[FTC Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Certified Angus Beef® brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. The recipe and opinions are my own.]

Ask anyone to name their favorite comfort foods and more likely than not meatloaf and mac-and-cheese will top the list.

While both dishes are relatively basic in both preparation and presentation -- especially in the age of Instagram food pron -- something truly magical happens as soon as they hit the table. Life could literally be falling apart around you yet suddenly you’re back in your childhood home enjoying mom’s “Meatloaf Monday” or in your college dorm room diving into instant mac-and-cheese (completed with neon orange “cheese” powder) after a night out on the town.

But why choose between two truly comforting dishes when you can crank the nostalgia levels up to eleven and create something truly epic for dinner? Enter our Smoked Mac and Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf recipe, created as part of Grillocracy’s ongoing relationship* with the fine folks at Certified Angus Beef® brand.

Already mouthwatering meatloaf is stuffed with ooey gooey homemade mac-and-cheese before hitting the grill for some smoky BBQ goodness. The end result? A whole lot of wonderful memories all stuffed into a smoked, sliceable loaf!

SMOKED MAC-AND-CHEESE STUFFED MEATLOAF

Ingredients

Mac and Cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

2 cups grated sharp cheddar

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 package (8 ounces) elbow macaroni, cooked

Meatloaf

2 pounds Certified Angus Beef® brand ground beef

2 eggs, beaten 

3/4 cups seasoned Italian breadcrumbs 

1 teaspoon Kosher salt 

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ dry rub seasoning 

1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

Additional Tools

Parchment paper

One wire cooling rack (optional)

Instructions

Prepare grill for two-zone cooking, placing one charcoal chimney full of ashed over charcoal on one side of the grill to create a hot and cool zone. Adjust the bottom vents to bring the grill temperature to approximately 350°F.

As the grill comes to temperature, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour to the butter and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly until fully incorporated. Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese, salt, and pepper to the saucepan. Continue to stir the mixture until the cheese has melted. Add the cooked pasta to the saucepan and stir until the pasta is completely coated with the cheese sauce. Remove the saucepot from the heat, cover, and allow it to sit while you prepare the meatloaf mixture.

In a large bowl, add the ground Certified Angus Beef®, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, and milk and mix well until fully combined.    

Lay one sheet of parchment paper on a cutting board and spread meatloaf mixture into a ½-inch thick rectangle. Spread an even layer of macaroni and cheese across the top of the meatloaf mixture, leaving a 1-inch border on one short side of the rectangle, a 1-inch border on both longer sides, and a 3-inch border on the remaining short side.

Starting on the 1-inch border short end, begin forming the meatloaf by lifting the parchment paper and rolling the meat over the mac-and-cheese to create a cylinder. Once rolled, press the center and side seams to seal. Season the loaf on all sides with the dry rub mixture.

Add 2-3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for maximum smoke flavor. Gently move the stuffed meatloaf onto a cooling rack (this will make it easier to remove the meatloaf from the grill once it is cooked) and place it on the cool side of the grill.  Cover the grill and allow it to smoke until the center of the beef has reached an internal temperature of 160°F, approximately 45 minutes. 

Remove the stuffed meatloaf from the grill, brush it with barbecue sauce, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. 

If you like macaroni-and-cheese and you like burgers, then you’re going to love this recipe for the Ultimate Mac-and-Cheese Burger featuring a cheese stuffed burger set between a bun made entirely out of deep fried mac-and-cheese!  Oh, and we’ve added some bacon just because!  

Created by our grilling guru Clint Cantwell on behalf of Kingsford.com, this is arguably the cheesiest burger you'll ever have!

ULTIMATE MAC-AND-CHEESE BURGER

Yield:  Serves 2

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time:  10 minutes

Ingredients

¾ lb. ground beef (preferably an 80/20 blend)

1/8 cup shredded Colby jack cheese

4 slices thick cut bacon, cooked

Panko crusted mac-and-cheese buns (recipe follows)

Instructions

Fire up a full chimney of Original Kingsford® Charcoal, or light a pile of about 100 briquets. Configure the coals for a two-zone fire, placing the briquets on one half of the charcoal grate to create a hot zone for grilling and a cool zone for moving the burgers during flare-ups. Adjust the bottom grill vents for medium-high heat cooking, approximately 400-425 degrees.

Form ground beef into 4 flat patties.  Place 1/2 of the grated cheese in the center of each of two patties.  Top with the remaining two patties and pinch the edges closed to create cheese stuffed burgers.

