Smoked Stout Meatloaf

This isn't your mom's meatloaf! Not only does the meatloaf became "beefier" with stout beer, but it gets smoked too, adding a whole new level of flavor.

Ingredients:  Serves 6
1.5lbs ground beef (80/20)
.5 lbs of sausage (your choice. I used breakfast sausage)
1.5 cups of fresh breadcrumbs
3/4 cup stout ale
1 white onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4-1 cup ketchup
A few dashes of tobasco
2 tbsp of a simple seasoning (mix 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup fresh ground black pepper, and 1/4 cup granulated garlic)

Topping:
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar

Other Things Needed:
two disposable aluminum “lasagna” pans (bigger than meatloaf to allow for smoke)
50/50 mixture of mesquite and pecan wood (or other wood of your choice)


Now, here’s for the really simple part. Mix EVERYTHING in a large bowl and let sit in the fridge for at least a couple hours to allow the flavors to mingle well. The key is the breadcrumbs. They’ll soak up that delicious beer. Pull meatloaf out of fridge about 30min or so, before you’re ready to smoke, to allow to come up to room temp.

Prepare your smoker to cook at 225 degrees.

Place meatloaf in one of the pans and shape into a loaf. You don’t want a meatloaf pan because it won’t allow much smoke penetration other than the top of the loaf. So, choose a pan to allow room for the 3 sides of the loaf to be able to receive smoke. “Lasagna” pans are perfect size.Then, poke holes along the bottom of the pan to allow for the juices to drain out and use the other pan to catch the juices and fats.

Smoke the meatloaf for 3-4 hours or until the center of the loaf reaches a temp of 160 degrees. About a 30 minutes to 1 hour before loaf is done, mix the ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar for the topping, and glaze the loaf all over the top. When done, slice thick and serve with dem good ‘ol mashed taters.

Pair this meaty morsel with a stout or porter. An altbier would be great as well.