Interesting to see this post today because I too just did my first smoked meatloaf last night.
The only issue I had when doing mine is that it took
forever, even with the MES temp set to 260 degrees.
How long did it take for yours to finish, and at what smoker temp?
After 2.5 hours, the IT was only 120; I was shooting for 160. My smoke generator had finished, and it was past our usual dinner time, so I took it inside and finished in a hot oven, set to the convection mode. Fortunately, 2.5 hours of smoke was plenty enough, even using the relatively light smoke from my external smoking attachment, so finishing it inside was not a problem. Actually, the hot convection oven gave it a nice crust all around, so I think I'll include that step next time.
The end result was a big step up from the non-smoked version.
I used the same recipe (from "Cook's Illustrated") that I've made a few times before. The only thing I'll do differently is that the recipe called for making a roux and then a gravy using the pan drippings. It didn't really start dripping until near the end, and waiting for those drippings delayed dinner for almost half an hour (you have to cook the gravy for quite a long time until it reduces and thickens). Next time I'll just use butter, because the taste from two tablespoons of drippings just wasn't that important. Also, the gravy in this recipe is very strong, using porcini and regular mushrooms, along with a lot of thyme. The flavor from porcini mushrooms trumps just about anything, even smoke.
Glad yours turned out. I should have taken a pic of mime because it really looked great.
BTW, smoking meatloaf turned out to be another great reason to own Todd's "
Q-Matz." It let the smoke get to the bottom as well as the top of the loaf, and helps the loaf get crispy on all sides. I cannot imagine ever doing a meatloaf without doing it on this wonderful mat.
For those who are interested, this is the recipe:
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Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup water
¼ oz. dried porcini mushrooms
16 square or 18 round saltines
10 oz. white mushrooms, trimmed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1⅓ tablespoon Worcestershire
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
¾ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
Heat oven to 375º.Microwave water & porcini mushrooms (1 minute). Sit until softened, (5 minutes). Remove porcini from bowl, mince & strain using coffee filter. Reserve ¾ cup.
Finely grind saltines in food processor. Transfer to bowl. Pulse half of white mushrooms in processor until finely ground, 8 to 10 pulses.
Brown onion in oil, 6-8 minutes. Add processed white mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until liquid evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to saltine bowl.
Combine beef, pork, eggs, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper, and ¼ cup reserved porcini liquid to cooled white mushroom– saltine mixture. Shape into 10x6" loaf in skillet. Bake to 160º, 45-55 minutes. Transfer to carving board. Tent with aluminum foil.
Thinly slice remaining white mushrooms. Keep 2 T. fat and heat until shimmering. Add sliced white mushrooms & porcini mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Stir in thyme and ¼ teaspoon salt., Cook until fragrant (30 seconds). Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in broth, ½ cup reserved porcini liquid, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice meatloaf and serve with mushroom gravy.
