The Best BBQ Brisket Smoked Individual Meatloaves

BBQ brisket smoked meatloaves are a game changer. They are flavorful, super tender, and smoked to perfection while being basted in a lip-smacking BBQ sauce making them perfect for any night of the week.

Not Your Mama’s Meatloaf

If you’re a fan of BBQ, you’ve likely tried smoked brisket. But have you ever considered turning it into a meatloaf? Are you ready to elevate your weeknight dinners?

Personal BBQ brisket smoked meatloaves are here to impress. These flavorful loaves blend the rich taste of BBQ with the comfort of home cooking. Perfect for game day, they bring a crowd-pleasing twist to traditional meatloaf. Plus, they freeze well for future meals, making meal prep a breeze.

Watch The Video

You’ll notice in the picture below and in the video that only 2 eggs are shown on screen. Originally I started with 2 but, once it was mixed up, I found that it needed a 3rd egg. The recipe does reflect this.

Grab Your Ingredients

This recipe is somewhat similar to my famous Smoked BBQ Meatloaf but elevated.

• Meat – ground brisket*
• Eggs
• Panade
• Onions
• Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning
• BBQ Sauce

*Note: if you cannot find ground brisket, pick up a brisket and ask your local butcher to grind it for you.

Chef’s Term – Panade

A panade is where you put bread in a bowl and add milk to the bowl. The bread soaks up the milk after about 5-10 minutes and creates a panade. You may have heard it called “milk bread”. To me, it’s critical to help the meatloaf retain its tenderness.

Mix & Shape The Meatloaf

I don’t know about you but I LOVE mixing meatloaf by hand. It’s just so therapeutic. Mixing this and making dough by hand is just comforting to me.

1. To a bowl, add the torn bread and the milk. Gently press the bread into the milk. Allow to set for soak. This is known as the panade
2. To a different large bowl, add the ground brisket, eggs, onion, some of the Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning, panade (milk/bread), and some of the BBQ sauce). Gently mix until combined. “score” the meat to 6 equal sizes. Do not over mix as the meatloaf will be tough.
3. Using damp hands, form each meatloaf. You want the meatloaves to be snug/compact and hold the shape. Place each meatloaf on the parchment paper leaving about 1-2” space between each one. Sprinkle with the remaining Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning and place the whole tray into the fridge, uncovered for 30 minutes.

Chef’s Tip On Shaping Meatloaves

Just like when you make meatballs, use damp hands to shape the meatloaf. You want the meatloaf to stick to itself in a snug shape rather than your hands.

Into the Yoder Smokers YS640

Once the smoker was preheated to 240F, put the personal meatloaves into the smoker. I didn’t put the tray in but did keep them on the parchment. Now you could put the meatloaves directly on the rack but I wanted to keep them on the tray for ease of transfer. I also did this as I wanted them to ‘set’ first before I put them directly onto the grates

If you put them directly on the rack, make sure to put a drip tray directly below them to catch the drips. This will produce a good bit of grease. Save yourself some cleanup by using the drip pan.

Also, make sure to insert a thermometer into one of the meatloaves. I use my MEATER PRO.

1. Once the Yoder Smokers YS640 is to temp, slide the parchment paper and personal meatloaves onto the top shelf. Insert a MEATER probe and close the door. I left my damper 1/2 way open.
2. After 15 minutes, take the remaining BBQ sauce and baste each meatloaf. Continue doing this every 15 minutes until the internal temp reads 150F.
3. At 150F, take a metal spatula and carefully move each mini meatloaf off of the parchment paper and place it directly onto the grate (top shelf). Baste again and continue to smoke until the internal temp reads 165F.

Dinner is Served!

To me, meatloaf has to be served with mashed potatoes and peas (corn is also great).

What I love about making these personal meatloaves is that you get more ‘crust’ and caramelized BBQ sauce. I love the contrast of flavors and textures!

Perfect For Any Occasion

Not only are these perfect when you’re only cooking for 2 people or for freezer meals but it’s also amazing for tail/homegating, hanging with friends, pot luck meals, or meal prep.

