that all of the breadcrumbs absorb the moisture.
- Add the ground beef, ground pork, beaten eggs, sautéed onions, jalapeños and garlic, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue spice blend, and the ¼ cup of the Kansas City-style BBQ sauce. Mix gently with your hands until just barely combined. Don't overwork the meat or else your meatloaf will be tough.
- Dump the meatloaf mixture out onto butcher or parchment paper and form a large, flat rectangle about ¼ inch thick.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheeses over the flattened loaf. Be sure to cover it edge-to-edge.
- Carefully roll the meatloaf starting from one of the shorter edges. As you roll the meatloaf, peel back the parchment paper and continue rolling until you reach the end. You will now have rolled up meatloaf with a pinwheel of cheese stuffing.
- Transfer the meatloaf from the parchment paper to a grill pan. Your grill pan should have holes or slits in it so the smoke can pass through it from the bottom and get into the meat.
- Wrap it in the strips of bacon and then place the meatloaf on the smoker, close the lid, and smoke for 3-4 hours or until the internal temperature reads 155°F.
- Brush the remaining portion of the Kansas City-style BBQ sauce on the meatloaf and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes until the sauce caramelizes and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Let the meatloaf rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- Be sure not to overmix your ingredients. This will leave you with a tough, dry texture.
- Always pick out a coarse grind when selecting your ground meat. This will give the meatloaf more texture and prevent it from becoming mushy.
- Smoke at 225°F using your favorite wood. I use competition blend pellets by Pit Boss.
- For a quicker cook time, you can increase the temperature to 275°F or 300°F, but you will get a more intense smoke flavor at lower temperatures.
Ron
Thanks for this recipe, as it was the best meatloaf that we have ever had. The only substitute I used oatmeal instead of the breadcrumbs. I used apple pellets and a apple rub.
Amanda Mason
I'm so glad to hear it was such a huge hit! The oatmeal is a very unique add...one I've not thought of before...but I'm SO GLAD it turned out so well!!! Keep making my recipes and let me know how you like each one!
Tate
Looks amazing, I’m planning to make it this weekend! Question though.. I’ve heard that a bacon wrap can limit the smoke flavor in the meat underneath - ever found that to be true? Alternatively, if you were to mix chopped bacon in the loaf, would you do it from raw or cooked?
Amanda Mason
Hi Tate! I cant wait to hear how it turns out for you. On the smoke limitation aspect...the meatloaf is going to be in the middle of your smoker for hours. As long as you are getting good clean smoke...the smoke flavor will be there and it will be sufficient. And no, I've not found it to be true. Definitely raw on the bacon inside the loaf. The internal temp has to reach 165°F in order to be done so the bacon will definately be cooked all the way. Let me know how your turns out!!!
Kristyn Paulos
Best meatloaf we have ever had!
-comealive21(instagram)
Amanda Mason
Yeah!! So glad you loved it so much!!
Joyce Kostesky
Love this recipe. I've made it twice. Once following the recipe and then putting my own spin on it. I stuffed it with ham slices, spinach and swiss cheese. Next, I will stuff it with asparagus and jalapeno cheese. I bake mine in the oven as I don't have a smoker. Thank you.
Amanda Mason
Hi Joyce! I'm so glad you love the recipe so much! Tell me...what temp and time do you bake it in the oven?! Your changes sound so amazing! Thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out for you and I can't wait to hear what other recipes of mine you try next!!
Joyce Kostesky
Hi Amanda,
I'm happy you like my add ons to the recipe. I cooked the meatloaf at 375 degrees in the oven. I unfortunately did not time it. I just cooked it until it reached an internal temperature of 165 (approximately 45 - 60 mins.)
Joyce
Amanda Mason
Great! Thank you!
Joyce Kostesky
Hi Amanda,
Glad you like my add ons to the recipe. I cooked the meatloaf in the oven at 375 degrees until internal temperature was 165. I didn't really time it, but it was approximately 45 - 60 minutes.
Joyce
Lori
This was simple to make and was better the next day! It has become a family favorite from the first time I made it.
Joshua Boquist
Lori, that is great to hear! Thank you for the comment. It is one of my favorite recipes!
Tom
Turned out very good. Step 4 should instruct the cook to add the sautéed onions to the mixture as well as the other items. Also, I lost most of my cheese out the ends of the loaf as the cheese melted. Next time I won’t spread the cheese all the way to the edges of the loaf. Maybe it will seal it and prevent it from weeping out.
Amanda Mason
I'm glad the meatloaf turned out so well or you!! I've never had that issue with the cheese before when I sprinkle it from edge to edge. updated step 4 - thanks for the callout!
Tom
Thanks for your timely response. Great recipe!
Amanda Mason
Thank you! I can't wait to hear what else you make!!!
Bonnie Ambrose
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! Being only 2 of us I'm going to half it next time - but it definitely worth repeating!
Amanda Mason
Yeah! So glad you loved it, Bonnie!! It's one of my favorites, as well!! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you!!
Karen
Oh my goodness. The guys in my house would love this! Why haven't I ever stuffed my meatloaf with cheese!?
Joshua Boquist
Karen, thank you for the comment. I always like to try new things to make the meatloaf more interesting and fun! Hope you try it out! Let me know how it is!