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Meatloaf on a plank, again...


 
R

Robert McGee

TVWBB Gold Member
My wife asked me to do meatloaf on a plank, again, as it has been a while and we LOVE this recipe. This was taken from
"The Plank Grilling Cookbook":

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004S7BL4K/tvwb-20

It DOES require a bit of prep. The veggies are chopped and then cooked to relieve them of the excessive moisture to maintain proper texture of the meatloaf. We did change one part of the recipe - instead of two parts ground beef, one part ground pork, and one part veal we used equal parts of ground beef and ground pork.

Here is my "Sou Chef", (SWMBO) - she prepared the meatloaf and sauce (sweet pepper and tomatoes). I just did the grilling:


We have been a team for many, many years:).

I used a Cedar Plank for the "Plank". Here is Marilyn building the meatloaf on the plank (she spooned the rich mixture onto the plank:


Here she is spooning the sauce onto meatloaf:


I carefully moved the plank onto the grill (before the meatloaf was spooned onto the plank, the food side of the plank was given 2.0 minutes face down on the hot grill (one lit chimney full evenly spread over the charcoal grate). Then it was flipped to start the char (5.0-7.0 minutes). As soon as it started to smoke, it is placed in the metal tray to build the meatloaf). The meatloaf is built quickly so as the retain as much heat in the plank as practical so cooking starts quickly.



Forty five minutes into the cook, it looks like this:


Fifteen minutes more (one hour total) it is ready to remove:


Delectable and moist with layers of flavor:


Here is your plate - hash brown potatoes, peas and meatloaf along with a piece of hot Naan bread (you are NOT limited to one piece;)..


One tip: I have found that you will be happiest if you keep the temp as high as practical without setting the plank on fire. This way, the meatloaf will be gently caressed by cedar smoke throughout the cook. Judge it by the amount of smoke the plank generates. If it starts billowing, just cut down the bottom vents just a bit.

Thanks for watching!
Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
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Great looking dish, Robert!

Learning something new everyday.

How long does the plank last, and what kind of wood is used for it?
 
Great looking meatloaf Robert. Plus its great to see your partner in the post. So cool to see your teamwork! I have a great partner to help out too. Good to give them credit. Heck without Kim our cooking wouldn't be near as good as it is. I really want to try meatloaf on the grill. Yours looks great!
 
Thanks for the kind words, folks!

Rusty;

>>>How long does the plank last, and what kind of wood is used for it?<<<

I typically use Cedar planks (it works really well with meatloaf and Salmon as a "for instance"). Alder wood planks, if you can find them, are the traditional wood used with Salmon, but I have been happy with the Cedar.

Commercial cooking planks are only about 1/4"-3/8" thick and they normally give me three cooks. Of course, it depends on how long the cook is. Salmon only takes 10-20 minutes depending on how thick the filets are. When doing salmon I can sometimes get four or five cooks. After using just rinse in cold water and scape off any bits left. I heat my grill for five minutes or so with the lid on before I put the planks on. I put the food side down for 2-3 minutes to sterilize that side, then flip the plank and give it 5-7 minutes until it starts to smoke. Then, I put the food on.

By the way, that excellent book I referred to in my first post gives you excellent tips on using the planks. They must be soaked in water a minimum of one hour before use. Longer is even better. The commercial planks can be rather expensive. However, I wait until the end of the grill season and often times they go on sale. Costco puts theirs on sale at the end of May (they clear them out to make room for other stuff). When I see a sale, I stock up for less than half price...

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
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>>> Still haven't made it tasted a meatloaf in my life.<<<

Tony;
You just need to broaden your horizons (like you had us do with chili's;)). Seriously, a good meatloaf is definitely GOOD EATS! Particularly, this recipe on a plank.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Robert McGee said:
>>> Still haven't made it tasted a meatloaf in my life.<<<

Tony;
You just need to broaden your horizons (like you had us do with chili's;)). Seriously, a good meatloaf is definitely GOOD EATS! Particularly, this recipe on a plank.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
Click to expand...

It's been on my list since I joined. I have the planks and just need to make one. Need to remember when Maribel ask what should we cook?
 
Great looking meatloaf Robert and great to see your SWMBO getting involved. Barb and I just did a cedar planked chicken thigh recipe that Barb will be posting, was very good.
 
Robert great looking meatloaf and great to see the Mrs. The only way I will do my meatloaf is to smoke it on the Performer and Mini Smoker.
Awesome job so you two keep them coming.
 
Rich and Barb;
My wife is a formally trained cook and we grill together - she does much of the prep work and I do the grilling and smoking (she is not interested in grilling or smoking outdoors but is an enthusiastic "Sou Chef" - we make a good team!

It's kind of funny, but when I met her she was "not in the least" interested in "smoke" or "spicy heat". She is a total convert to both (not Ghost Pepper heat but rather "medium" heat and prefers apple wood smoke to mesquite but is quite discerning regarding flavors and a big help when I am fine tuning a recipe in addition to her physical help. But-t-t, you and Barb know all about that, first hand:D.

It's good fun when the family joins in, that's for sure!

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
NOTE;
The book I linked you to in the first post, is heavily biased towards gas grills. The ladies in question, apparently have not learned (as of that writing) how to manage a charcoal grill. However, anyone with experience controlling the heat level in a Weber Kettle will have little problem using the recipes on charcoal. I had NO problem.

Just a thought...
Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Thanks again, folks for the MOST kind words.
We had the meatloaf again with different sides and it was AT LEAST as good the second time. LOVE this recipe!

As I previously mentioned, Cedar Planks can be a little pricey. My oldest son doesn't have the store selection that I do in his area. His solution is to go to the lumber yard and pick up a 1" x6" by 8" UNTREATED Cedar Plank. He cuts them to length, and because of the greater thickness (an actual 3/4" thickness) uses them over and over. When you use any plank, remember to sterilize the food side before you put food on it. Just put the food side of the soaked plank over the fire for 2-3 minutes, then flip it until it starts smokin', THEN put the food on it. It takes 5-7 minutes after the flip before it starts smokin' using a medium fire (one lit chimney spread evenly over the whole charcoal grate).

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Have not yet tried meatloaf on a plank, after seeing how good yours looks maybe I need to try one. Nice cook Robert!
 
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