Jack’d Up Smoked Meatloaf
On January 24, 2023 (Updated November 05, 2024)
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“Jack’d Up” Smoked Meatloaf gets its name from the insane amount of Jack going on inside. This smoked meatloaf is insanely moist from the Jack Daniels in the meat, ridiculously addictive from the pepper jack cheese oozing from the middle, and unbelievably bold from the spicy Jack Daniels sauce smothered on top. Add subtle hints of wood smoke to the mix and you’ve got a meatloaf well worth eating.
Smoked Meatloaf
I love taking these old-school classic recipes and giving them a modern twist. I’m not really a traditionalist when it comes to BBQ (I’m from Utah after all, there isn’t much tradition to cling to!). Despite this, I love using classic BBQ techniques and good old-fashioned wood smoke to create new layers of flavor in exciting and updated ways. Meatloaf is about as old school as it gets, but I think the bold flavors I’ve added into the mix create a smoked meatloaf as you’ve never had it before.
For this recipe, I use my Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub but you can substitute for any beef or steak seasoning of your choice if you don’t have a bottle of my Beef Rub on hand. You can also use equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic powder if you’re in a pinch.
Ingredients for Smoked Meatloaf
Here’s what you’ll need to assemble to make this jack’d up smoked meatloaf.
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Jack Daniels whiskey
- 1 Tablespoon Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub
- 1/4 cup milk
- 6 ounces pepper jack cheese
This meatloaf also has a great sauce that cooks on top of the meat while it’s on the smoker. Here’s what you’ll need for the sauce:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Jack Daniels whiskey
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
How to Smoke a Meatloaf
This meatloaf isn’t too difficult to make, but it does require a bit of time in the smoker (around 4 hours). It can be hard to wait this long for this tasty meatloaf, but I guarantee it will be worth it. Here’s how to smoke a meatloaf.
- Preheat. Fire up your favorite smoker and preheat it to 225 degrees F. Hickory and oak are delicious with this recipe.
- Make the meatloaf. Combine all ingredients for the meatloaf in a bowl. Mix very gently, and take care not to overmix (your meatloaf will end up too tough if it is handled too much).
- Form the loaf. Form half the mixture into a loaf on a grill basket. For smoked meatloaf, you really need a pan that will allow the smoke to penetrate all sides. I smoked mine in a shallow grill basket with holes on the bottom so the smoke could circulate all around the meatloaf. You can also use a cooling or roasting rack. Next, add the cheese on top of the first layer of meat and then add the remaining meatloaf mixture on top of the cheese. Press and reform the loaf to seal the cheese inside (you don’t want the cheese seeping out on the smoker!).
- Sauce. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and mix well. Pour it over the top of the meatloaf so the loaf has a nice, even layer of sauce all around the top and sides.
- Smoke. Place the meatloaf in the grill basket on the preheated grill grates. Close the lid, and smoke for 4 hours or until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees F.
- Dig in! Remove the meatloaf from the smoker. Rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Watch out for melty cheese oozing out the middle of the loaf!
How Long to Smoke Meatloaf
It takes 4 hours to smoke this jack’d up smoked meatloaf. Other meatloaf varieties will likely take less time to fully cook, but with the added layer of cheese and the double meat stack, 4 hours is optimal for this recipe.
Slightly more important that watching the clock for this meatloaf is ensuring the meat reaches a safe temperature for consumption. This meatloaf can be pulled off the smoker when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Make sure you have an internal meat thermometer handy so you can track the temperature of the meat while it smokes.
More BBQ Meatloaf Recipes
If you loved this smoked meatloaf, but you’re looking for a few other more traditional recipes, check out these other favorites from the Hey Grill Hey site. Click on the links below to head straight to the recipe posts.
Smoked Meatloaf Recipe
Follow the video below and let’s make something delicious! I’m all about helping you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a BBQ hero. If you want to see more of my recipes, tips, and behind-the-scenes action, follow along on my social channels. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube!
This post was originally published in April 2017. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Jack'd Up Smoked Meatloaf
Video
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 2 pounds ground beef at least 85/15 fat content
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ medium red onion grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons Jack Daniels whiskey
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub or your favorite beef or steak seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup milk
- 6 oz pepper jack cheese cut into strips
Jack Daniels Meatloaf Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup Jack Daniels whiskey
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F. This meatloaf is awesome with hickory or oak wood.
- Make the meat mixture. In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the meatloaf. Mix gently with your hands until just combined. Don't overwork the meat or your meatloaf will be tough and chewy.
- Assemble the meatloaf. Spread half of the meatloaf mixture on the bottom of a grill basket. Layer the pepper jack cheese on top of the meatloaf, leaving about an inch of meat on all sides. Top with the remaining meatloaf mixture and press the edges together to seal completely. Any exposed holes and the cheese will leak out while cooking.
- Add the sauce. In a small bowl. combine the ingredients for the sauce and then pour over the top of the meatloaf, letting it run down the sides a little bit.
