Great Grilled Meatloaf

When I was growing up in eastern Arkansas with six older brothers and sisters we pretty much drove my sweet brown mama (bless her heart) crazy with all of our personal likes and dislikes when it came to dinner time. One thing we all agreed on was dinner just wasn't dinner without meat and potatoes. Now, I know that when I say meatloaf everyone is going to run screaming from my page, lol, but just give me a second and maybe I can change your mind about this often looked down upon main course because this little recipe I'm about to provide you with has always recieved rave reviews even from guests who professed quite loudly and with a drawl that they "don't care for it but will have a taste, just to be polite". It includes that old standby,beefy onion soup mix, some nice Italian sausage, lovely lean ground beef and is topped with a sauce that I just almost can't believe I am divulging the recipe for but here goes. Still with me?...

This recipe should feed about 8-10 people and can of course be done in your oven as well as on the grill. I make these into individual portions so that the leftovers (I rarely have any, lol) can be made into a delicious meatloaf sandwich for lunch the next day.

Here's your ingredient list in order of addition:
2 lbs lean ground chuck
1 lb spicey Italian sausage
2 packs Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
3 cloves of chopped fresh garlic
1 tblsp mustard seeds
2 tblsp salt (I use non iodized sea salt, but that's just cause I try to be fancy these days)
3 tblsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tblsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1 cup bread crumbs
3 medium grade A eggs

Okay here we go...this is so easy. We have all of our ingredients in a large bowl and with our freshly washed hands we simply combine all of it toghether until the mixture is uniform in appearance(don't over mix though or the texture when done will be not so enjoyable).
Now take about a 4 ounce portion and make it into a ball, then shape it into an oblong patty shape (making your patties thinner in the middle with a slightly thicker edge will help them to not shrink up when you cook them)
If you're doing these on the grill they should take about 4-6 minutes on each side to achieve doneness. Remember, only turn your meat over one time when cooking on the grill to make sure you wind up with a nice juicy piece!
If you're doing these in the oven I'd say let them cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes

The Sauce...
Here's what makes guests come back for more!
dissolve 1 cup brown sugar with 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup worcestershire
whisk this until it is nice and smooth
add 2 tsps finely chopped fresh basil, 1 tsp horseradish, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Mix this up well
Now add 2/3 cup ketchup and mix it in there with the rest of it.
Brush this onto your individual meatloaves the last 5 minutes of cooking and leave the rest for the people who ask for more sauce.
Enjoy!
I hope Y'all enjoy this nice and simple southern take on a truly American favorite.
Come back and next time we'll talk about those potatoes!
Kenny Ray Jackson