Not Your Mama’s Meatloaf

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Truth be told, I don’t recall my mother or grandmothers EVER making meatloaf! But the age-old tale of kids not loving their mother’s meatloaf had me believing this was one dish I wasn’t missing out on…UNTIL I came across Black Peppercorn’s recipe while searching for things to do with ground beef! I’ve made some minor adjustments to make it gluten-free and I use our favourite homemade BBQ sauce. Plus, grilling it on the Big Green Egg gives is a nice smoked flavour but it’s equally as good when done in the oven.

This meatloaf has become a regular in the meal plan rotation…it’s great paired with coleslaw on a hot summer evening or with mashed potatoes and cooked veggies in the winter…and always with a delicious red wine.

Trust me when I tell you, this is NOT your mama’s meatloaf.

Tools You’ll Need

• Food Processor
• Mixing Bowl
• Hamburger Masher
• Garlic Press
• Meat Thermometer
• Basting Brush

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 cup BBQ chips, crushed
• 2/3 cup barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s is Gluten Free or you can use the recipe below.
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp barbecue rub (we like Cattleboyz Smokey Southwest Seasoning & Rub)

Lazy Spoon Farm’s Favourite Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

*BBQ sauce recipe is from Real Simple Good

• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 4-6 dates, soaked for 10-15 minutes in warm water to soften then drained
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos 

Place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and run continuously to combine all the ingredients until smooth. Stop to scrape sides down as needed and restart. Store in fridge until pork is done. 

Directions

1. Heat grill or oven to 400F.
2. In a large bowl mix all ingredients except 1/3 of the barbecue sauce and the barbecue rub.
3. Using your hands, knead the meat mixture until everything is combined.
4. Mold the meat into a log/loaf and sprinkle with BBQ rub.
5. Place the meatloaf directly on the grill if using a heat deflector or indirect heat. Place meatloaf on a baking sheet lined with tin foil if baking in the oven.
6. Grill/bake for 30 minutes then brush on remaining barbecue sauce.
7. Grill/bake for another 30 minutes until meatloaf reaches an internal temp of 165F.
8. Let stand for 20 minutes before slicing.
9. Serve on a bed of whipped mashed potatoes with your choice of veggies on the side.

Tip: Keep an eye on the internal temp…sometimes our meatloaf doesn’t take the full hour to cook through, especially when cooking on the grill.