I Smell a Rat! is one of the most disgusting dishes I serve at my annual Halloween BOO-ffet. This one is especially creepy because it is a stuffed meatloaf and oozes a bit when cut. It is really delicious, though, since it’s coated with crispy French-fried onions to make the fur. It’s actually fun to make and gets plenty of oohs and aahs from the guests.

The rat face is made easily: red potato slices for the ears, pickled onions for the eyes with a bit of food coloring for the pupils, an olive for the nose, and dry spaghetti for the whiskers. You can purchase a rat trap on the grocery store aisle near the bug killer. Make sure it is spotlessly clean before setting it near your rat. Make sure you put this disgusting rat in a prominent place at your BOO-ffet; it’s very fun, very unique, and very scary.

12 Servings

Rat Body:
1 cup dry bread crumbs
3/4 cup barbecue sauce, your favorite homemade or bottled
1/4 cup dehydrated onion flakes
1 tablespoon mesquite seasoning
3 eggs
3 pounds ground beef

Filling:
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup French fried onions
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, the same kind as in the meatloaf

2 to 4 tablespoons barbecue sauce
2 cups French fried onions, for fur


Garnish:
2 slices red potatoes, for ears
1 stuffed green olive, for nose
2 cocktail onions, for eyes
3 dry spaghetti noodles for whiskers

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Mix the meatloaf ingredients well and press the mixture into a rectangle.
2. Mix the filling ingredients and spread evenly over the rectangle; roll up into a cylinder.
3. Cut 1/4 off to make the head, and a slightly smaller piece for the tail.
4. Shape the remaining stuffed mixture into a fat body and place on a broiler pan (so the fat will run off).
5. Shape the tail and attach it, coiling it around to one side of the rat (if it's left long, it will burn).
6. Shape the head and make a pointy nose.
7. Make sure the filling is sealed well inside each body part so that the "guts" won't ooze out until guests slice into the rat.
8. Spread a thin layer of the 2-4 tablespoons barbecue sauce over the body; press the 2 cups crushed French Fried onions over all.
9. Brush the potato slices with a little oil and place them on the head where the ears go.
10. Press the cocktail onions in the head for the eyes, and the green olive in the pointy end of the nose.
11. Add a drop of paste food coloring in the center of each of the cocktail onions.
12. Cover the rat loosely with foil and bake 45 minutes; remove the foil and continue baking until the body is cooked through (140°on an instant read thermometer) and the onions on the body are browned.
13. Remove from the oven, break the dry spaghetti noodles in half and insert them into the face near the nose for whiskers.
14. Place in a chafing dish or shallow slow cooker to keep warm; place a rat trap on the side for an even more scary effect.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 539 Calories from Fat 277
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 51% Protein 27% Carb. 21%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 31 g
Saturated Fat 13 g
Cholesterol 169 mg
Sodium 639 mg
Total Carbohydrate 29 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 37 g

Vitamin A 11% Vitamin C 17% Calcium 0% Iron 23%