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Ground turkey just got so much more exciting with this delicious, moist, and flavorful Smoked Turkey Meatloaf Recipe. The secret is jazzing up the ground meat with some sautéed onions, mushrooms, and garlic, then smoking it low and slow and finishing it with a delicious sweet glaze at the end. Read more to find the best tips for the perfect ground turkey meatloaf recipe on the smoker.
Table of Contents
Secrets to Perfect Smoked Turkey Meatloaf
- Most ground turkey is too lean for a classic meatloaf texture, so buy ground white and dark meat from the butcher and make your own blend.
- Sauté onions and garlic with cremini mushrooms for some added richness and flavor.
- Glaze towards the very end to avoid burning the sauce.
- Can be made gluten free with gluten free panko.
Ingredients
While you can buy ground turkey in the one-pound packages, those are commonly 90% to 97% lean. And with turkey that lean, it runs the risk of drying out when smoked. So the best way to purchase ground turkey is to buy it from the bulk section of your butcher. Get 1 3/4 cup of the lean turkey, and then 1/4 cup of the dark meat (or the fattier turkey) for the best mixture. This allows you to create a better fat to lean ratio.
In addition to the turkey the following are needed:
- Red Onion
- Cremini Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Fresh Thyme
- Our Ultimate Dry Rub
- Chicken Stock
- Panko (Gluten Free Panko works as well in equal parts)
- Egg
- Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce
- Ketchup
Preparation
Sauté vegetables: Before forming the meatloaf, sauté the onions, cremini mushrooms, garlic, and fresh thyme over medium heat. This softens the texture and adds more savory flavors to the meatloaf. After the sauté, turn off the heat and add chicken stock and tomato paste right in the pan and stir with the vegetables. The sauce will thicken.
Mix the loaf: Transfer the the sauté mix to a large bowl and add the raw ground turkey. Add the remaining ingredients (except the sauce and ketchup). Combine together with your hands.
On a large baking sheet lined with parchment or butcher paper, form the meatloaf into a rectangular log or foot ball shape. It’s now ready to go on the smoker. The meatloaf will be moist.
The Glaze
Premix the glaze in a small bowl with equal parts Kansas City style BBQ sauce and Ketchup.
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How to Make Smoked Turkey Meatloaf
- Start your smoker and set it to 250 degrees F, on indirect heat using fruit wood like apple or cherry.
- Grab the meatloaf by gently lifting the parchment paper and putting it directly on the smoker. Leaving it on the paper keeps it from falling into the grates before it firms up. Alternatively, can also place the meatloaf on a baking sheet and cook it on the baking sheet (in the center of the smoker).
- Smoke the meatloaf until the internal temperature reads 150 degrees F, using an instant read thermometer (about 90 minutes). Our favorite is the Thermoworks Thermapen One. Then, using a silicon brush, apply 1/2 of the glaze over the top and sides of the meatloaf. Continue to smoke, covered, until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees F.
- After it hits 165 degrees F, remove from the smoker and apply the remainder of the glaze. Then slice and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions About Turkey Meatloaf
Cook turkey meatloaf until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit using a good instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the meatloaf. While resting off heat, carryover cooking will happen and the internal temperature will rise another 4 – 5 degrees F to the USDA safe temperature of 165 degrees F. Plan roughly one hour per pound of meat.
Ideally buy bulk ground turkey to make your own ratio. We strive for 75/25 when available (75% lean or breast meat to 25% dark meat). This fat ratio helps with binding. The other trick is to make a sauté mix with some liquid that will combine with the turkey and thicken up as we do in this recipe. The vegetables are bound with egg, tomato paste, and panko breadcrumbs and stock to help make it like a thick paste.
USDA recommends all ground poultry to be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. We cook ours to 160 degrees when measured at the center of the meatloaf with an instant read thermometer like the Thermoworks MK4 Thermapen, understanding that carry over cooking will occur, bringing the final temperature to 165 degrees.
Sometimes the warm sauté and amount of liquid that is in the mix can cause the loaf to not hold its shape. If this occurs, form the loaf and then place in the refrigerator for 15 – 20 minutes. This will allow it to slightly cool and hold shape while it starts to smoke.
More Ground Turkey and Meatloaf Recipes
Smoked Turkey Meatloaf Recipe with BBQ Sauce Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ pounds lean ground turkey
- ¼ pound ground dark meat turkey
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup red onion, diced, (about ½ of a medium red onion)
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup panko
- 2 tablespoons Ultimate Dry Rub
BBQ Glaze
- ½ cup Kansas City BBQ Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
Instructions
- Prep Smoker: Preheat the smoker targeting 250 degrees Fahrenheit using fruit wood or oak. Premix the glaze in a small bowl with equal parts Kansas City style BBQ sauce and Ketchup.
- Sauté Vegetables: Before forming the meatloaf, sauté the onions, cremini mushrooms, garlic, and fresh thyme over medium heat. This softens the texture and adds more savory flavors to the meatloaf. After the sauté, turn off the heat and add chicken stock and tomato paste right in the pan and stir with the softened veggies. The liquid will thicken as you combine.
- Mix and Form The Loaf: Transfer the the sauté mix to a large bowl and add the raw ground turkey. Add the Worcestershire, egg, panko, and seasoning. Combine with your hands. On a large baking sheet lined with parchment or butcher paper, form the meatloaf into a rectangular log or foot ball shape. It’s now ready to go on the smoker. The meatloaf will be moist.
- Smoke: Grab the meatloaf by gently lifting the parchment paper and putting directly on the smoker. Leaving it on the paper keeps it from falling into the grates before it firms up. Alternatively, can also place the meatloaf on a baking sheet and cook it on the baking sheet (in the center of the smoker). Smoke for 90 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F.
- Glaze: After the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 150 degrees Fahrenheit, coat it with half of the premixed glaze. Continue smoking until the internal temperature of meatloaf reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from smoker, coat with the remaining glaze and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m not sure if I’m supposed to mix the raw meat into the saute and the tomato past and broth? Altogether or do I reserve the liquid?
Christine, mix the tomato paste and stock in the same pan you softened the veggies. Combine them and it will thicken up as you stir while it’s warm. Then in a separate bowl add the sauté mix with the ground turkey, Worcestershire, panko, egg, and the seasoning and combine and then form into the loaf.
Excellent! I’ve made many smoked meatloaf recipes on my Traeger, and this one was amazing! My husband (a big beef guy) said it was the best I’ve made and “there is no reason to make another beef recipe again.” Thank you!
WOW!! Thank you so much for the feedback and we are glad you liked it!
This was fantastic! Easy to follow recipe (my first time using my Ninja Woodfire Grill) with delicious results. I just used 97% lean Jenny O turkey and it turned out very moist and tender. Also substituted crushed ritz crackers for the panko. Thank you, this recipe is a keeper.
Wow! The best ever. Super moist and flavorful. Due to my wife’s preferences I substituted 1 lb.of turkey sausage with 1 lb of lean turkey .
I used a food processor to chop the veggies, however it turned into a thick slurry
, which was ok ultimately. In the pan.
Can you use white wine instead of chicken broth?.
I placed The loaf on the parchment and t into the smoker. I used a #meatstick thermometer to monitor the temp. But maybe because it was a cold night and the #campchef smoker temp was 250-260, it took about 2.5 hours, to reach the 160 degrees. But well worth it!
My wife says the best meatloaf she’s tasted, and definitely a “keeper” !
Ron thanks for the feedback, and yes – with turkey it may vary in time depending on how thick it is. We’ll make a note to consider up to an added hour of cook time depending on the cooker one may have.