Plus these make for AMAZING meatloaf sandwiches! I HIGHLY suggest you try these either with my Crispy Cheddar Potato Cakes or on a grilled bun with a smear of warmed mashed potatoes, crispy onion straws, and a drizzle of BBQ sauce.

Storing Smoked BBQ Brisket Meatloaves

You have a few options with this – raw and cooked.

• Raw – Shape and flash freeze the meatloaf whole. Once completely frozen, seal up the meatloaf. I prefer to use my Chamber Vacuum Sealer to prevent freezer burn. If you don’t have one yet, simply double-wrap the frozen meatloaf in plastic wrap then place it in a freezer bag. To smoke from frozen, simply place the frozen meatloaf in the smoker with a drip pan underneath. You also can let it thaw in the fridge as well.
• Smoked – Slice it up and vacuum seal each slice for the freezer or keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Home Oven Instructions

If you don’t have a smoker or you can make this in the oven though I strongly advise adding 1/2 teaspoon of Hickory Smoke Powder to the mixture. That can help mimic the smoked flavor.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the prepared meatloaves and place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Shape, chill, bake for about 20 minutes, baste and continue baking until internal temp reads 165F. I would suggest basting every 20 minutes as well.

Recipe Substitutions & Additions

I know many of you are going to ask if you have to use ground brisket. Honestly, it will make a HUGE difference here in taste. If it’s not in your budget, you can use all ground meat (80/20 blend) in a pinch.

• Meat – if your budget doesn’t allow for it, go with ground beef
• Bread – yes, use bread; not breadcrumbs. White, wheat, Italian all work
• BBQ Sauce – go with what you like. If you need inspiration I have 10 BBQ sauces to choose from on this one post.
• Onions – if you’re anti-onion from a texture perspective, grate or puree your onion and add it.
• Seasoning – sorry but Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning is THE best choice for this type of meatloaf. It’s made for brisket and truly lets the beefiness shine

The Best BBQ Brisket Smoked Individual Meatloaves

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BBQ brisket smoked meatloaves are a game changer. They are flavorful, super tender, and smoked to perfection while being basted in a lip-smacking BBQ sauce making them perfect for any night of the week.

• Author: Lori
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1-1.5 hours
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 6 meatloaves
• Category: bbq, smoker, comfort food, carnivore, game day, freezer meals, meal prep
• Method: smoker, oven
• Cuisine: bbq, smoker, comfort food, carnivore, game day, freezer meals, meal prep

Ingredients

• 3 pounds ground brisket
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup minced sweet onion
• 2 Tablespoons Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning, divided
  
• 5 slices wheat/white bread, torn
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 cups BBQ sauce, divided

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Instructions

1. To a bowl, add the torn bread and the milk. Gently press the bread into the milk. Allow to set for 5 minutes. This is known as the panade.
2. To a different large bowl, add the ground brisket, eggs, onion, 1 1/2 Tablespoons of  Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning, panade (milk/bread), and 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce). Gently mix until combined. “score” the meat to 6 equal sizes. Do not over mix as the meatloaf will be tough.
3. Line a large baking sheet with lightly sprayed parchment paper. Using damp hands, form each meatloaf. You want the meatloaves to be snug/compact and hold the shape. Place each meatloaf on the parchment paper leaving about 1-2” space between each one. Sprinkle the remaining Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning, overtop of the meatloaves. Place the whole tray into the fridge, uncovered for 30 minutes.
4. While your meatloaves are chilling in the fridge, preheat the Yoder Smokers YS640 Smoker to 240F. I used a competition blend of pellets (cherry, hickory, and maple).
5. After 30 minutes, and the smoker is to temp, slide the parchment paper and personal meatloaves onto the top shelf. Insert a MEATER probe and close the door. I left my damper 1/2 way open.
6. After 15 minutes, take the remaining BBQ sauce and baste each meatloaf. Continue doing this every 15 minutes until the internal temp reads 150F. At 150F, take a metal spatula and carefully move each mini meatloaf off of the parchment paper and place it directly onto the grate (top shelf). Baste again and continue to smoke until the internal temp reads 165F.
7. Remove from the smoker, allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

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