Howdy. This is my first post on this forum. Here is my recipe for meat loaf. I hope you enjoy it. The directions are for a Traeger grill, but can be easily adapted to other grills or smokers.


Preparation time: 45 minutes to prepare, 2 hours to cook.

1 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 tbl garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
½ cup scallion, finely chopped
1 Habeñero chile (to taste), seeds removed, finely chopped
2 to 4 Serrano chiles (to taste), seeds removed, finely chopped
2 to 4 Jalapeño chiles (to taste), seeds removed, finely chopped
2 tbl olive oil (Spanish Arbequina Olive Oil recommended)
2 tsp salt
1½ tsp pepper, freshly ground
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
⅓ cup ketchup
¾ lbs ground chuck
¾ lbs ground pork
¾ lbs ground veal
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 eggs, large, slightly beaten
⅓ cup fresh parsley leaves, minced

In a large heavy skillet cook the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, scallion and chiles in olive oil, over moderate heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Cover and stir occasionally until the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup. Cook for 1 more minute.

In a large bowl, combine the meats, eggs, bread crumbs, vegetables, and parsley. For best results, thoroughly mix the 3 meats before mixing in the other ingredients. Form into a loaf using a standard loaf pan. Compress the loaf as tightly as possible.

Start Traeger Pellet Grill on Smoke (180°F).

Recommended Pellets: Hickory or Mesquite

Place the loaf pan in the center of the grill and smoke for 30 minutes. Carefully turn the meat loaf over onto a piece of aluminum foil. Smoke for 30 more minutes. Increase temperature to Medium (350°F) and cook for approximately 1 more hour, or until the internal temperature at the center of the meat loaf is 160°F. Slide a spatula under the foil and remove from grill. Let stand for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Thanks for the recipe, John! It 'tastes' great in my mind. Will have to give it a try.

When converting the recipe, I'm wondering...180 degrees is pretty low for the cookshack. It might just sit there and stew. May take some tweaking, huh?

Again, thanks for the post!