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This smoked habanero meatloaf is by far my favorite. The meat comes out tender, with a nice smoky flavor (though you can make it in the oven and still have a fantastic dish). And of course, there’s a kick – a big kick from BBQ sauce mixed with habanero salsa and mixed into the meat and used as a glaze.
The leftovers (if you have any) of this smoked habanero meatloaf are just as good as the day you made this meatloaf. Maybe even a little bit better. It is perfect for sandwiches, which we made the next day. We just topped toasted French bread with a slab of warmed meatloaf followed by mayonnaise and red onion. The onion and bread add a nice crunch to the tender meatloaf. I can’t have a sandwich without mayonnaise, so mine definitely got an extra helping of it on top.
I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. I used apple wood chunks for this meatloaf.
I smoked the meatloaf on my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker. For a great side dish I made my crispy smoked smashed potatoes.
Smoked Habanero Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 large egg
- ½ tablespoon milk
- 1 cup bread crumbs plain, Italian-seasoned bread crumbs work just as well
- 2 tablespoons Montreal steak seasoning I used our homemade mix
- 1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
- ½ cup habanero salsa
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
For the smoker
- Fire up your smoker for cooking at 225 – 250 F with a light wood, such as apple.
For the oven
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
Assembly
- Place the onion, celery and green pepper into a blender. Pulse until chopped, but not quite pureed. Squeeze out any excess moisture. It is important to get as much moisture out as you can.
- Place beef and pork into a large bowl. Add onion mixture.
- Whisk egg with milk and add to beef mixture, along with the bread crumbs and steak seasoning.
- In a separate bowl, combine the barbecue sauce, salsa, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour half of the sauce onto the meat mixture and combine all ingredients well. Reserve the remaining sauce.
- Spray a 9×13 aluminum (or glass if using the oven) pan with non-stick spray.
- Add the beef/pork mixture and form into a roll. Spoon remaining sauce over top.
- If cooking in the oven, bake 45-60 minutes or until center is done. You may want to drain some of the accumulating fat before serving.
- If cooking in the smoker, poke a few holes along the edges of the aluminum pan so that any accumulating fat drips out. Smoke 2-3 hours or until the center is done.
- Let meatloaf rest for 10 minutes and then slice into thick pieces.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.