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MA! The meatloaf! This is the recipe I’d like to believe Will Ferrell’s mother in Wedding Crashers was back there making. LOL. The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. Pretty straight forward, yet delivers flavor and everything you want from a meatloaf; soft and tender, yet holds together. Meatloaf is a very common go-to recipe for ground venison. Like many other dishes, you’ve had good…and you’ve had bad. The keys to this recipe are making sure your venison has fat added, and that you allow the “loaf” to rest before putting in the oven. We typically add 20% straight pork fat to our ground venison. we have also used beef fat. If you have straight venison in your freezer, contact your local grocery store meat department and see if they can save you some pork or beef fat. My local store charges me $1 per pound, which is well worth it. Send your venison and fat through your LEM Meat Grinder and you’re good to go. If you don’t have a grinder, you can mix in ground beef or pork at a 50% ratio (to venison) and that should get the fat needed to make the dish come together. For larger families, double the recipe and make 2 loaves, or 1 one big loaf.
Venison (Ma's) Meatloaf
Serves: 4-5
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 25-35 minutes
- 1 lb. ground venison (20% fat added)
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 1 egg (room temp)
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire
- ¼ c Italian breadcrumbs
- Pinch kosher salt (~1/8 tsp.)
- Pinch of black pepper (~1/8 tsp.)
- ¼ tsp. Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp. Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. ketchup
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
In a bowl, mix together the milk, egg, Worcestershire, breadcrumbs, salt/pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, ketchup, and brown sugar (everything listed except venison). Gently fold ground venison into mixture, place in bread pan, form into loaf, top with the glaze.
Glaze: Mix 2 tbsp. ketchup with 1 tbsp. brown sugar (make more if desired)
Key Step: Let the loaf rest for 20 minutes before placing in oven.
Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes.
Let it rest for 8-10 minutes, as this will help it to set up, making for better slices. Serve with scalloped potatoes and green beans and you have all the makings of a wonderful meal. Enjoy!
