The Humble Meatloaf

I’ve been making up meatloaf recipes with varying degrees of success for years; just ask my husband. Tonight's edition was simple but remarkably effective. The secret ingredient was couscous, which took the place of the more frequently used breadcrumbs. My husband doesn't like couscous. He calls it foufou. But what he doesn't know won't hurt him.

Ingredients:

• somewhat over a pound of lean ground beef (I had 1.2 pounds available so that's what I used)
• 1/3 cup of homemade or other good quality tomato-based chili sauce 
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 tablespoons of uncooked couscous
• Salt and pepper to taste - you must use enough seasoning in meatloaf
• Smoky barbecue sauce to drizzle on top

Methods:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together all ingredients (except the barbecue sauce) until well combined. You might need to get your hands dirty to get things really well mixed. Grease a loaf pan and pack in the meat mixture. If you don’t own a loaf pan simple shape the meat into a loaf-like shape and place it on any greased flat baking sheet with a bit of a lip. Drizzle your favourite barbecue sauce over the top. Bake for around 40 minutes or until juices run clearish, or at least, not pink.. Meatloaf is not something you want to serve rare, and it needs to be firm enough to slice properly. Drain excess juices from the pan. Cover the cooked loaf and allow it to sit for around 10 minutes before slicing and serving.