Venison Meatloaf

4.95 from 97 votes
Comment
Jump to Recipe

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Meatloaf was not something I looked forward to as a kid; back then, I hated it in all its forms. That all changed years ago, when I tried my first Italian-style meatloaf, and this venison meatloaf recipe replicates that first revelation very closely. 

Two slices of venison meatloaf on a plate.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

It’s funny that it took me until I was in my 20s to realize that a meatloaf is simply a gigantic meatball. In fact, it’s called albondigón in Spanish, which literally means “giant meatball.” Once you realize this, meatloaf’s image as a dowdy relic of 1950s suburban American, er, “cuisine” starts to fade. 

So this venison meatloaf recipe started with my tried-and-true venison meatballs recipe, which is a classic Italian-American style meatball: ground venison, bread or breadcrumbs, sautéed onion and garlic, eggs, herbs, spices and a little cheese. 

Some ingredients for venison meatloaf: eggs, herbs, cheese, tomato sauce and onions.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

How to Make Venison Meatloaf

It really is as easy as making a big batch of meatballs, only you pack the mix into a loaf pan, or, if you want to be oh-so-fancy, individual ramekins. 

That said, my venison meatloaf has a system, one that makes a very tender and juicy meatloaf loaded with flavor. It is very similar to the recipe I published in my cookbook Buck, Buck, Moose, but this version has been improved a little. 

You start by tearing up a roll or some bread, ideally one without a really sturdy crust. Soak this in milk while you chop onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and maybe a small fennel bulb. 

All those vegetables get blitzed in a food processor, much the same way you do in my recipe for venison ragu. These then get sautéed in olive oil until they’re soft, along with a bit of tomato sauce. This cools before you put it in the mix. 

Why do this? Because all those cooked vegetables add a ton of moisture to your venison meatloaf, and cooking them prevents that odd “raw onion crunch” you’d get if you did not sauté first. 

Close up of two slices of venison meatloaf.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

The Meat

Venison meatloaf needs fat. Or at least this one does. I grind most of my venison with 15 to 20 percent pork or beef fat. If you have fatless ground venison, you can use it as half your venison meatloaf mixture, then add fatty ground pork or beef to the mix. 

Or, if you don’t want to go that route, double the amount of bread in the recipe. It’ll get you close, but fat still makes a better meatloaf. 

Oh, and the “venison” in venison meatloaf can literally be any ground meat. I normally use deer meat, but I’ve used elk, pronghorn, nilgai, moose, bison and sheep. And I see no reason why the ground meat of your choice, so long as there’s some fat, wouldn’t work. 

Other Venison Meatloaf Styles to Try

Once again, meatloaf is a giant meatball. Given that, you can use my recipe for teriyaki meatballs, Norwegian meatballs, Mexican albondigas with chipotle, maple-glazed meatballs, made with turkey or whatever, or even Thai meatballs

The caveat is that you might need to adjust these other recipes to work with 2 pounds of venison, which I find fills a regular Pyrex 1 1/2-quart pan that is 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. This is a standard size. 

Final Tips

Finely ground venison makes a better venison meatloaf. Period. If you are grinding your own venison, choose a die about 4.5 millimeters, which on things like the Kitchenaid grinder is the small die. The reason is because coarsely ground venison can be chewy and it doesn’t slice as easily, and it won’t hold together as well. 

The more you work the meat mix, the easier it will be to cut slices of your venison meatloaf… but it will also get a bit tougher. I have never found this to be a problem, and I don’t like meatloaf that falls to pieces when you try to cut it. That’s a sloppy joe. I generally mix everything about 2 or 3 minutes. 

Pack the meat mix into the greased pan. Do this with about a third of the mix, pressing it into the sides and bottom so there are no air pockets — this is why I like to use a glass Pyrex pan, so I can see if there are any in there. Then pack the rest on top. 

Finally, let the meatloaf rest a bit before serving. It will be easier to get out of the pan. 