Place the burgers on the grill and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. 

To assemble the burgers, place the cheese stuffed patties on the bottom mac-and-cheese buns.  Add 2 slices of bacon and the top bun to each burger then serve immediately.

PANKO CRUSTED MAC-AND-CHEESE BUNS

Ingredients

2 (8oz.) boxes elbow macaroni and cheese mix

2 cups flour

1 tsp. Kosher salt

4 eggs, beaten with 2 tbsp. milk

4 cups panko breadcrumbs

Canola oil or peanut oil for frying

Instructions

Make macaroni and cheese mixes according to directions.  Place the mac-and-cheese in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to cool completely and thicken. 

Using your hands, form 2 divided cups of the mac-and-cheese into two 4.5-inch wide disks for the bottom buns.  To create the top buns, use 3-4 cups of mac-and-cheese to create two 4.5-inch wide domes.  Wrap each bun half tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden but not completely freeze.

As the grill comes to temperature, place the flour and salt in a shallow bowl and stir to combine.  Place beaten eggs in a second bowl and the panko in a third.  Working one at a time, dredge each bun half in flour, then the egg mixture, then panko.

In a medium saucepan, add approximately 4 inches and heat over medium-high heat.  When the oil begins to shimmer, add the mac-and-cheese “buns” one at a time and fry for approximately 2 minutes until golden brown.  Remove the bun from the oil and set on paper towels to drain.

DISCLOSURE: Recipe was created on behalf of Kingsford.com and reprinted thanks to Kingsford.  Compensation was received for the development of this recipe.

For many, St. Patrick's Day is all about green beer and day long pub crawls.  But for me it means some sweet deals on ready-to-prepare corned beef, especially a couple days after the holiday.  And while I love to have a few on hand it the freezer for corned beef sandwiches throughout the year (or, better yet, for my corned beef burger recipe found here), they are also a great shortcut for making your own smoked pastrami.  

I first learned of this shortcut a few years ago when master griller John Thomas of Grilling24x7 posted his "how to" for something he called cheater pastrami.  Being the kind soul that he is, John offered to share his recipe with Grillocracy nation.  You can also find his original post here.

CHEATER PASTRAMI by Grilling24x7

A few years ago I made homemade pastrami. I “corned” a beef brisket and then smoked it to make authentic homemade pastrami. Well, that’s a lot of work. I wanted to explore one of the cheater pastrami recipes that I have been reading about. Basically you just put a simple dry rub on a corned beef brisket (bought from the store already corned) and then smoke it. It turns out that this makes some really tasty cheater pastrami!

Around St. Patrick’s Day you’ll find some really good deals on corned beef. Even though it’s not even close to St. Patrick’s Day, I still managed to pick up a corned beef “point” brisket. Costco usually has a bunch and you can always ask your butcher.

The night before making the pastrami open the package and put the corned beef into a casserole dish or zip top bag and totally submerge it in water. This will help get rid of some of the salt. Corned beef is really salty. A good overnight soak will help out a lot and significantly improve your pastrami results.

Corned beef usually comes with a small spice packet. Throw this out. It’s really easy to make a simple pastrami dry rub. I took a few tablespoons of coriander seed and put it in to a small food processor. This essentially cracks open the coriander seed to make it really fragrant. I mixed a 50/50 ratio of black pepper with the coriander seed and mixed it up.

I set up my ugly drum smoker for 275-300 degree heat with apple wood. The corned beef will take about 2 hours to smoke.

I smoked the corned beef until an internal temperature of about 170-180 degrees. At this point the corned beef comes inside for some authentic steaming. Real NY deli style pastrami is steamed right before slicing. This is a little trick to take the homemade pastrami up a few notches. I found that on the Katz’ Delicatessen website so it must be legit!

I used a large pot and put a little steamer basket in the bottom. I put about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom and turned the stove on high.

After about 30 minutes of steaming the smoked corned beef was at 200 degrees. Oh was it tender!

I let the pastrami rest for about 30 minutes prior to slicing.

One note regarding the corned beef selection. I chose the brisket point. I think this was a mistake. The brisket flat corned beef is more even which makes it cook more evenly and also slice easier. However, this was really tasty and I will most certainly make it again when I’m craving a pastrami sandwich.

