For some of us the last days of grilling are fast approaching. For others, we just keep grilling in the snow and cold because the grill flavor added to our foods is just worth it. However, if you are not one of the dedicated grilling people who shovel a path through the snow to your grill (I admit it, I’ve only ever done this four times…last year), then you may want to finish up your grilling season with some meatloaf. Wait. What? Meatloaf? On a grill?

While traditional oven meatloaf brings back great childhood memories for some of us, there is no reason you could not create new memories by adding the great flavors of the grill to your meatloaf.

Ingredients:

Approximately 2-2 1/2 lbs of meatloaf meat — I use a ground beef, ground veal, and ground pork mixture for my meatloaf.

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp ground marjoram

1/4 tsp ground paprika

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp onion powder

<optional> tomato sauce

I typically make my own quick tomato sauce on the stove top to serve brushed on each slice of grilled meatloaf. My quick tomato sauce is: A 6oz of tomato paste, 3-4oz of water, 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, 1/8 tsp onion powder, and 1/8 tsp garlic powder. Heat sauce thoroughly then remove from heat.

Directions:

Heat oven at 400. Huh? I thought we were grilling? We are. But I’ve found heating the meat up in a meatloaf pan for a short while at high temp makes it easier to slice the meatloaf for grilling. You can choose to skip this step and go right to slicing the raw meat. However, I’ve found wrestling a jelly octopus on the staircase to be easier than making good slices of a raw meatloaf (please, don’t ask about the octopus).

In a large mixing bowl combine your meats and spices. Hand mix and knead the mixture thoroughly, making sure to pull from the bottom and fold sides into one another; ensuring the spices and flavors are evenly distributed. If you see clumps of spices or one particular meat type (if you are using multiple types of meats) in a single spot just pull it out and re-distribute it in the mixture.

Spray or grease a meatloaf pan (8×4 inch). Olive or Avocado oils work well here.

Add the meatloaf mixture to the pan and evenly level it on all sides

Place into the 400 oven for about 30 minutes. Remember we are not trying to cook the meatloaf completely here, just enough to hold its shape and withstand us slicing it.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Drain the fat from the meatloaf. Careful! The fat will be very hot! <hint> you can make some good gravy with this fat!

Lay the meatloaf on a cutting board and slice.

Heat your grill to medium-high.

Brush a light coating of olive oil on one side of the meatloaf slices and lay them onto the grill using a spatula; oiled side down. If your grill flares up regularly, do not sit the slices directly atop the burner but slightly off to the side of it.

<tip> For the two rounded end slices, grill the flat side first. Why? Because in the next step we flip the slices and add sauce. And sauce does not stay too well on a rounded top. Can’t get the rounded end slices to stay stable on the grill? Turn the slices lengthwise to lay in between two grill grates instead of placing them across the grill grates.

Once all of the slices are on the grill, brush a light coating of olive oil on the tops of the meatloaf.

Allow the first side to cook for roughly 5 minutes; any longer and the slices may begin to dry out.

Flip the meatloaf slices.

<optional> Add your favorite Paleo sauce to the tops. As I mentioned previously, I add my quick tomato sauce to them at this point.

Close your grill lid and cook an additional 3-5 minutes on the bottom side.

Enjoy your meal!

Grilled meatloaf pairs well with grilled veggies and/or grilled plantain slices (pictured below).