Close up of two slices of venison meatloaf.
4.95 from 97 votes

Venison Meatloaf

Meatloaf is more of an art than a science, and the loaf's final consistency depends on a few things: How much stuff you put into the mix that isn't meat, how thoroughly you work the meat, and what sort of binder you use.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 people
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 cups bread, torn to pieces (see recipe headnotes)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 small yellow or white onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped roughly
  • 1 small fennel bulb, chopped roughly (optional)
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds ground venison
  • 1 cup grated Italian cheese, parmesan or pecorino
  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce (or ketchup)
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 3 eggs
  • Marinara sauce for painting the top and serving

Instructions 

  • Soak the bread cubes in a bowl with the milk while you chop the vegetables and get everything else ready. Put the roughly chopped vegetables into a food processor and blitz them until it begins to form something of a paste. This will keep the meatloaf super moist.
  • Heat the olive oil in a small pan and sauté the vegetables from the food processor until soft. Add the tomato sauce and mix well. Cook this another couple minutes, then remove the mixture to a plate and spread it out: This helps it cool quickly.
  • Preheat your oven to 375°F. When the bread has softened, squeeze out the excess milk and chop and mash the soaked bread on a cutting board until it too forms something of a paste. Toss it and the cooled vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Add the ground venison, cheese, parsley, eggs, salt and oregano and combine. I like to actually work the meatloaf mix well because the bread and vegetable mix will keep it moist and tender -- normally you don't want to over work meatball mixes, but this is an exception. It will help the meatloaf bind together better.
  • Grease a loaf pan; I use butter. The pan I use is a Pyrex 1 1/2-quart pan that is 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. Something more ore less this size will be fine. Or, you can set the mixture on a greased baking sheet and mold it into a loaf. Pack the meat mixture into the pan and bake it until the center reads about 155°F, which will take roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes. I put the loaf pan on top of a baking sheet to catch any overflow of fat or tomato sauce.
  • About 30 minutes before the meatloaf is ready (shoot for the 45-minute mark), paint the top of the loaf with marinara sauce. Have some more sauce warming in a small pot to serve with the finished meatloaf.
  • Once the loaf is ready, sit it on the countertop for 5 minutes to rest before popping out of the loaf pan. Do this carefully. Slice and serve with sauce.

Notes

This recipe calls for marinara sauce, but any simple tomato sauce will do, so long as it's not too chunky. Finally, this meatloaf keeps well, and is great as a sandwich filling during the week.

Keys to Success

  • Use finely ground venison with some fat in it, beef or pork. Or mix fatless ground venison with fatty ground pork or beef or veal. Or double the bread. 
  • You can cook the vegetable mix up to a day or two ahead. Keep it in the fridge.
  • If you want things a little zippy, add 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. 
  • I like to serve this with mashed potatoes or polenta, and I really like it as sandwiches the next day. 

Nutrition

Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 222mg | Sodium: 1707mg | Potassium: 886mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2360IU | Vitamin C: 10.1mg | Calcium: 301mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

You May Also Like

Corned Beef Casserole

Corned beef or venison casserole is a great use for leftovers. Add noodles, cabbage, peas, cheese and breadcrumbs and it’s a winner.

Sauerkraut Casserole

An easy-to-make casserole or hotdish, sauerkraut casserole is basically German lasagna: Sauerkraut, venison or beef, noodles and cheese. What’s not to love?

Venison Risotto

Yes, you can make risotto with red meat. This venison risotto is a riff of a beef risotto dish from northern Italy. It’s essentially a venison rice porridge, loose and rich. Serve it in a bowl.

Tater Tot Hotdish

A classic Minnesota tater tot hotdish with options to make the mushroom soup from scratch. This is a venison hotdish, but any meat works.

About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




70 Comments

  1. Made this last night. Turned out great. One complaint too much salt. Maybe just me don’t use any salt on anything anymore. The salt taste was just a little to much. Thanks

  2. I know Coach would enjoy this recipe. The only time I attempted to cook meatloaf the oven was on it’s way out but we didn’t know it yet. I baked that meatloaf for over 3 hours before it wasn’t raw. Having never made a meatloaf I didn’t make the connection that the oven was on the fritz. So I guess I should give meatloaf another try. This looks like a good place to start.