- Smoke. Place the meatloaf on the smoker, close the lid, and smoke for 4 hours or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
- Enjoy. Remove the meatloaf from the smoker. Let the smoked meatloaf rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m smoking this tonight as I have a night off from baseball with ALL 3 BOYS!! Stars have aligned! hah! Anyways, I’m going to introduce a bit of ground spicy Italian breakfast Sausage into the mix… thoughts?!
I feel ya. We are a soccer family over here and it’s nuts! My thoughts on sausage are to definitely go for it! It’ll be delicious.
Great! thanks!! I’ll let ya know how it goes!
How would u recommend smoking on gas grill.wood chips in tinfoil one side. Meatloaf on other
Hey Deb! That is a great way to do it! Just leave the burners off under the meatloaf and keep them on under the wood chips in foil. Usually those foil packs burn out within 45 minutes, so just keep one on hand ready to go!
So I am making this for Mother’s Day tomorrow for my wife and mother in law. I have seen other sites where they recommend only two hours. I do worry at 4 it will get dry. I also am planning a bacon wrap around it. Is two hours sufficient?
This is a pretty thick meatloaf, and it is stuffed with cheese. It took me the full 4 hours to get it to the correct internal temperature. You can shoot for two, but you should probably increase the temperature to at least 300 degrees F.
No way…low and slow is a-ok by me. Thank you.
It doesn’t get dried out at all.
I made this for the first time today using a Weber Bullet with hickory. I followed the recipe and used 85% burger. My temp hovered between 215 and 225. I was expecting 4 hours, per the recipe, but the meat reached 165 degrees in about 3 hours (35 degrees outside / November in MN). Turned out amazing. Will definitely make it again.
What type of ground beef do you recommend lean or fatty?
This one is kind of up to your own preference, but I always do the 85/15 (so 15% fat) ground beef.
What about oven cooking time and temp? No grill. Sorry.
Hey Doug! You can cook the meatloaf in the oven for about an hour at 350 degrees F. Just check the temperature with an internal meat thermometer to ensure it is cooked thoroughly.
If wrap this bad boy up in a bacon weave. Did it once and will never go back to just meatloaf again
I do love a good bacon weave!! I’ve actually got a BBQ Meatloaf with a bacon weave on the site too. Both are awesome!
Bacon weave is ok but it can prevent the smoke from getting to the meat.
I’d recommend putting the rub on the meat, smoking for two hours then put the sauce on for the last two hours
Did you put the bacon on top of the sauce or vise versus?
Can you put it on a regular grill?
You can definitely do it on a gas or charcoal grill, just use two zone heat. So the burners are turned on on one side and left off on the other side. Place the meatloaf on the side with the unlit burners. Keep the lid closed and monitor the temperature. It will take just about an hour at 350 degrees, be sure to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer for doneness.
Im going to try your smoked meatloaf, i can’t wait till I can taste it
can you bake this? if so what would you recommend the oven temp and how long? thanks(:
Absolutely! I would recommend 350 for about an hour. Just check the internal temperature to make sure it is cooked to 165 degrees F.
Sorry, time constrained parent here……could you swap the sauce for just the bottled Jack Daniels BBQ sauce or no. Sounds lazy but being a busy mom I’m always needing some kind of shortcuts! PS-I live in Tennessee LOL so maybe that’s shameful to take shortcuts pertaining to BBQ sauces.
Jess- you are my soul sister. haha. 3 kids here and I’ll take any short cut I can get. The Jack Daniels BBQ sauce should work great!
Can I smoke this meatloaf in a cast iron pan that has the ridges on the bottom. Any adjustments to time or temperature using the cast iron.
Thank you
A lot of the bottled BBQ sauce include liquid smoke or some other smoky flavor.. it could be lead to it getting too much of that sort of flavor if you smoke it again.
How would you recommend cooking this on a Traeger?
Hey Connor! Just follow the same time and temp guidelines in the recipe for your Traeger. Hope you enjoy!
I will give it a shot when I get my BBQ Pit thank you
I cooked this today on my Traeger and followed the directions above. Worked perfectly! Everyone loved it!
In top of recipe it calls for steak rub but I don’t see where u put it. Please look at meatloaf ing
The link for the rub recipe is actually in the post. Here is the direct link for you: https://heygrillhey.com/homemade-steak-rub/
Can you cook in the oven, and at what temperature and how long.
You can bake this. I would do it at 350 for about an hour. You will want the internal temp to reach 165.
If you want the smoky flavor add a little liquid smoke
The recipe directions don’t specify when to put the rub on. Would it be before adding the sauce?
Agreed, the recipe doesn’t say to add the 1 tablespoon of rub to the meatloaf. I add it to the meatloaf with the breadcrumbs and then some more with the sauce. I substitute colbyjack cheese sticks instead of straight jack cheese. Also, I save some of the sauce for the final 5 minutes or so of the cook and add at the end. This makes it a bit more “saucy” IMO and we LOVE it.
It goes in the sauce for the top
I thought you shouldn’t sauce meat while its smoking only after you are blocking the smoke
I would say based on the ingredients list that it goes in with the Worcestershire sauce and other ingredients for the meatloaf. It also seems to be an ingredient in the sauce, but the instructions include mention of it there.
Can you use a meatloaf pan in the smoker?
Yes you can!