dinner for father in law

[mvincent42]

I am having my wife's father over for dinner for the first time this week. He is a meat and potatoes and vegetable kinda guy. I am good with the veggies and potatoes but I just got a new mes and can't wait to use, so I feel like I should try something good in it. I have smoked brisket and pork tenderloin in a smaller electric brinkman before but this will be my first time using the mes. Any stellar ideas for the meat portion? I was maybe thinking about burgers but would like to really try to do something different.

 

[mossymo]

Meatloaf... off the smoker should be a big hit!
It should be a no fail as long as you monitor internal meat temp and since you haven't used the MES before it should be a great choice till you get use to cooking with your Masterbuilt.

 

[lilricky]

Meatloaf... off the smoker should be a big hit!
It should be a no fail as long as you monitor internal meat temp and since you haven't used the MES before it should be a great choice till you get use to cooking with your Masterbuilt.

X2

 

[mvincent42]

I've made meatloaf in the oven and usually put onions,garlic, bread crumbs, egg, and spices with a mix of homeground beef and homemade italian sausage. Usually make 2 to 3 lbs. Probably take what about an hour per pound to reach $160?

 

[mvincent42]

Thanks again for all the input! Turns out my father in laws favorite dish is meatloaf and his wife makes it for him with ground turkey in the oven! Blasphemy! Needless to say I sent home lots of leftovers.....

 

[smokinhusker]

Good that it worked out so well!!

 

[humdinger]

Glad to hear he liked it. Could you tell a difference of smoked vs. un smoked meatloaf? Would you do anything different next time? More smoke? Less? What did the family think as a whole?

 

[mvincent42]

Definitely a noticeable difference in flavor and consistency from the oven. The smoke flavor added just the right compliment and wasn't overpowering at all. It was especially awesome on the one with the bbq sauce, which I am not a huge fan of normally as I prefer gravy on my meatloaf. I can't wait to make my next batch of bbq sauce and finish it in the smoker so I get that smokey flavor in the sauce. (Different discussion though) I put slits in my pan so the grease could drain, a luxury you don't have in the oven. Made it actually slicable instead of just hacking off chunks o meatloaf. I would like to try the fatty meatloaf method next time to see if I can keep the cheese more inside the meatloaf. All in all it was a roaring success! New father in law finished his wifes portion and had seconds, and my wife had 2 helpings. I usually barely eat meatloaf warm, preferring to have it cold and in sandwiches for the next few days, and I even had 3 slices. I will never make meatloaf in the oven again, and it was at temp after 2 1/2 hours at 225. Hope this helps and please ask if you have any more questions!