CHEATER PASTRAMI RECIPE

An easy cheater pastrami recipe made from a store bought corned beef brisket that is smoked and then steamed.

Ingredients

1 Corned Beef Brisket

2 T Black Pepper

2 T Coriander Seeds (cracked in a food processor)

 

Instructions

1. Soak corned beef brisket overnight in water to remove salt.

2. Mix pepper and ground coriander and rub all over the rinsed corned beef.

3. Set up smoker for higher heat 275-300 degree smoking.

4. Smoke corned beef until internal temperature of about 175.

5. Set up steamer basket and steam the smoked corned beef until internal temperature of about 200 degrees.

6. Rest for 30 min.

7. Slice thin.

8. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GREAT BBQ & GRILLING RECIPES

This Thursday is St. Patrick's Day and in celebration of the holiday, we've got one of my favorite original burger recipes -- the St. Patty Melt.

It all came to me as I walked past one of the countless delicatessens surrounding my New York City office and spied my favorite corned beef Reuben sandwich!  A great sandwich, true, but why stop there?  I then turned to another local favorite, the patty melt, and asked myself why the heck I couldn’t turn corned beef into a burger and create a Reuben inspired patty melt.

Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with corned beef, it is basically beef brisket that has been brined for several days and is then boiled until extremely tender.  My plan, therefore, was to treat it as a brisket, grinding it to the consistency of hamburger meat before forming in to patties and grilling.  As with a brisket, corned beef has two distinct cuts – the flat and the point.  Given the fact that the point is the fattier of the two I opted to use it in the burger making process.

With uncooked corned beef in hand, I then turned to my trusted local butcher for advice on the best way to grind it.  After a few test runs we eventually determined that triple grinding the meat produced a perfect burger consistency and eliminated any firmness that had been caused by the brining process.  A quick test burger sandwiched on rye bread with a slice of Swiss cheese, some homemade sauerkraut and a touch of course ground mustard confirmed what I already suspected…the St. Paddy Melt parade has begun!

 

ST. PADDY MELT

Ingredients

1 uncooked corned beef brisket (preferably the point cut*), approximately 3 pounds and triple ground to achieve a hamburger-like consistency

8 slices Swiss cheese

16 slices rye bread

Course ground mustard

Kwik ‘kraut (recipe follows)

 

Instructions

Form ground corned beef into eight even sized patties.  Heat grill to high and cook burgers for approximately 5 minutes per side until medium (160 degrees internal temperature).  Meanwhile, place bread slices on the grill, turning occasionally until lightly toasted, 2-3 minutes per side, and remove.  Top each burger with kwik ‘kraut and a slice of Swiss, cover grill and cook an additional 1-2 minutes until cheese has begun to melt.  Spread mustard on each slice of rye according to personal preference, sandwich burger between two slices and serve.

* Available in many grocers’ meat department labeled as “point cut” or “thick cut”

 

KWIK 'KRAUT

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic minced

½ sweet onion, thinly sliced

½ head of green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

1 tsp salt

¼ cup apple juice

¾ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup water

Sugar to taste

 

Instructions

Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil, garlic and onions and sauté until soft.  Add cabbage and stir to combine.  Pour in apple juice, water and vinegar and reduce heat to medium.  Cook mixture, stirring occasionally for approximately 10-15 minutes until cabbage has become tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.  Drain sauerkraut in a colander, squeezing out any excess moisture and add sugar to taste if too bitter.  Refrigerate sauerkraut until ready to use.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GREAT BBQ & GRILLING RECIPES

Made up of parsley, garlic, and lemon, gremolata is an easy-to-make condiment that is quite popular in Italy and pairs nicely with grilled veal, steak, and more. 

For this recipe, I use some amazing Wagyu New York strip steaks from Snake River Farms* which are perfectly marbled and packed with flavor, but you can substitute virtually any steak.  To really take the flavor over the top, I finish the steak with a homemade chipotle olive oil.

NEW YORK STRIP STEAK WITH GREMOLATA AND CHIPOTLE OLIVE OIL

Ingredients

4 New York strip steaks (I used Snake River Farms Wagyu steaks)

1 tbsp. canola oil

Gremolata (recipe follows)

Chipotle olive oil (recipe follows)

Citrus flake salt (optional)

 

Instructions

Prepare grill for high heat cooking.  Rub steaks with canola oil then season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.  Grilled the steaks for approximately 6-8 minutes per side until they reach an internal temperature of 130 degrees for medium rare.  Allow the steaks to rest for 5 minutes.  Top the steaks with a tablespoon of gremolata, drizzle chipotle olive oil over the steak, and sprinkle with citrus flake salt (optional) before serving.

