Best Ever Meatloaf is a comforting dinner to make on the grill that will feed a crowd or make the most amazing leftover meatloaf sandwich.

Meatloaf and mashed potatoes is one of the most popular comfort food meals and it’s even better cooked on the grill.

Why You Will Love the Best Ever Meatloaf Recipe

Easy Recipe: This flavorful meatloaf recipe comes together with simple pantry ingredients along with lean ground beef. We are using 90/10 grass fed beef. Cooking meatloaf on the grill gives it the best flavor and texture.
Delicious Comfort Food: Smoky bbq meatloaf paired with fluffy garlic mashed potatoes and grilled creamed corn for an epic comfort food dinner that everyone will love.
Great to Feed a Crowd: This meatloaf recipe is made with 3 pounds of lean ground beef and will feed a large family or make it into 2 and freeze one for later.

Ingredients Needed for the Best Grilled Meatloaf Recipe

Lean Ground Beef
Bread – Any kind of bread, buns or bread crumbs will work and stale bread works well.
Milk
Large Eggs
BBQ Sauce – We are using our sweet and tangy bbq sauce, you can use your favorite barbecue sauce.
Worcestershire Sauce
Olive Oil
Yellow Onions – Diced
Minced Garlic
Steak Rub – this is our all purpose dry rub and seasoning.
Kosher Salt

Step-By-Step Directions for the Best Meatloaf Recipe

Collage: sauteeing onions, mixing bread and milk for meatloaf.

Cook onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often until softened. Set aside.
Add milk to a small bowl and add crumbled bread into the milk, mix until well combined. Set aside. This is a must for using leaner meat to keep the meatloaf from being dry and tough.

Collage mixing ground beef meatloaf mixture.

In a large bowl, add the ground beef, beaten eggs, sautéed onions and garlic, bread mixture, bbq sauce, Worcestershire sauce, steak rub and salt.
Mix well with a wooden spoon or with clean hands. until well combined.
Place a grill pan onto a rimmed baking sheet. Form the meatloaf mixture into a rectangle loaf.

Cook over indirect heat on a hot grill with the grill lid closed for 30 minutes.
Brush the top of the meatloaf with bbq sauce and continue to cook until internal temperature of meatloaf reaches 165° using a digital meat thermometer, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes total cooking time.
Remove from grill and let the meatloaf rest 5 minutes.
Use a sharp knife to make thick slices.

Meatloaf slices on a plate with mashed potatoes.

Serve with additional bbq sauce if desired.

Recipe Notes and Tips for Delicious Meatloaf

Make Smaller Meatloafs: This makes one large meatloaf. You can cut the recipe in half for a smaller meatloaf or make into 2 meatloafs. The second meatloaf can be shared with someone needing a meal or frozen for later.
Shaping the Meatloaf: For grilling, we like to make the meatloaf into a wide, thinner shaped meatloaf so that it cooks faster and also gets smokier. If shaped more like a traditional loaf shape, cooking time will be longer.
Oven Method: Use the same cooking time and temperature for a conventional oven or pellet grill.
Variations: If you would rather have a more traditional meatloaf recipe with a sweet ketchup glaze, mix brown sugar with ketchup in place of the bbq sauce or try chili sauce.
Storage: Store leftover meatloaf in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days. Freeze in 2 layers of plastic wrap plus a layer of aluminum foil up to 3 months.
Reheat: Place meatloaf slices in a skillet lightly coated in olive oil and cook over medium-high heat, flipping to heat from both sides.

More Add-Ins for Homemade Meatloaf Recipe

Vegetables: Add diced bell peppers and sauté with the onions.
Bacon: Top the meatloaf with bacon that has been partially cooked, so that it gets crisp.
Pork: Use half ground pork in the meat mixture if desired.

More Ground Beef Recipes You Will Love

Ground Beef Kabobs are a great to add something new to the menu and also makes a great appetizer.
BBQ Cowboy Beans are a hearty side dish or main dish that is a must-have for cookouts and get togethers for a crowd.
Cheddar Stuffed Meatloaf is knock-your-socks off delicious. Made with seasoned ground beef and filled with melty cheddar cheese for the perfect balance of flavors.

Sliced meatloaf with bbq sauce on a plate with mashed potatoes.

Get a hearty meal on the table this week with this comforting and delicious grilled meatloaf recipe. The smoky ground beef is filled with caramelized onions and garlic and topped with sticky-sweet bbq sauce for the best ever meatloaf recipe.

If you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave a comment and a five star review. Help us share on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!

2 slices bbq meatloaf on a plate with mashed potatoes.

Print Recipe

5 from 40 votes

Best Ever Meatloaf

Best Ever Meatloaf is a comforting dinner to make on the grill that will feed a crowd or make the most amazing leftover meatloaf sandwich.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Beef

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy meatloaf on the grill, grilled meatloaf, meatloaf for a crowd, meatloaf recipe

Servings: Servings

Calories: 585kcal

Author: Milisa

Ingredients

3 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ cup milk
1 cup bread pieces or bread crumbs
3 large eggs beaten
1 ½ cups sweet and tangy bbq sauce divided
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
⅓ cup Steak Rub
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

Prepare a grill fire to 350° using hickory chunks or chips for smoke flavor.
Cook onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often until softened. Set aside.
Add milk to a small bowl and add crumbled bread into the milk, mix until well combined. Set aside. This is a must for using leaner meat to keep the meatloaf from being dry and tough.
In a large bowl, add the ground beef, beaten eggs, sautéed onions and garlic, bread mixture, bbq sauce, Worcestershire sauce, steak rub and salt.
Mix well with a wooden spoon or with clean hands. until well combined.
Place a grill pan onto a rimmed baking sheet. Form the meatloaf mixture into a rectangle loaf.
Cook over indirect heat on a hot grill with the grill lid closed for 30 minutes.
Brush the top of the meatloaf with bbq sauce and continue to cook until internal temperature of meatloaf reaches 165° using a digital meat thermometer, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes total cooking time.
Remove from grill and let the meatloaf rest 5 minutes.
Use a sharp knife to make thick slices.
Serve with additional bbq sauce if desired.

Notes

Make Smaller Meatloafs: This makes one large meatloaf. You can cut the recipe in half for a smaller meatloaf or make into 2 meatloafs. The second meatloaf can be shared with someone needing a meal or frozen for later.

Shaping the Meatloaf: For grilling, we like to make the meatloaf into a wide, thinner shaped meatloaf so that it cooks faster and also gets smokier. If shaped more like a traditional loaf shape, cooking time will be longer.

Oven Method: Use the same cooking time and temperature for a conventional oven or pellet grill.

Variations: If you would rather have a more traditional meatloaf recipe with a sweet ketchup glaze, mix brown sugar with ketchup in place of the bbq sauce or try chili sauce.

Storage: Store leftover meatloaf in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days. Freeze in 2 layers of plastic wrap plus a layer of aluminum foil up to 3 months.

Reheat: Place meatloaf slices in a skillet lightly coated in olive oil and cook over medium-high heat, flipping to heat from both sides.

ADD-INS

Vegetables: Add diced bell peppers and sauté with the onions.

Bacon: Top the meatloaf with bacon that has been partially cooked, so that it gets crisp.

Pork: Use half ground pork in the meat mixture if desired.

Nutrition