Spicy Cheese Stuffed Smoked Meatloaf

Last Updated on November 30, 2023 by Carne Diem

Protein:

Origin: American

Method: Grill or Smoker

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Smoked meatloaf is a family favorite to cook on our smoker. This is not your grandma's meatloaf though. This Cajun meatloaf is stuffed with cheese and packs some heat with the addition of habaneros and habanero jack cheese. This spicy cheese stuffed meatloaf is then seasoned with spicy BBQ rub and smoked to perfection.

It is the perfect smoked meatloaf recipe to make on your pellet smoker like a Traeger or Yoder, for some subtle smoke flavor. For a little more smoke flavor, make this cheese stuffed meatloaf on an offset smoker or ceramic grill like a Big Green Egg.

Making Spicy Smoked Meatloaf

Ingredients Needed to Make Cheese Stuffed Smoked Meatloaf

To make our Spicy Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf you will need ground beef, onion, bell pepper, celery, hot sauce, milk, panko breadcrumbs, ketchup, a habanero pepper, an egg, butter, your favorite BBQ rub, and spicy cheese like habanero jack or pepper jack. Our recipe calls for 3 pounds of ground beef and will serve about 6-8 people.

What type of beef should I use for smoked meatloaf?

We have found that 85:15 ground beef works best for smoked meatloaf. It has enough fat to keep the meatloaf from drying out but will not create a lot of grease in your smoker which increases the risk of flare ups. We typically like to use a combination of ground beef and ground chuck.

For more great ground beef recipes be sure to check out our giant smoked meatballs, Balkan hamburger patties, Spicy Texas Smash Burgers, Grilled Jamaican Beef Patties, Moroccan Grilled Kefta Kebabs and Smoked Taco Dip.

Cook the seasoned veggies

Dice the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Melt the butter in a medium sized pan over medium heat. When melted add the onion, celery, and bell pepper, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. This can be done ahead of time in your kitchen, or even in a cast iron pan on your grill.

Add in the garlic and diced habanero and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the BBQ seasoning, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add in the ketchup and the milk and stir to combine. Heat for 2 minutes then remove the pan from the heat.

Mix the meatloaf

In a large bowl, add the ground beef and the panko breadcrumbs. When cool enough to handle, mix in the seasoned and cooked veggies. Finally add in the beaten eggs and mix well with your hands until well combined. Try not to overwork the meat or the smoked meatloaf will end up too dense.

Forming the Stuffed Meatloaf

To form the Spicy Smoked Meatloaf place a couple sheets of plastic wrap on a cutting board or your counter. Place the meat mixture on the plastic wrap and form the meat into a large rectangle about ½ inch thick.

Spread the shredded cheese down the middle of the meat, leaving about a 1-inch border on the ends.

Use the plastic wrap to form the meat into a loaf by rolling up the loaf and then closing of the ends.

If desired season the outside of the meatloaf with additional BBQ seasoning. We highly recommend it as it adds even more great flavor to the finished meatloaf. We used Meat Church Holy Voo Doo which has a great sweet and spicy flavor combination.

Smoking the Meatloaf on Your Grill or Smoker

Preheat your grill or smoker to 250-300 degrees (use a lower temp for more smoke flavor or higher temp for less smoke flavor). We have made the meatloaf on a number of smokers, and it has always turned out great. When we cook the smoked meatloaf on a pellet grill like our Yoder or a Traeger we typically cook at around 250 for a little longer to get a little extra smoke on the meat. We typically cook at 300 when we make the meatloaf on our Big Green Egg or Gateway Drum smoker.

We find it helpful to smoke the meatloaf on a grill pan to help it maintain its shape while still getting plenty of smoke flavor. It also makes it easier to rotate the meatloaf, if needed, for more even cooking.

Place the meatloaf on the smoker and cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Depending on your smoker and cooking temperature, this typically takes 2-3 hours, but monitor with a temperature probe.

When the smoked meatloaf is at temp, remove it to a cutting board and slice into individual servings.

Can I adjust the spiciness of the smoked meatloaf?

Absolutely, there are several ways to adjust the spice level of your cheese stuffed meatloaf. The recipe as stated will provide a medium heat. It definitely has some kick. There will be some variation to the heat depending on the spice level of the Habanero cheese that you use, so taste the cheese before you use it to help estimate the spice level. If you want more spice, you can add more diced habanero pepper or increase the hot sauce in the recipe. For something a little less spicy, decrease or omit the habanero pepper and hot sauce, or use a milder cheese like pepper jack.

What to eat with spicy smoked meatloaf

This cheese stuffed meatloaf goes well with traditional sides like mashed potatoes and grilled veggies. Or you can step up your side dish game with some of our favorite BBQ side dishes:

• Fried Mashed Potato Cakes with Herbes de Provence Butter
• Grilled Corn and Goat Cheese Salad
• Jalapeno Coleslaw With Bacon Aioli
• Smoked Jalapeno Twice Baked Potatoes
• Smoky Hatch Mac and Cheese
• Green Chile Cornbread
• Fire Roasted Tomato Soup
• Spanish Inspired Pasta Salad

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