Were you looking for a new and unique dinner option that is easy to prep and can be cooked on your Weber gas or charcoal grill? Look no further than this flavorful Rocky Mountain Meatloaf recipe. Packed with delicious ingredients, this dish will surely become a family favorite. Whether you’re preparing it for a special occasion or a cozy weeknight meal, this meatloaf is bound to impress with its rich flavors and straightforward preparation.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
As a Weber grilling enthusiast, you should try this Rocky Mountain Meatloaf recipe because it offers a new and flavorful twist on a classic dish. This recipe is designed to be cooked on your Weber gas or charcoal grill, making it a perfect option for those who love outdoor cooking.
The blend of ground meat, savory seasonings, and mouthwatering glaze creates a rich and delicious flavor that will impress your family and guests. The straightforward preparation and use of indirect heat at 350ºF make it easy to cook this meatloaf to perfection on your grill.
Additionally, the recipe provides helpful tips for alternative ingredients and cooking tools, ensuring you can adapt the recipe to your preferences and available resources. This Rocky Mountain Meatloaf recipe is a great way to add a new and exciting dish to your grilling repertoire.
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- Two medium eggs
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- Whole milk is used in meatloaf recipes to add moisture and richness. The fat content helps keep the meatloaf moist during cooking while also contributing to a tender texture.
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Worcestershire sauce is used in meatloaf for its savory depth of flavor and umami richness, enhancing the dish’s overall taste.
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- It’s not uncommon for people to have Italian seasoned bread crumbs in their pantry instead of plain bread crumbs. Don’t let that keep you from making this meal. You can simply omit the Italian seasoning listed next.
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- Regular pepper is fine as well; just use a little less. Around 1/8 of a tsp should be sufficient.
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 1/8 cup of minced jalapeno
- 1.0 – 1.5 lbs. ground bison*
- Bison meat is an excellent choice for meatloaf due to its lean and flavorful nature. It adds a unique and rich taste while also being lower in fat compared to traditional ground beef. This lean quality helps the meatloaf stay moist and tender, making it a healthier and delicious option for your recipe.
- 1.0 – 1.5 lbs of ground pork*
- Ground pork is a good choice for meatloaf because it adds a rich flavor and moistness. The fat content in ground pork helps keep the meatloaf juicy and flavorful, and it blends well with other ingredients, enhancing the overall taste of the meatloaf.
*Your meat combination should weigh about 2 lbs.
- Ground pork is a good choice for meatloaf because it adds a rich flavor and moistness. The fat content in ground pork helps keep the meatloaf juicy and flavorful, and it blends well with other ingredients, enhancing the overall taste of the meatloaf.
Glaze
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- Brown sugar is often used in meatloaf glazes because it adds a rich, caramel-like flavor and helps create a nice glaze. The molasses in brown sugar adds sweetness and contributes to the glaze’s deep, complex flavor. Additionally, brown sugar can help the glaze caramelize and develop a beautiful color as the meatloaf cooks, enhancing its overall appearance and taste.
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat your grill using indirect heat to 350ºF.
- Gas Indirect Heat: Heat the outermost burners on your grill while leaving the inner burners on.
- Charcoal Indirect Heat: Light your charcoal. Once it is smoldering, split the coals in half and move them outside the grill base.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, and Worcestershire sauce. Make sure you mix it so the egg has completely separated.
- Combine the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a separate small bowl. Be sure to mix the dry ingredients well, as this will prevent you from overmixing the meat.
- Mince the onion and jalapeno. It helps to know your dinner crowd here. If you know some guests who do not like onions, chop them finely. The same goes for the jalapenos.
- Add the meats, egg mix, breadcrumb/spice mix, minced onion, and jalapeno to a large bowl. Try to spread the mixture over as much of the meat surface as possible. This will reduce the amount of time you have to combine the mixture.
- Using your hands, smash the ingredients together until they are evenly combined. Try to avoid over-mixing. Overmixing the meat when preparing meatloaf can lead to a dense and tough texture. When you overmix, the proteins in the meat can become tightly packed together, resulting in a less tender and more compact meatloaf. Mixing the ingredients until combined is essential to ensure a lighter and more tender texture in the finished dish.