GREMOLATA

Ingredients

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

½ cup parsley, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp. lemon zest

¼ tsp. Kosher salt

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and blend together. Refrigerate gremolata until ready to use.

 

CHIPOTLE OLIVE OIL

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 dried chipotle pepper, seeds and stem removed and finely chopped

Instructions

Add olive oil and 1 tbsp. finely chopped chipotle pepper to a small saucepan and warm over low heat for 15 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and pour the chipotle infused olive oil through a fine mesh strainer into a glass jar or bowl.  Seal the bottle or bowl and allow the oil to sit overnight before using.

 

* Note: Steaks were provided for recipes development purposes by Snake River Farms 

 

 

I love cooking flank steak because when it’s done right, it is perfect for so many dishes.

The base of this dish is a flavor packed coconut and curry noodle soup but the real star is the steak which receives a healthy dose of an Asian inspire dry rub seasoning before being grilled hot-and-fast.  The true secret to flank steak, though, is in the slicing, as cutting along the natural grain of the meat will result in an extremely chewy bite while slicing against the grain renders it a fall apart tender addition to this soup.

THAI COCONUT CURRY SOUP WITH GRILLED FLANK STEAK

Ingredients

1 package rice noodles

1 tbsp. canola oil

4 green onions

1 stalk lemongrass

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. minced ginger

¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1 tbsp. lime juice

3 tbsp. red curry paste such as Sharwood's Tikka Paste

1 tbsp. fish sauce

3 cups chicken broth

1 can (approximately 14oz.) coconut milk

Asian dry rub (recipe follows)

1 (20oz.) flank steak

½ tbsp. olive oil

4oz. baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

Lime wedges

 

Instructions

Prepare grill for high heat cooking (450+ degrees). 

Bring a sauce pot of water to a boil, add rice noodles, and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender.  Drain the noodles and set it aside until ready to use.

Remove ends of the lemongrass stalk and peel away fibrous outer layers.  Thinly slice the bottom half of the lemongrass and smash the upper half with the backside of a knife.  Thinly slice the white portion of the green onions and slice the upper green portion on the bias.

Heat canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add sliced lemongrass, whites of the green onions, minced ginger, and garlic, to the oil and sauté until fragrant, approximately 2 minutes.   Add curry paste, chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, and smashed lemongrass stalk.  Stir and allow the soup to simmer for 15-20 minutes. 

As the soup simmers, coat flank steak with olive oil and season liberally with Asian dry rub seasoning mix.  Place steak on the grill and cook for 8-10 minutes per side until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees for medium rare.  Remove the steak from the grill and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.

Add sliced mushrooms and lime juice to the coconut curry soup and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Place rice noodles in the bottom of each bowl, add the coconut curry soup, and top with slices of flank steak, green onion, and cilantro.  Serve with a lime wedge.

ASIAN DRY RUB

Ingredients

½ tbsp. Kosher salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. dried lemongrass

½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

 

Instructions

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and blend well. Store in a sealed container until ready to use.

* This post is sponsored by Omaha Steaks but the recipe and opinions are my own.

Cinco de Mayo is upon us and to get your celebration started right, we've got a number of great grilling recipes below!

Traditional salsa takes a backseat to this sweet and smokey grilled pineapple salsa.  Find the complete recipe here.

 

Grilled pork tenderloin quesadilla bites are a great appetizer, not only for Cinco de Mayo but for any gathering.  Find the complete recipe here.

 

Fresh vegetables are the stars in this charred corn and red pepper salsa.  Find the complete recipe here.

 

Grilled limes are the secret to these amazing margaritas.  Find the complete recipe here.

 

If you've never smoked a chuck roast then you don't know what you're missing, especially when used for these pulled beef tacos with tangy slaw.  Find the complete recipe here.

 

We love burgers and we love nachos so why not combine the best of both worlds and create a grilled nacho burger?  Find the complete recipe here.

 

Fajitas are great but grilled carne asada tacos are even better!  Find the complete recipe here.

 

Finally, few things go faster at a party than a big ol' batch of guacamole.  That is except for GRILLED guacamole!  Find the complete recipe here.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GREAT BBQ & GRILLING RECIPES

[FTC Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Certified Angus Beef® brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. The recipe and opinions are my own.]

