Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Mac N Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf
Flavors Used:
This was another one of those just because recipes. Mac N Cheese stuffed meatloaf was trending there for a while, and I thought I would wrap one in bacon and smoke it! This is a pretty easy meatloaf recipe, and you can make your Mac N cheese however you want it. Make this with some simple mashed potatoes and a salad and you’re eatin’ good!
This stuffed meatloaf recipe was smoky, bacony, stuffed with cheese, had a nice spicy honey BBQ coating on the outside. It had a multitude of textures and flavors, and of course, that delicious herb and spice blend that we all know and love, Dan-O’s Seasoning! I used the spicy Dan-O’s in the meatloaf mix, in the Mac N Cheese, and on top of the meatloaf before coating in bacon.
I used a splash of milk in my meatloaf, but you probably don’t have to. It’s just one of those things you do when you make meatloaf and you don’t question why. I used a combo of ketchup, BBQ, Worcestershire (woo sauce), and mustard along with eggs that bind it all together. Just some plain ole bread crumbs work because we have Dan-O’s as our seasoning!
I smoked this bad boy at about 225 degrees for roughly 3 hours. Honesty, I could have taken it off earlier but it worked. Make sure to oil your grates well if you’re putting the meatloaf straight on them, but I recommend a smaller cooking rack or a small perforated pan. Mine broke a little pulling it off, but that was my only hiccup and I lived with it.
Boxed mac, homemade mac, whatever you want to use in this recipe, it will be good! You can also use any meatloaf recipe that you want. The important parts are the bacon, Dan-O’s, and the smoke. I highly recommend making my sauce too if you have the stuff. BUT NOT JUST KETCHUP. Hope you enjoy!
If you’re looking for other good recipes for the smoker, try our smoked bologna chub recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 Lbs of ground beef (80/20 or leaner)
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup of bread crumbs
- ¼ cup of Spicy Dan-O’s
- BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, Worchestershire sauce,
- 3 tbs minced garlic
- Half an onion
- 1 small red pepper
- 8 strips of bacon
- Mac N Cheese of your choosing
- Splash of milk
- Brushing sauce (optional) – Sriracha and honey
Preparation Instructions
- Finely chop the onion, red pepper, and garlic
- Add beef, veggies, bread crumbs, eggs, Dan-O’s Seasoning, a big squirt of BBQ sauce, ketchup, and mustard, 2 tbs of Worchestershire sauce, and a splash of milk into a large bowl. Mix together.
- Make your mac N cheese. For mine, I did cheddar jack cheese, parm, cream cheese, butter, milk and Dan-O’s for my cheese sauce. Poured over and mixed into elbow mac. Use boxed mac and cheese if you’re feeling lazy.
- Form the bottom of your loaf. Using a little over half form your meatloaf and make a kind of “bowl” in the middle. Make sure you don’t go too shallow.
- Fill your “bowl” with the mac N cheese. Form a large patty to go over top. Pinch edges and smooth out to form top and bottom together. Use a small amount of egg to form if needed.
- Coat meatloaf in Dan-O’s Seasoning, and then drape with bacon over top. Add to well-oiled grates of a preheated smoker at 225 degrees.
- Smoke for roughly 3 hours until an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking, brush a mix of ketchup, BBQ sauce, sriracha, and honey over the top of meatloaf. If you don’t have these things, just use BBQ sauce.
- Remove from heat. Let rest for 20-30 minutes before carefully carving. Enjoy!
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