Ref; Cured Smoked Meatloaf?

[TomKnollRFV]

I got a pound tube of ground beef and I figured it's about right for a meatloaf, but I was thinking of adding tenderquick into the meat mix...

I know Bear has his bearloaf and this is what inspired me; but am I going to be wasting tenderquick by just putting this in at 240f for a few hours till it hits the safe IT? I was planning to put cheese in the middle as well.

 

[pc farmer]

I don't know have of what Bear does but if it was me. I would mix the cure and meat and cheese then let set in fridge overnight to get the different flavor that would might get.

When I do sausage, after the mixing of ingredients I let it set over night atleast.

 

[SmokinAl]

If your looking to change the flavor to a pastrami or corned beef flavor, then I would mix in the cure & let it sit in the fridge for at least 48 hours. I don't think your going to get any flavor change at all if you just mix in the cure & cook it right away. So in my opinion it would be a waste of time & cure. I'm not familiar with TQ, I use instacure #1 & instacure #2.
Al

 

[Bearcarver]

I would make them thinner than a meatloaf, so it doesn't take a higher heat to get it done.
With the right amount of TQ in it, you can use lower Temps to be able to keep putting the smoke on it.
That's one of the things that make my Bear Loaf so tasty---Plenty of time for smoke.

If you're going to make a loaf that is the size & shape of a regular Meatloaf, I'd leave the TQ out of it, and just make a meatloaf.

BTW: If you mix the TQ in properly, overnight is plenty of time to wait before smoking.

Bear

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I was planning to make it today and smoke it tomorrow for dinner.

I was hoping if I did this it would be akin to a meatloaf sized Uncased beef stick like you have on your tutorials Bear..with pepper jack and Kerrygold cheddar inside it.

I wasn't going to do proper bear loaves because I am a bit under the weather. Might be all the pollen, who knows any more!

I figured TQ would well with this kind of thing and I feel bad it just sits there unused since I ordered a 2 pound container of instacure 1!

 

[SmokinAl]

Well I would go for it, your not going to hurt the meat and it may give you the flavor your looking for.
Plus as you said you can use up the TQ.
Al

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Well I would go for it, your not going to hurt the meat and it may give you the flavor your looking for.
Plus as you said you can use up the TQ.
Al

If any thing else, it might give me a pink ring on the meatloaf. I read how competition guys some time use cure to give the pink ring on meat when they know it won't otherwise have time to form it.

Course now is the bread crumbs vs oatmeal debate ;)

 

[Bearcarver]

I was planning to make it today and smoke it tomorrow for dinner.

I was hoping if I did this it would be akin to a meatloaf sized Uncased beef stick like you have on your tutorials Bear..with pepper jack and Kerrygold cheddar inside it.

I wasn't going to do proper bear loaves because I am a bit under the weather. Might be all the pollen, who knows any more!

I figured TQ would well with this kind of thing and I feel bad it just sits there unused since I ordered a 2 pound container of instacure 1!

That's fine, do them with your recipe, but like I said, I would make it pan size, like my Bear loaf (About 1 1/2" to 2" thick), and follow my smoking schedule from my Bear Loaf.
Here's the Link:
Smoked Bear Loaf (All Beef)

Bear

 

[SmokinAl]

If your using a MES then Bear is the man with the most experience on here with that smoker, so if he says make it thinner then I would do that! The thing about the smoke ring is if you mix the cure all thru the ground meat then the whole meatloaf will have a reddish color. If you just put the cure on the outside of the meatloaf you will get a killer smoke ring!
Al

 

[Bearcarver]

If your using a MES then Bear is the man with the most experience on here with that smoker, so if he says make it thinner then I would do that! The thing about the smoke ring is if you mix the cure all thru the ground meat then the whole meatloaf will have a reddish color. If you just put the cure on the outside of the meatloaf you will get a killer smoke ring!
Al

All explained the Smoke Ring just right above;
However I should mention, if you mix the proper amount of TQ through the whole thing, you should use my Smoking Time Schedule, but if you only put the TQ on the outside to get a Smoke Ring, don't use my schedule, because you'll need to treat it like a regular Meatloaf & get it through the Danger Zone a lot faster.

Bear

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Might need to run out to get a few more pounds of beef to make it worth while as it were. <I figured if I do one..why not two..and freeze one!>.

I wonder how bearloaf with eggs and oatmeal added will be! <I like the seasoning blend, though I'll probably add more pepper, gotta love that pepper kick!>

I was going to do this right in the pan to help avoid drying out, but that shouldn't even occur doing the bear loaf method right?

 

[Bearcarver]

Might need to run out to get a few more pounds of beef to make it worth while as it were. <I figured if I do one..why not two..and freeze one!>.

I wonder how bearloaf with eggs and oatmeal added will be! <I like the seasoning blend, though I'll probably add more pepper, gotta love that pepper kick!>

I was going to do this right in the pan to help avoid drying out, but that shouldn't even occur doing the bear loaf method right?

No guarantees with other recipes, but I can tell you my Bear Loaf is as it was supposed to be----The same thing as Beef Sticks, but in a different form. It was never meant to be plated with Veggies, as a sit down meal, any more than a bunch of Beef sticks would be.

Bear

 

[petehalsted]

Hey what wrong with a bunch of beef sticks for dinner? A hunk of summer sausage, crackers and cheese has served as many dinner many a night! If I need to add veggies, that's what Bloody Mary's are for LOL

The Bearloaf isn't dry because of Bear's smoking schedule, processing, etc. is design to prevent the fat from rendering out.

Hot Smoking you are going to render some fat out of it. I think you got to decide which side of the fence you want to be on. Meatloaf Profile or Beef Stick profile.

I think the only "safe" middle ground would be, do normal meatloaf recipe, add TQ, in fridge overnight, then hot smoke it. This might give you a meatloaf with a touch of the cured flavor. Sort of like Bears Bacon on a Stick (Cured pork ribs, hot smoked)

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I ended up hot smoking a pound or so, largely because it looked like yet more thunderstorms. I just left it in the meatloaf pan...no pictures as it didn't last long. It got a bit of a ...hard to describe, almost corned beef like flavour or some thing. Nice and red colouration. The texture changed <but I also put in to much oatmeal I believe>. I'll have to do it again..I also forgot to put in the cheese! But it was interesting, going to have to try again with a bigger and proper batch.

 

[Bearcarver]

I ended up hot smoking a pound or so, largely because it looked like yet more thunderstorms. I just left it in the meatloaf pan...no pictures as it didn't last long. It got a bit of a ...hard to describe, almost corned beef like flavour or some thing. Nice and red colouration. The texture changed <but I also put in to much oatmeal I believe>. I'll have to do it again..I also forgot to put in the cheese! But it was interesting, going to have to try again with a bigger and proper batch.

Try some Actual "Bear Loaf".

Bear

 

[browneyesvictim]

I have been making the Bear loaf for a while now and love it for sandwich meat. tallbm has a thread making it pastrami loaf: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/posts/1715855/

Come to think of it... This would make a great fatty! Cured ground pastrami beef rolled out and stuffed with.... Kraut maybe?

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I intend to do so Bear! Trust me, if it's like the unstuffed snack sticks...I might eat a whole loaf by my self...

And Brown has a great idea there! Kraut..some cheese...