INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground chuck  85/15                    1 1/2 cups bread crumbs or crushed Ritz crackers
1 lb. hot lean sausage                               1 can (8 ozs.) tomato sauce
2 lbs. ground venison                             1/2 lb. chopped mushrooms, your choice
1 large Vidalia onion, coarse chopped        4 tsps. salt (to taste)
1 large green bell pepper, chopped      1 1/2 tsps. black pepper - to taste (Tellicherry)
3 Tbs. butter                                           3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Wild Bill's Meat Rub             1 Tbs. brown sugar
3 large eggs, well beaten                       1/3 cup Pace Medium Chunky Salsa
1/2 cup ketchup                                       1 Tbs. prepared mustard
1 10 oz. can Ro-Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
1 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

Place a large skillet on medium heat, add butter and olive oil.  Add chopped onions, green pepper and mushrooms; sauté for about 7 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool down.   In a large mixing bowl, add venison, sausage, beef, tomato sauce, tomatoes & green chilies, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, mushroom and bell pepper mixture, salt, black pepper, Wild Bill's Meat Rub, Worcestershire Sauce, salsa and mix thoroughly.  Mix together until very moist, squeezing through fingers until thoroughly mixed.  In a small mixing bowl, add ketchup, prepared mustard and brown sugar mixing thoroughly.  Spray a 3-quart oven proof baking dish with vegetable oil and add meat loaf mixture.  Dent rows in top of loaf with tips of fingers and fill with the ketchup topping mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator 4 to 6 hours or overnight to let juices blend; then remove plastic wrap and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and test with meat thermometer for 160 degrees F.  If the top isn't brown enough, turn broiler on high and allow to brown.  Remove from oven and immediately drain extra grease rendered and allow to rest about 15 to 20 minutes before serving.  If desired, you can cut this recipe in half since this is a very large meat loaf and one of my Fruits of the Harvest recipes.

YIELD: 10 or more servings.

NOTES:   You can substitute the ground venison with ground chuck.  Instead of using one large baking dish, use three aluminum regular size loaf baking pans. 

Above meat loaf prepared on 06-18-14 and was "off the chain good!"  My bride said it was wonderful, stretching out those syllables.  Served with home made cream cheese  mashed potatoes, asparagus spears, garlic bread and cherry tomatoes for a little extra eye candy for the camera......grin if you must!

Click on below thumbnail sequence pixs for a larger screen view:

Give this recipe a try and you will not be disappointed.  There is a little heat kick going on with this version of meat loaf which is moist, juicy and will tantalize your taste buds.  You can take this recipe to the next level by making a dark brown gravy or roux with some of the fat rendered from the meat loaf.  Take a look at the ingredients in my Wild Bill's Meat Rub which is my standard house seasoning; that stuff might make pine bark taste good!  View my Venison Stuffed Meat Log recipe for a super charged meat log/loaf recipe.

Web published on 06-18-14 by Bill aka Mickey Porter.