Smoked Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Meatloaf

“Everyone seems to have a meatloaf story and more often than not it seems to be less than positive, but that’s about to change! Time and time again I’ve heard, “I don’t even like meatloaf but this stuff is amazing!” Give this recipe a try and leave your friends and family with a meatloaf experience they can’t stop talking about! If you have a grinder, this is also a great use of your leftover brisket trimmings.” – Matt Douglass

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Recipe from Matt Douglass | @FirstDueBarbecue on Instagram and Facebook

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 lb 80/20 Ground Beef
  • 1 Tbs Olive Oil
  • 1 Small/Medium Yellow or Sweet Onion (diced)
  • 2/3 cup Plain Panko Bread Crumbs
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 2 Eggs (beaten)
  • 1 Tbs Tomato Paste
  • 1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Tbs Granulated Garlic
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 2 tsp Salt

    • GLAZE
  • 1 cup BBQ Sauce of Choice
  • 2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1.5 Tbs Tomato Paste
  • 1 Tbs Meat Church Texas Sugar Rub (or your favorite)

    • POPPER FILLING
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese
  • 1 Jalapeño (remove seeds and dice)
  • 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 Tbs Meat Church Texas Sugar Rub (or your favorite)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat and cook onions till soft, remove and chill in refrigerator/freezer
2. Mix milk and breadcrumbs in bowl and allow breadcrumbs to completely absorb the milk
3. Mix ingredients from steps one and two as well as the remaining meatloaf ingredients together (don’t over mix)
4. Place mixture in fridge/freezer and allow it to firm up
5. Mix all popper filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside
6. Form meatloaf mixture into a loaf
7. Using your fingers, create a valley down the length of the meatloaf leaving about 1 inch on each end to keep the stuffing from coming out during cooking
8. Form the filling mixture into a tube and place it into the valley you just created
9. Carefully pull the meatloaf up around the stuffing to seal it into the middle of the loaf
10. Reshape the loaf as necessary making sure to keep the filling mixture encapsulated
11. Season the top of the loaf with rub
12. Place the meatloaf in your preheated Yoder Smokers pit and set to 250°F
13 While the meatloaf is cooking, combine all ingredients for the glaze in a bowl and mix thoroughly
14. After about 2 hours, start brushing the meatloaf with the glaze every 30 min or so
15. Continue to cook the meatloaf until it reaches 165°F in the center, about 3-4 hours
16. When the meatloaf reaches 165°F remove it from the smoker and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing to serve
Note: For a reduced cooking time, the same process can be followed to make smaller personal sized loaves (as pictured).