Woah! This smoked meatloaf recipe wrapped in bacon is SO GOOD. It’s the ultimate pellet grill comfort food dish that’s easier to make than you’d think. This method makes it SUPER moist and tender. Let’s smoke bacon wrapped meatloaf on the Traeger…
HEY THERE — Are you on instagram? I post quick, easy smoker recipes there @sipbitego.
Why this pellet grill meatloaf recipe is so good…
- Very tender – never dry. (it basically bastes itself!)
- Adapted from high-quality restaurant style meatloaf.
- Super light and fluffy.
- Great smoker recipe for holidays or a BBQ menu for a crowd.
- Newer home chefs: see my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page).
How long does it take to smoke meatloaf at 250 degrees F?
Plan for about 3-4 hours of smoking time for meatloaf.
Ingredients for smoked meatloaf
Here’s what you need to make smoked bacon wrapped meatloaf.
- Eggs
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- Bread
- Heavy cream
- Onion
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Ground beef (*for the most juicy meatloaf, use 80/20 ground beef)
- Bacon
- BBQ sauce
With all the tasty flavors, I swear this is a smoked meat loaf everyone will drool over!!
How to smoke meatloaf on a pellet grill
Now I’ll walk you through it…
Quick look at this easy smoker recipe
- Mix smoked meatloaf beef filling.
- Form a large loaf log of meatloaf in a cast iron skillet.
- Wrap bacon around meatloaf.
- Smoke meatloaf partially.
- Brush smoked meatloaf with BBQ sauce.
- Smoke until done and enjoy.
FYI – This recipe has been adapted from baking meatloaf in the oven in a particular way where it cooks in its own juices to keep it very, very moist.
While smoking, a lot of liquid is expected to come out of the meatloaf. That is OK. It’s basically basting itself. After smoking it, you remove it from the liquid before slicing it.
Detailed recipe steps
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 250 degrees F.
- Prep the bacon wrapped meatloaf filling for smoking. Start by combining the smoked meatloaf beef mixture by adding to a large bowl: eggs, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, diced bread, heavy cream, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until combined. Next, add in the ground beef. Use your hands to gently, loosely, combine the beef with the egg and seasoning mixture. Again, don’t over mix it – the goal is to mix everything until just combined.
- Form smoked meatloaf patty. Set a large cast iron skillet or deep rimmed pan at your workstation. (As the meatloaf cooks on the smoker, juices will come out so you want a pan that’s at least 2 inches deep). To the center, add the ground beef mixture in a large log shape, wide enough to fit a piece of bacon around the center (about 5-6” wide).
- Wrap meatloaf with bacon. Place the bacon strips on top of the ground beef so they are slightly overlapping, so the bacon fully covers the meatloaf, with no gaps between the pieces. Next, use your fingers and gently wrap the bacon around the sides of the meatloaf.
- Smoke meatloaf on the pellet grill at 250 degrees F. Add the bacon wrapped meatloaf in the cast iron pan directly to a preheated smoker at 250 degrees F. Close the lid. Continue smoking until the internal temperature of the meatloaf smoking reaches 145 degrees F.
- Brush with BBQ sauce. When the meatloaf measures 145 degrees F internally, brush the top with BBQ sauce.
- Continue smoking bacon wrapped meatloaf until it reaches 160 degrees F, as measured with an internal read thermometer. When it comes to smoker cook times, exactly how long to smoke meatloaf will depend on how many times the pellet grill is opened and how thick the meatloaf is.
- Finish smoked meatloaf by removing it from the smoker. Use two big spatulas to transfer the meatloaf from the liquid in the pan to a wire rack (over a rimmed baking sheet).
- Rest smoked meatloaf, covered in foil, 15 – 20 minutes. To serve, transfer it to a cutting board and slice it into 2-3” segments. Serve with a little extra BBQ sauce in a small bowl if desired. Enjoy.
Serve this smoked meatloaf with bacon with a side of smoked mashed potatoes, smoked corn on the cob, or smoked mac and cheese.
FAQs
Experiment with flavors by adding in extra stuffing ingredients like diced jalapeños to make spicy smoked meatloaf or seasonings with your favorite cheese. Try shredded gouda, jack, cheddar or mozzarella cheeses. You can also sprinkle in your favorite BBQ rub or a little brown sugar on top, which tastes great with smoked bacon.
You could substitute the diced bread with bread crumbs of the same volume, but using fresh or slightly stale bread in this smoked meatloaf makes it extra moist and light.
Yes, similar to smoked meatballs, you can substitute half the ground beef with ground pork. This recipe can also be adapted to use ground chicken meat or ground turkey meat. All these meatloaf smoker recipes are variations you can make based on this Sip Bite Go version. They have all turned out great and full of flavor in my experience. But, I do have to say, the poultry versions in particular can be a bit softer and more likely to fall apart compared to beef.
