Please don't ask where the "Hillbilly" part came from. I honestly don't know but it popped into my head and just sort of stuck there. Maybe from the bourbon?? So I have this interesting beef bacon project going that was started with a whole packer brisket. I trimmed it down to approximate proportions of a pork belly and had right at 5 pounds of good meat left after trimming. Had the grinder out to do some sausage so went ahead and ground the brisket also and decided to take 2 pounds and make a meatloaf. I've made a few but have never been a huge fan of "traditional" style with either ketchup or BBQ sauce as a glaze. I know a lot of folks love them that way but I'm just not a big fan of it. Thought I'd go a different direction all together.
Here is the brisket in a bowl with chopped celery & onions, crushed red pepper, black pepper, coriander, granular beef bouillon, one egg lightly beaten, and some bread crumbs
Got some amazing rub in a gift exchange with our good friend Warren ( HalfSmoked ) and thought I'd give it a try. This stuff was really tasty!!
Formed and seasoned up.....
....then onto the Weber running hardwood briquettes and mesquite
Tracy's favorite veggie side dish: asparagus in butter, pecans, and cranberries. Also made some garlic mashed potatoes and gravy. Been through those items a few times so didn't bother with pics
When it hit the 120 mark I applied the bourbon glaze
Asparagus on the grill and about done
Meatloaf off the grill and getting happy. Applied another light coat of the glaze
Sliced. Wow..moist, tender, juicy and a really nice smoke ring
Another one to see the smoke ring better. I've never gotten one like that on a meatloaf before.
Time to eat!!
So I went a bit out of bounds on this but it was a very good effort. Nice smoke flavor but not overly strong, a good balance of flavors from the seasonings, and a nice subtle hint of the bourbon that really melded well with the mesquite. I got a chat notification from our good friend smokin peachey a couple days ago asking how I did the bourbon glaze. It was actually very simple. I took a small amount of the gravy, put it in a different pan along with a nice shot of bourbon, and simmered on low till it reduced by about 1/3. That intensified the flavors a lot and brought out the notes of the bourbon. All in all, I'd call this one a success. Gratefully Tracy thought so also and noted it being my best effort to date with meatloaf. I also got the green light to make it again
All done folks. Have a great day and we will see you on the next one....
Robert
Here is the brisket in a bowl with chopped celery & onions, crushed red pepper, black pepper, coriander, granular beef bouillon, one egg lightly beaten, and some bread crumbs
Got some amazing rub in a gift exchange with our good friend Warren ( HalfSmoked ) and thought I'd give it a try. This stuff was really tasty!!
Formed and seasoned up.....
....then onto the Weber running hardwood briquettes and mesquite
Tracy's favorite veggie side dish: asparagus in butter, pecans, and cranberries. Also made some garlic mashed potatoes and gravy. Been through those items a few times so didn't bother with pics
When it hit the 120 mark I applied the bourbon glaze
Asparagus on the grill and about done
Meatloaf off the grill and getting happy. Applied another light coat of the glaze
Sliced. Wow..moist, tender, juicy and a really nice smoke ring
Another one to see the smoke ring better. I've never gotten one like that on a meatloaf before.
Time to eat!!
So I went a bit out of bounds on this but it was a very good effort. Nice smoke flavor but not overly strong, a good balance of flavors from the seasonings, and a nice subtle hint of the bourbon that really melded well with the mesquite. I got a chat notification from our good friend smokin peachey a couple days ago asking how I did the bourbon glaze. It was actually very simple. I took a small amount of the gravy, put it in a different pan along with a nice shot of bourbon, and simmered on low till it reduced by about 1/3. That intensified the flavors a lot and brought out the notes of the bourbon. All in all, I'd call this one a success. Gratefully Tracy thought so also and noted it being my best effort to date with meatloaf. I also got the green light to make it again
All done folks. Have a great day and we will see you on the next one....
Robert