Smoked French Onion Meatloaf

spooning gravy on a slice of French onion stuffed smoked meatloaf

This smoked meatloaf gets rolled up with caramelized onions and melty Swiss cheese, then finished on the pellet grill with a sticky brown gravy and ketchup glaze. It's a rich, savory twist on classic meatloaf that tastes just like French onion soup in every bite. If you love meatloaf, this French Onion meatloaf recipe is a must-try!

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 20

Chilling Time30

Total Time3

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: French onion meatloaf, smoked French onion meatloaf, smoked meatloaf, smoked meatloaf recipe

Servings: servings

Ingredients

3 lbs 80/20 ground beef
1½ cups milk
1½ cups quick-cooking oats
2 eggs
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 onions thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
6 oz sliced Swiss cheese
1/4 cup prepared brown gravy see notes
1/4 cup ketchup

Instructions

Add sliced onions and butter to a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized and soft, about 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
While the onions are cooking, make the meat mixture. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, milk, eggs, oats, onion soup mix, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix until just combined.
Lay overlapping sheets of plastic wrap or foil on a work surface. Turn the meat mixture out onto it and pat into an even rectangle, about 3/4 inch thick.
Spread the caramelized onions evenly over the meat mixture. Then lay the Swiss cheese slices on top of the onions.
Using the plastic wrap or foil to help, roll the meat tightly into a log starting from one of the long ends (so the stuffed meatloaf roll is longer and thinner rather than short and fat). Twist the ends to secure the shape.
Refrigerate the rolled meatloaf about 20 minutes to firm up before smoking.
While the meatloaf is chilling, preheat a pellet grill or smoker to 275°F.
Place the meatloaf on a grill-safe sheet tray. Then remove the plastic wrap or foil. Place the sheet tray on the pellet grill or smoker, and smoke until internal temperature reaches 145°F, about 1.5 hours.
When the meatloaf is almost up to 145℉ internal, make the glaze by mixing the brown gravy and ketchup together in a small bowl. Then brush over the entire meatloaf.
Continue smoking until internal temperature reaches 165°F, about another 30 minutes. You may glaze 1-2 more times.
Rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Caramelizing the onions - Slice the onions thin and uniform for even caramelization. Don't rush the caramelizing process on high heat, or you'll lose the depth of flavor that makes this meatloaf taste like French onion soup.
Substituting cheese - This recipe can also be made with sliced cheddar cheese or gouda in place of Swiss if that's what you have on hand.
For the gravy - We used a store-bought brown gravy mix that we prepared per package instructions. We mixed about 1/4 cup of the prepared gravy with ketchup, because we prefer our meatloaf with a ketchup glaze. The remaining brown gravy can be served on the side to add after slicing.

Nutrition