No, for this meatloaf smoked in a pan, you want it to soak in its own juices while it cooks. This might look a little weird if you’re new to this particular meatloaf cooking method. But it turns out super juicy while picking up a ton of smoky flavor from the pellets.
Dice it up and toss it on smoked pizza or make meatloaf sandwiches the next day. It reheats easily if you slice it up and cook it in the oven at 350 on a sheet tray.
This recipe is not an ideal candidate for smoking in an electric indoor smoker because it requires a pan that won’t fit in one.
More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked cream cheese
- Smoked brisket flat
- 321 ribs
- Beer can chicken on the smoker
- Smoked wings
- Smoked tomahawk steak
- Traeger tri tip
- Smoked turkey breast
- Smoked turkey legs
- Whole smoked turkey
- Smoked Traeger pizza
- Smoked onion rings
- Traeger smoked ham
- Smoked whole chicken
- Smoked jalapeno poppers
- Smoked corn on the cob
- Traeger beef ribs
- Smoked leg of lamb
- Smoked shrimp
- Grilled chicken wings
- Grilled skirt steak
- Flank steak marinade
- Grilled potato wedges
- Smoked pulled pork
- Want more? See my lineup of easy smoker recipes
See this Traeger Flatrock grill review.
See my favorite smoker tools and seasonings in my Amazon Storefront.
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Favorite smoker recipes with bacon
These are great dishes with smoked bacon IN them, or ON them…
- Smoked mac and cheese with bacon topping
- Onion rings wrapped in bacon on the smoker
- Smoked bacon wrapped meatloaf
- Smoked bacon wrapped pork tenderloin
- Jalapeno poppers smoked wrapped with bacon
- Smoked mashed potatoes
- Smoked baked potatoes
- Smoked burger
- “Juicy Lucy” smoked bacon wrapped burgers
- Smoked bacon
- Traeger smoked pork belly burnt ends
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about making your own restaurant-quality smoker meatloaf recipe.
Follow for new smoker recipes on Instagram @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
Best Traeger Smoked Meatloaf (Bacon-Wrapped) Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ cup bread diced, white sandwich style
- ½ pint heavy cream
- ½ medium onion diced
- 1 tbsp garlic diced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 lbs ground beef 80/20
- 1 lb bacon strips
- ¼ cup bbq sauce
Instructions
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 250 degrees F.
- Prep the bacon wrapped meatloaf filling for smoking. Start by combining the smoked meatloaf beef mixture by adding to a large bowl: eggs, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, diced bread, heavy cream, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until combined. Next, add in the ground beef. Use your hands to gently, loosely, combine the beef with the egg and seasoning mixture. Again, don’t over mix it – the goal is to mix everything until just combined.
- Form smoked meatloaf patty. Set a large cast iron skillet or deep rimmed pan at your workstation. (As the meatloaf cooks on the smoker, juices will come out so you want a pan that’s at least 2 inches deep). To the center, add the ground beef mixture in a large log shape, wide enough to fit a piece of bacon around the center (about 5-6” wide).
- Wrap meatloaf with bacon. Place the bacon strips on top of the ground beef so they are slightly overlapping, so the bacon fully covers the meatloaf, with no gaps between the pieces. Next, use your fingers and gently wrap the bacon around the sides of the meatloaf.
- Smoke meatloaf on the pellet grill at 250 degrees F. Add the bacon wrapped meatloaf in the cast iron pan directly to a preheated smoker at 250 degrees F. Close the lid. (See thermometer recommendations on Sip Bite Go for tips on using a thermometer you can leave in while the meat smokes, so you don’t have to keep opening the lid to check, which lets out heat). Continue smoking until the internal temperature of the meatloaf smoking reaches 145 degrees F. FYI – This recipe has been adapted from baking meatloaf in the oven in a particular way where it cooks in its own juices to keep it very, very moist. While smoking, a lot of liquid is expected to come out of the meatloaf. That is OK. Later, you will take it out of the pan, removing it from the liquid, before slicing it.
- Brush with BBQ sauce. When the meatloaf measures 145 degrees F internally, brush the top with BBQ sauce.
- Continue smoking bacon wrapped meatloaf until it reaches 160 degrees F, as measured with an internal read thermometer. When it comes to cook times, exactly how long to smoke meatloaf will depend on how many times the pellet grill is opened and how thick the meatloaf is.
- Finish smoked meatloaf by removing it from the smoker. Use two big spatulas to transfer the meatloaf from the liquid in the pan to a wire rack (over a rimmed baking sheet).
- Rest smoked meatloaf, covered in foil, 15 – 20 minutes. To serve, transfer it to a cutting board and slice it into 2-3” segments. Serve with a little extra BBQ sauce in a small bowl if desired. Enjoy.
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