- Place the mixture into a loaf metal loaf pan. Don’t have a loaf pan or don’t want to put your “good pan” on the grill? No problem! You can purchase aluminum pans in a variety of sizes. However, you need to be careful using a thin pan. The bottom can cook quickly, even on indirect heat, ruining your meatloaf and leaving you with a messy pan.
- While your meatloaf is cooking, mix the glaze ingredients. Spread the glaze evenly and generously over the top of the meatloaf when the internal temperature has reached 145ºF.
- After baking the meatloaf for 50-55 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF, you’ll be rewarded with a juicy and flavorful Rocky Mountain Meatloaf.
- Allow the loaf to rest for at least five but no more than 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Variations and Substitution
- Add some spice. There are so many spices you could add to change it up and keep the recipe from getting boring. Cumin, Garlic, White Pepper, Mustard, the list goes on.
- Add some smoke. If you like meat with a smokey flavor, consider making this recipe for your smoker. Don’t have a smoker, try adding some wood chips directly to the charcoals when you add the
- Change the meat up. I prefer pork mixed with ground beef, bison, or elk. If you use something other than pork for your second meat option, your recipe will likely be a little drier but don’t be afraid to experiment with different meat options.
- Try different peppers. Jalapenos are a great middle-of-the-road option for adding a little heat to your meatloaf. Feel free to add more or a different type of pepper. A small amount of Habenaro in place of the Jalapeno really gets the taste buds (and your nostrils) fired up!
Rocky Mountain Meatloaf
Equipment
- Weber Gas Grill any grill or griddle will work
- Weber Griddle Insert
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 2 Eggs
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/8 cup diced jalapeno
- 1 lb ground bison
- 1 lb ground pork
Glaze
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat your grill using indirect heat to 350ºF.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, and Worcestershire sauce. Make sure you mix it so the egg has completely separated.
- Combine the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a separate small bowl. Be sure to mix the dry ingredients well, as this will prevent you from overmixing the meat.
- Mince the onion and jalapeno. It helps to know your dinner crowd here. If you know some guests who do not like onions, chop them finely. The same goes for the jalapenos.
- Add the meats, egg mix, breadcrumb/spice mix, minced onion, and jalapeno to a large bowl. Try to spread the mixture over as much of the meat surface as possible. This will reduce the amount of time you have to combine the mixture.
- Using your hands, smash the ingredients together until they are evenly combined. Try to avoid over-mixing. Overmixing the meat when preparing meatloaf can lead to a dense and tough texture. When you overmix, the proteins in the meat can become tightly packed together, resulting in a less tender and more compact meatloaf. Mixing the ingredients until combined is essential to ensure a lighter and more tender texture in the finished dish.
- Place the mixture into a loaf metal loaf pan. Don’t have a loaf pan or don’t want to put your “good pan” on the grill? No problem! You can purchase aluminum pans in a variety of sizes. However, you need to be careful using a thin pan. The bottom can cook quickly, even on indirect heat, ruining your meatloaf and leaving you with a messy pan.
- While your meatloaf is cooking, mix the glaze ingredients. Spread the glaze evenly and generously over the top of the meatloaf when the internal temperature has reached 145ºF.
- After baking the meatloaf for 50-55 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF, you'll be rewarded with a juicy and flavorful Rocky Mountain Meatloaf.
- Allow the loaf to rest for at least five but no more than 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes
- Gas Indirect Heat: Heat the outermost burners on your grill while leaving the inner burners on.
- Charcoal Indirect Heat: Light your charcoal. Once it is smoldering, split the coals in half and move them outside the grill base.
- Try to avoid over-mixing. Overmixing the meat when preparing meatloaf can lead to a dense and tough texture. When you overmix, the proteins in the meat can become tightly packed together, resulting in a less tender and more compact meatloaf. Mixing the ingredients until combined is essential to ensure a lighter and more tender texture in the finished dish.
- Don’t have a loaf pan or don’t want to put your “good pan” on the grill? No problem! You can purchase aluminum pans in a variety of sizes. However, you need to be careful using a thin pan. The bottom can cook quickly, even on indirect heat, ruining your meatloaf and leaving you with a messy pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this tonight but we used habanero peppers. It was fantastic.
Very good recipe, Kate.