Let's Talk BBQ

Recipes => Recipes => Beef Recipes => Topic started by: Smokin Don on February 03, 2014, 12:58:20 PM

Title: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: Smokin Don on February 03, 2014, 12:58:20 PM
Jan 03 2014

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday and most were cooking for the day or having parties watching the game. I never got into watching sports so to me it was just another Sunday but warm enough to get out on the smoker to cook.

I was ready for a meatloaf and the wife loves Rueben sandwiches so decided to make a Rueben meatloaf. I had made a sauerkraut meatloaf before but wanted some more seasoning  and ingredients to make it taste more like a Rueben.

I looked at 4 or 5 recipes and the one I made was a mix of some of the ingredients and adapted it to do on my pellet grill. I smoked 1 ½ pounds of my butchers smoked sausage to use in some red beans and rice later.

I made up the meatloaf and in the fridge for a few hours before cooking. I was having some spaetzel fried in butter and some red beets for sides. Before I started cooking the son stopped in and wanted to borrow some space heaters, their furnace went out and wouldn’t get fixed until today. I had two to give him and said for his wife and son to come stay the night with us and could eat supper with us if they wanted to.

They came down and I was getting it all together and the can of red beets were bad so threw them out and grabbed some frozen white shoe peg corn to fix quickly. Later I thought corn was not a great choice to have with kraut but it tasted good! The spaetzel cooked and then fried in some butter to get a little crispy was good.

My mostly veggie daughter in law even ate a big piece of the meatloaf and said it was good. I knew my wife liked it when she said I will eat that again tomorrow night. Usually she does not like to eat the same thing two days in a row. They both said it did taste like a Rueben. I thought it was good but not my favorite meatloaf. Makes sense; I am not crazy about Ruebens.

Ingredients
(http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/deains/Traeger%20Food%202014/_2021028_zps9f8e93ff.jpg)

Ready for the fridge
(http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/deains/Traeger%20Food%202014/_2021029_zps37752f79.jpg)

On the smoker
(http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/deains/Traeger%20Food%202014/_2021032_zps10e936e4.jpg)

Sliced to serve
(http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/deains/Traeger%20Food%202014/_2021033_zps8abe9a76.jpg)

My supper
(http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/deains/Traeger%20Food%202014/_2021036_zps1fdd7343.jpg)

Recipe:

Rueben Meatloaf

2 lb. mix of ground beef and sausage, I used a lb. of each
16 oz. sauerkraut, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
¼ cup diced dill pickles
2 eggs
1 heaping Tbs. each of mustard, catsup and mayonnaise
1 Tbs. caraway seeds
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 cups rye bread crumbs, fresh, not dry
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
¼ cup milk.

Mix all but the last 3 ingredients until mixed well. Then work in the bread crumbs, then the cheese and finally add the milk and mix well. Form into a loaf and I like to let mine chill in the fridge several hours before smoking. I do not rinse the sauerkraut.

Do on your smoker to an IT of 160 deg. F; I put mine on my Traeger when it was 250 deg.at grill level. I then eased it up until it was 350 deg. It took just about 1 ½ hours to get done.

This was my favorite ingredients from several recipes. It turned out good and we like it sour the way it was. If you don’t want it so sour rinse the kraut and you could add some brown sugar to balance it out.

If you want to get a little fancy mix all but the kraut and cheese then flatten it out; spread kraut and cheese over then roll like a jelly roll.
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: Saber 4 on February 03, 2014, 01:11:13 PM
Good looking meal, love the color on the spaetzel.
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: Scallywag on February 03, 2014, 01:25:58 PM
Outstanding!!
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: sliding_billy on February 03, 2014, 01:33:27 PM
I am so stealing this.
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: tlg4942 on February 03, 2014, 02:23:51 PM
  That's a new one!  Looks fantastic...
Title: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: Pappymn on February 03, 2014, 02:33:37 PM
Awesome cook SD!

Glad the beets were bad, got childhood nightmares about those
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: HighOnSmoke on February 03, 2014, 02:41:31 PM
Awesome looking meatloaf and sides Don! Another recipe to try!
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: muebe on February 03, 2014, 03:12:48 PM
Looks great Don!
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: hikerman on February 03, 2014, 04:23:15 PM
Really good looking and sounding meatloaf and sides Don! Growing up my mother made spaetzel once a week. I'm still a big fan of it! Thanks for sharing the recipe too! One question tho, where was the bottle of beer with that wonderful meal?
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: CDN Smoker on February 03, 2014, 05:37:21 PM
Man O Man Don, your becoming an Automatic Bookmark to me, very well done ;D
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: fishingbouchman on February 03, 2014, 06:21:31 PM
Love Reuben   pass a plate this way.
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: TentHunteR on February 03, 2014, 07:13:35 PM
Never even heard of a Reuben meatloaf before, but I'm sure liking it already!
Title: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: mikecorn.1 on February 03, 2014, 08:38:19 PM

Never even heard of a Reuben meatloaf before, but I'm sure liking it already!
X2


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Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: pz on February 04, 2014, 12:19:27 AM
Sounds and looks delicious, Don!  Definitely in my list of things to try!
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: Wing Commander on February 04, 2014, 04:16:35 AM
Looks actually good, Don, but you need necessarily sauce on the Spaetzle! ;)
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: Smokin Don on February 04, 2014, 08:54:38 AM
Looks actually good, Don, but you need necessarily sauce on the Spaetzle! ;)
Sorry WC but we like the spaetzel that way; I have done noodles that way too boil then fry in a little butter to crisp them up on both sides. Don
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: Wing Commander on February 04, 2014, 09:15:59 AM
Looks actually good, Don, but you need necessarily sauce on the Spaetzle! ;)
Sorry WC but we like the spaetzel that way; I have done noodles that way too boil then fry in a little butter to crisp them up on both sides. Don

No problem, Don. My comment wasn't meant too serious, because in Swabia, the homeland of the Spaetzle, it's commonly almost unthinkable that they - and all other food either - are eaten without sauce. Although even in Swabia Spaetzle are cooked the way you do and combined with scrambled eggs.
Title: Re: Rueben Meatloaf and Fried Spaetzel
Post by: Smokin Don on February 04, 2014, 11:34:10 AM
Looks actually good, Don, but you need necessarily sauce on the Spaetzle! ;)
Sorry WC but we like the spaetzel that way; I have done noodles that way too boil then fry in a little butter to crisp them up on both sides. Don

No problem, Don. My comment wasn't meant too serious, because in Swabia, the homeland of the Spaetzle, it's commonly almost unthinkable that they - and all other food either - are eaten without sauce. Although even in Swabia Spaetzle are cooked the way you do and combined with scrambled eggs.

I knew you were not that serious WC  ;D I have noted that in Germany and probably surrounding countries they are more traditional about what sides to have with different meats and if served with sauce or gravy or not. Don