Meatloaf in a Skillet

I've always made meatloaf....in the oven. Mine and my mom's is the only meatloaf I will eat, but recently I got a wonderful idea from the novel, Jimmy by Robert Whitlow.
This Meatloaf in a Skillet idea came from Jimmy's mother making "meatloaf in a pan" on her stove. So here's the old recipe with a new way of cooking it.

Meatloaf in a Skillet

This batch fell apart in the skillet because I tried to make it without eggs.
It was still quite yummy!

• 2 lbs. ground chuck
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped (or pulverized in the food processor if you have pepper prejudiced people in your family)
• 1 medium onion, chopped or pulverized as above. :)
  
• 1 sleeve of saltine crackers, crushed
• fresh ground mixed pepper
• salt
• powdered cayenne or hot pepper (optional, you can use Cajun seasoning)
  
• 3 eggs
• bbq sauce
  
• ketchup
  

Mix everything except bbq sauce and ketchup together and form into a huge patty in a oiled, warm, skillet, This can be a large regular skillet or an electric skillet. I make a large vent hole in the middle of the patty which will help it cook faster. Cook on medium high heat, which will help to brown the meat faster. Cook on one side until very brown, then cut into 4 parts, like dividing a pie into fourths, and flip each section. (Alternately you can place a plate over the patty and invert the plate and skillet together to flip.) Brown on remaining side. Take meat out of the pan and place on a serving plate. Get rid of any excess oil left in the pan and put a little water, maybe 1/2 cup or less, in the hot skillet to deglaze. In this case deglaze means you are going to loosen all those yummy meat bits to use in the bbq topping and clean your pan at the same time! So, with the burner on medium, simmer and scrape the pan until all the good stuff turns loose, then mix some bbq sauce and ketchup in the pan and pour over the meatloaf. You can also make your own bbq topping by adding the following to your hot skillet during deglazing:

• ketchup and water, or 2 small cans tomato sauce
• tiny splash of liquid smoke
  
• powdered cayenne pepper
  
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
  
• black pepper
• salt
• 1 tsp. prepared mustard (like you put on a sandwich)
  
• 1 Tbs. brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. vinegar

Simmer until thickened and pour over the meatloaf. Serve with mashed potatoes, green beans and salad.
Meatloaf can be made into individual patties for finicky eaters who want different ingredients. You can also add finely shredded potatoes or other veggies to the mix. Just no white bread please! Nothing worse than a slimy meatloaf!