  3. Very tasty! Regarding the fat, I don’t add any beef fat to my venison. I threw in a half bag of spinach, some purple cabbage, and a celeriac into the food processor (as well as the other listed ingredients) and added that to 1.5 lbs of plain venison. It was very moist and delicious and almost had the texture of crumb cake. Thanks Hank.

  4. EXCELLENT! After last night’s meal, we ditched every other way we’ve made meatloaf cuz while we may make the odd adjustment, this is the new “house recipe” for meat loaf for both flavor and tenderness. I’m working on finding out the fat % of the venison we used (it was a gift …) but based on appearance, suspect it might not reach your idea of optimal fat. Love how it makes the house smell so good and slices cold —

    PS Our changes: used whole wheat bread (great) and didn’t “paint” with marinara (fine, thank you, House of Cards distraction) and baked in a LeCreuset pate mold (perfect for 2/3 recipe).

  5. Yea, I would like 15% beef fat a little better but do 10% as a compromise. My wife has a familial history of heart problems & she’s a bit “phobic” about fat in her diet.

  6. Kim: I use about 20 percent bacon ends.

    Chanman: I’d say you’ve kinda-sorta made a boudin. It won’t bind like sausage, but it would taste good I bet!

    HorseDoctor: 10 percent is too low for my tastes, but it will certainly work. And I like the idea of horseradish! Thanks!

  7. I grind my venison with 10% beef fat and that’s enough to hold a burger together & not too fatty for meatloaf. My favorite meatloaf recipe is quite similar to this one. I need to try the addition of fennel. That sounds wonderful. You could try adding another dimension to this recipe with 1 or 2 tablespoons of horseradish. Fresh is best, but store bought will do.

  8. Kim: I think it’s lard. Hank’s has a note about it in the venison sausage section, I think.

    Hank: What happens if you stuff a meatloaf into a sausage casing?

  9. We enjoy the meatloaf in our house. We use 1 egg and approximately 1.5 lb ground venison with pork sausage, and add some Italian breadcrumbs, about 3/4 cup. Add some seasonings and cover with the ubiquitous catsup/ketchup, and bake a formed loaf for about 45 min at 375. Hubby says not to change his favorite, but I will try yours one of these days soon. Your recipes have been winners for us. Thanks Hank! Cas from KC

  10. Teri: No, you need a solid fat. But if you do leave out the fat, the meatloaf *should* still stay moist from the bread and vegetables — and I am only thinking logically here, not from experience. If you try it, let me know how it turns out, OK?

  11. There’s no fat added to our ground meat. Can I use olive oil instead of bacon or backfat? Thanks. This looks yummy!

  12. My recipe is damn near what you have except the fennel and milk/bread….I’ll need to give that a shot. I have never thought about using whole fennel like that.

  13. Nat: You don’t eat meatballs medium-rare, do you? Same reason. It’s a texture thing. If you like your meatloaf rare, go for it. I don’t like the texture.

  14. Venison meatloaf is guaranteed crowd pleaser in our house! With heaping mounds of buttered mash potatoes and a pile of green beans. Our’s is more “American” style, I guess (glazed with BBQ sauce). Very hearty, and a little sweet-savory action. We will have to try this recipe, though — looks intriguing!

  15. thanks for this recipe Hank. I think it looks so tight it might need some bengay.

    but, why 160 for temp? I don’t know if I’ve been wrong the whole time but I normally cook ground venison to medium rare. not a good idea? thanks.

  16. Like you, I hated meatloaf as a kid but we have it often now. Generally with beef as I appreciate the fattiness of it compared to the leaner game. Having the proportion ratio in this recipe will help me out. Thank you for this! I will be making meatloaf now with venison, elk, mule deer and maybe moose (if we chance to get one sometime). The only change I make to your tasty recipe will be to cook it on my Traeger smoker/grill. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend looking into a purchase. Thanks again!