Kabob or meatloaf? Honestly, I’m not going to argue about the name—as long as it tastes amazing!

This was my latest cooking experiment, and I decided to put a fun twist on classic meatloaf by shaping the mixture around skewers and cooking it on my YANFLAMMA Smokeless Grill.

And let me tell you, this turned out way better than I expected.

What You’ll Need
1 tablespoon good olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
⅓ cup chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2½ pounds ground chuck
½ cup plain dry breadcrumbs
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
½ cup ketchup
Getting Everything Ready

As always, the first thing I do is light the charcoal and let it burn while I get everything else ready.

Start by dicing the onions and getting the other ingredients prepared. In a small bowl, combine the fresh thyme, salt, and black pepper.

Beat the eggs and set them aside.

Next, heat the olive oil in a pan and toss in the chopped onions along with the seasonings. Cook everything, stirring occasionally, until the onions become soft and translucent.

Once the onions are ready, take the pan off the heat. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste, then set the mixture aside to cool.

And this part is important—let the onion mixture cool before adding it to the meat.

Making the Meatloaf Mixture

Grab a large bowl and add the ground chuck, cooled onion mixture, breadcrumbs, and beaten eggs.

Now gently mix everything together.

The key word here is gently.

You don't want to mash or overmix the meat. Just mix until everything is evenly combined. Overworking the meat can make the finished meatloaf dense and tough, and nobody wants that.

Onto the Skewers

Here comes the fun part.

Take portions of the meat mixture and firmly press them around the skewers. Try to pack the meat evenly so it stays together while cooking.

Once all the skewers are ready, it’s time to get them onto the YANFLAMMA Smokeless Grill.

Hang the skewers on the grill, close the lid, and let the heat do its thing.

I gave the skewers a spin about halfway through cooking to help them develop an even color all around.

Cook for about 15–20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through.

The Final Result

And voilà!

What started as a little experiment somewhere between a kabob and a meatloaf turned into something I’d happily make again.

The outside gets beautifully browned while the inside stays juicy and flavorful. The onions, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and tomato paste give the meat plenty of savory flavor without making the recipe complicated.

And because they're already cooked on skewers, serving them is incredibly easy.

You can dip them in your favorite homemade sauce, tuck one into a burger bun, or wrap it up in a tortilla.

Honestly, there’s no wrong way to eat them.

Would I Make Them Again?

Absolutely.

This was another one of those cooking experiments where I wasn’t completely sure what to expect, but the result made all the effort worthwhile.

I also really enjoyed using the YANFLAMMA Smokeless Grill for this recipe. Hanging the skewers on the grill made the cooking process simple, and spinning them halfway through helped get that nice browned finish all around.

Kabob? Meatloaf? Meat skewers?

Call it whatever you want.

If it tastes this good, I’m calling it a success.

Trust me—this one is worth every second.