Totally Tasty Cheesy Smoked Meatloaf

October 15, 2022

There’s just something about homemade Texas meatloaf. In our family, it’s a comfort meal staple. Over the years, we’ve experimented with many variations. Some were good, some were great, but none compare to our Totally Cheesy Smoked Meatloaf.

As you might have guessed, our Totally Cheesy Smoked Meatloaf is stuffed with fiery pepper jack cheese and then baked in the smoker. It’s insanely moist, irresistibly smokey, and unbelievably delicious.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours and 30 minutes

Type: Entree

Cuisine: American, Comfort Food

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients for Cheesy Smoked Meatloaf

Here on the ranch, we love taking old-school meals and giving them a modern twist. And if we can throw something in the smoker along the way, then all the better! 

For this recipe, we use our Come and Steak It signature rub and our Texas Beef Company Premium Quality Texas Ground Beef. The spicy kick of the rub and the cheese combined with the earthiness of the grass-fed, grain-finished beef results in a flavor that just can’t be beaten.

Here’s everything you need:

• 2 pounds Premium Quality Texas Ground Beef
• 8 oz pepper jack cheese (shredded or sliced)
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 small yellow onion (finely chopped)
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp Texas Beef Company Come and Steak It Rub
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Steps to Make Cheesy Smoked Meatloaf

After grabbing all the ingredients, have a little fun, and gather up the kids too. If you don’t know, mixing up a meatloaf is the perfect job for children. They’ll love to get their hands dirty, so go ahead and get them involved!

If you’ve never smoked ground beef before, here’s a pro tip. To ensure your meatloaf is exposed to full smoke but doesn’t turn into a brick, we recommend forming it so that it is about an inch smaller than the baking pan on all sides. This will allow the smoke to encircle the meat without losing all the juices that try to escape. 

1. Preheat your smoker to 225 F. Any wood will work, but we recommend using pecan. The deep flavors of pecan smoke complement the spiciness of the Cheesy Smoked Meatloaf.

2. While the smoker is preheating, add the bread crumbs and milk to a large bowl and combine. The crumbs should absorb some of the liquid, but the mixture should still be pretty wet. If you need to add a bit more milk, do so.

3. Next, add your Premium Quality Texas Ground Beef and all the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the cheese and the ketchup. Mix everything up until combined, then separate into two parts.

4. Spread the first half of your meatloaf mixture onto the bottom of a greased or nonstick baking pan. Remember to leave an inch of space on all sides between the beef and the sides of the pan.

5. Cover the meat in the pan with the pepper jack cheese. Leave some space on the edges. This will ensure a good seal when you add the top layer of meat.

6. Add the remaining meatloaf mixture. Form into a meatloaf shape, completely covering the cheese. Press the edges together to seal the top and bottom together. Look for any holes and close them! You don’t want to lose any of that precious cheese.

7. Pour half of the ketchup over the top of the meatloaf and spread it out evenly.

8. Place the meatloaf on the smoker, close the lid, and smoke for 4 hours or until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches 165 F. 

9. Remove the Cheesy Smoked Meatloaf from the smoker and allow it to rest for a few minutes. Cover it with the remaining 1/2 cup of ketchup, slice, and serve with your favorite sides.

Check us out! We offer grass-fed, grain-finished, sustainably raised bulk beef and Premium Quality custom beef boxes. Each one is chock-full of all your favorite cuts. We also have tons of Texas Beef Company merchandise. Show the world that you Eat Better Beef!