Prime grilling season is officially upon us and that means nearly 80 million Americans will be soon be firing up the grill in the backyard, in parks, and countless other venues.

Arguably the most popular item on those cookout menus is the hamburger, but just because most of us grew up eating patties that were as black and dry as a hockey puck doesn’t mean we can’t strive to be better today!

This year, why not surprise your guests with something a bit outside the burger box?

I present to you a burger that combines two favorites in one -- a beautiful Certified Angus Beef® brand patty that has been reverse seared* on the grill before being nestled between two grilled cheese sandwiches to create the ultimate Grilled Cheese Burger!

Created as part of Grillocracy’s ongoing relationship with the fine folks at Certified Angus Beef® brand the Grilled Cheese Bun Burger is sure to be a hit with your guests, wowing both their eyes and their tastebuds! When selecting the beef for your burgers, be sure to check out the online tool for locating a Certified Angus Beef®brand retailer near you.

* About reverse searing: With the reverse sear method, meats such as steaks or burger patties are started on a covered grill over indirect heat in order to slowly bring them to temperature while adding a deep smoky flavor. Once the steaks reach an internal temperature of approximately 150°F, the steaks are moved to the direct heat side of the grill to create a nice deep sear.

THE ULTIMATE GRILLED CHEESE BURGER

Ingredients

1 pound Certified Angus Beef® brand ground beef, preferably a 80/20 beef-to-fat blend

1 teaspoon Morton’s kosher salt

4 thick cut slices of bread, preferably Texas toast

Canola cooking spray

4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

Your favorite burger condiments and toppings including ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, bacon, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced onion, jalapeños, sliced pickles, fried onion straws, sautéed mushrooms, and more

Method

1) Prep. Divide the meat into two 8-ounce portions. Gently form the meat into patties that are approximately 1/2-inch wider than the bread slices to allow for shrinkage during the cooking process. Season both sides of the patties with kosher salt.

2) To create the “buns,” lightly spray one side of each bread slice with Canola cooking spray to help them brown easily. Place two of the bread slices sprayed side down, top each with two slices of cheese, and add a second slice of bread with the sprayed side facing up to create two cheese sandwiches.

3) Fire up. Prepare a grill for indirect cooking by placing a chimney full of pre-heated charcoal briquets on one side of the grill’s charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Adjust the grill vents to bring the temperature to about 300°F on the indirect side. Add 2 to 3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor. On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that one half of the grill is off and the other half is heated enough to maintain a temperature of approximately 300°F on the indirect side.

4) Cook. Place the cheese sandwiches on the hot side of the grill and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes until the bottom of the sandwich has browned, gently pressing down on the sandwich with a spatula to help the cheese melt. Flip the sandwich and repeat until both sides of the bread are nicely browned and the cheese is fully melted. Remove the grilled cheese sandwiches from the grill and wrap loosely with foil to keep them warm as you prepare the burger patties.

5) Place the burgers on the indirect side of the grill, positioning the vent directly above the burgers in order to force the smoke over and around the meat. Cook the patties for about 8 minutes.

5) Push the tip of a rapid-read thermometer such as the Super-Fast Mk4 Thermapen into the side of both burgers. When the temperature reaches 105°F, flip the burgers and cook for approximately 8more minutes. Because they are not over direct heat, you do not need to flip them often.

6) When the burgers are about 20°F below the final doneness temp you want (135-145°F for medium) get ready to move them to the direct-heat zone. If you are on a gas grill, crank it up to high. On a charcoal grill, you may want to add more pre-lit coals. If necessary, take the meat off of the grill and close the lid while the hot side heats up.

7) Put the burgers on the direct heat side to brown them. Leave the lid up so the heat is concentrated on one side of each burger. If the fire flares up, move the burger to another spot. Flip the meat every minute to form a nice crust on both sides.

8) Once the burgers reach the desired degree of doneness (135-145°F for medium), place them on a plate and tent loosely with foil while you reheat the grilled cheese “buns.”

9) Place the grilled cheese sandwiches on the indirect heat side of the grill as far from the heat source as possible. Cover the grill and allow the sandwiches to reheat for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.

9) Serve. To assemble the burgers, place each patty on a grilled cheese sandwich. Add your favorite burger condiments and toppings then crown each burger with one of the remaining two grilled cheese sandwiches. Serve immediately.