BBQ Meatloaf with a Bacon Weave - Hey Grill, Hey (2024)

If you’re looking for the ultimate meatloaf recipe, look no further than this recipe for BBQ Meatloaf. It’s everything you ever wanted from meatloaf with the most amazing grilled/smoked flavor.

BBQ Meatloaf

Let’s just acknowledge that meatloaf kind of gets a bad rap these days. Nobody is clamoring for a big ol’ slice of Granny’s dry, gray meatloaf with ketchup slathered on top. This meatloaf though, oh this BBQ meatloaf! This meatloaf is truly a work of BBQ art.

Tender ground beef is supremely seasoned with peppers, onions, and garlic, then wrapped in a heavenly bacon weave. Luscious, I tell you. The whole thing is roasted to beautiful golden perfection on the grill and lovingly glazed in BBQ sauce for a color and flavor that will blow everybody’s mind.

BBQ Bacon Meatloaf

The two elements of this meatloaf that set it apart from the rest are the bacon weave and the BBQ sauce. While you can always cover the meatloaf in a few slices of bacon, this method often results in the bacon sliding off while cooking, or not getting enough bacon goodness with each slice for your guests. By wrapping the meatloaf in a bacon weave, you get lots of good bacon flavor covering the entire meatloaf.

Next up is the BBQ sauce. Adding BBQ sauce to the meatloaf instead of the standard ketchup results in a richer flavor overall. I highly recommend my Everything BBQ Sauce (available for purchase from my store) or my Kansas City BBQ Sauce (recipe link) for this meatloaf.

Whatever sauce you choose, make sure it is a ketchup-based sauce so you still get that tomato flavor.

How to Cook Meatloaf on the BBQ

Let’s get to making this meatloaf, shall we? While this may seem like a complicated process, you’ll find it simply has a few extra steps that help make it the best of the best. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for a full, printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and more detailed steps.

1. Make the meatloaf. This meatloaf combines lots of tasty ingredients, including sautéed onions and peppers, Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, and BBQ sauce.
2. Wrap in a bacon weave. Using 10 pieces of bacon (regular thickness works best here), make a bacon weave and wrap it over the meatloaf to make a log. Not sure how to make a bacon weave? Check out my tutorial for How to Make a Bacon Weave.
3. Cook the BBQ meatloaf. You can cook this meatloaf in a variety of ways. I cooked it on my Camp Chef pellet grill, but feel free to use whatever you have available. With your grill preheated for indirect cooking to 375 degrees F, cook the meatloaf for 45 minutes. Brush with BBQ sauce, and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
4. Serve. Once your meatloaf has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the grill and allow it to cool slightly. When ready to serve, slice and serve with additional BBQ sauce on the side.

It doesn’t get much easier than meatloaf, I tell ya. And it’s a delicious and comforting meal for any day of the week!

Tips for Making BBQ Meatloaf

Here are some tips to making this BBQ meatloaf the best of the best:

• Choose your bacon adventure. The bacon in this recipe is soft, not crunchy. If you want crunchy bacon, skip the BBQ sauce glaze and broil the meatloaf for a few minutes before serving. Serve the BBQ sauce on the side.
• Double up! You can double the meat recipe without doubling the bacon weave if you want heartier slices. The bacon weave will not wrap all of the way around the doubled meatloaf, but it will still create a nice bacon blanket and give you loads of flavor.
• Make it spicy. Swap the bell peppers for diced jalapenos and level up your heat levels!

Well, my friends. You’re ready to make yourself some awesome meatloaf. Check out the next section of this post for some suggestions on what to serve on the side with meatloaf to make it a complete meal!

Meatloaf Side Dishes

Now that you have a delicious meatloaf prepped for dinner, let’s talk sides! There are plenty of delicious sides you can serve with meatloaf, but I find these are the most classic and make for a filling meal:

• Smoked Mashed Potatoes
• Garlic Parmesan Grilled Broccoli
• Homemade Rolls on the Grill

BBQ Meatloaf Recipe

**This post was originally published in January 2016. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.