Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Meat Loaf on the BGE

My team's not playing today and Sandy's passing by leaving us with a blustery, slightly cooler daycast here in So. Fla. The plan: One kid has allergy to egg so no egg to bind but we still want to form a loaf that is exposed all way 'round to the internal BGE environment. Lean (we are always on a diet). Not beef, wife not into 'red meat'. Therefore, 3 packages of ground turkey from Costco. Tomato & fresh herb (parsley, sage and or basil) theme. Add in the trinity: carrots, celery, onion (a few hot peppers on the side later for me, on second thought a handful of ABTs for 'Dad'). Maybe grill the onions first, too. S&P&GP. For 'breadcrumbs': a bag or two of goldfish crackers (parm and or cheddar). Go kind of low and slow on the LBGE at 250 - 275F dome temp with ..... hmmmm .... some apple chips or chunks for smoke. Cook to internal temp of what, 145F minimum but it's ground turkey so might want to go up to about 170F then let it rest. And it will need a glaze on top for the last 15 minutes or so, the kids love ketchup so some-o-dat with brown sugar and a few dashes of mustard and vinegar mixed in. Estimate about 4 lbs. Figure about 2 hours? .... here we go! Hope you are enjoying your BGE this weekend, too.

Comments

  • jfm0830
    jfm0830 Posts: 987
    The last three times I made smoked meatloaf at around 300 degrees indirect on my smoker (not the Egg) they took 1:55, 2:10 and 2:15 so it sounds like you are in the general ballpark, but I'd think perhaps 2:30-2:45 if you go to 170 internal. Your loaf sounds a little bigger than mine too. My recipe uses 1 pound each of beef pork & veal so I took it to 160. Another thing I'll mention is ground meat absorbs more smoke, so go on the lighter side with your wood chunks or chips. 

    This post has me thinking I need to make another meat loaf and do it on the Egg real soon. I'll bet it will be incredibly moist. Good luck with yours today, please post some pix.

    Jim
    Website: www.grillinsmokin.net
    3 LBGE & More Eggcessories than I care to think about.
  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    Ho hum subject, eh? Here's what it looked getting mixed up in a pot. The binder: Bottle of Shock Top IPA. 
  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    Here it is on the LBGE. Put it on an hour and change ago at 300F dome. It's sitting in a waffled pan sprayed with Canola oil. I usually indent the middle a little to get it to cook more evenly.
  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    edited October 2012
    Here it is a little more than an hour on the Egg. Used one large chunk and one small chunk of cherry for smoke.  ITs are running in the 130s and 140's so it's about time to throw on the glaze. It's coming off at 170F IT. 
  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    Looks good...I'm doing a couple meatloaves (?) myself this afternoon, one with a bacon weave wrapping it!...I'll post later or tomorrow
  • ChokeOnSmoke
    ChokeOnSmoke Posts: 1,942
    edited October 2012

    Do meatloaves al the time but I've never done turkey.  Looks good...

    Packerland, Wisconsin

  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    Overslathered the glaze on and had to pull it off the Egg because ITs were 170 - 180sF. It separated from the waffle pan ok with little loss. The bark on the bottom was a little over what you'd like but that's because it was cooked at 300F dome direct raised. Cooked in a little less than two hours, too.
  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    But it was tasty and moist and all that you want in a meat loaf. Smoke taste was mild, no real smoke ring, though. Glaze was a B-, tasted good but didn't get it glazed like it should be. It went great with another IPA, some sliced jalepenos, and some veggies. And there are leftovers for the upcoming week.
  • Looks like a great Loaf

    Steve Van Wert, Ohio XL BGE
  • Quick question.  We stumbled upon 'smoked' meatloaf a couple of weeks ago.  We thought we would just cook it in the egg (2 month newbie), but I had some left over chips in the charcoal that added a lot of smoke.  

    It was the best meatloaf ever!

    So, I purchased a meatloaf pan, so that the grease would pool in the bottom and not the meatloaf. 
    Bad mistake as there just wasn't the smoke flavor because the pan only exposed the top of the meatloaf to the smoke.  

    So my attempt today was to use my vegetable plan like the ones in the picture.

    Here is my question, using indirect with the platesetter - what is recommended to catch the meat drippings?  Just a pan - or as my BGE dealer suggest - nothing.

    Thanks
  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    Deja Vu. Going to follow one of my own, forgot I did this, it was good. 
  • Must be a meatloaf kind of day.  Mixed up one this AM for tonight.  Gonna put some taters, asparagus and carrots below to soak up the juices.  Berry cobbler for desert.  Probably post pics tomorrow.

    Damascus, VA.  Friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail.

    LBGE Aug 2012, SBGE Feb 2014

  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    This one is 3 lb. ground turkey, a yellow bell pepper, small onion, 1/2 cup carrots, 1/2 cup celery, handful of fresh parsley, handful of fresh dill, all diced or chopped, some salt, sugar, and garlic powder, and a bag of Goldfish cheddar crackers. No egg due to allergy. Waffle-hole pan with cooking spray. Egg stabilized at 350F, no smoke, raised direct. IT reached 180F after one hour, she's at rest!
  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    Last comment: the fresh dill was a home run! We couldn't stop eating it!