Venison Meatloaf (Classic)

classicvenisonmeatloaf A classic venison meatloaf recipe that’s loaded with flavour and so easy to make. Perfect for using up ground deer meat. I feel everyone needs a classic meatloaf recipe that feels refreshed and works perfectly with venison. That’s exactly what this recipe is here.

Meatloaf:
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs ground venison or 1 lb ground venison + 1 lb ground beef
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
¾ cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Topping:
⅓ cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. brown or coconut sugar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5) and heat a medium pan over medium heat.

Once the pan is hot, add the oil and onion. Sauté until the onion turns translucent and then add the garlic. Cook for 2-3 additional minutes before removing from the heat.

Add the sauteed onion and garlic to a large bowl with the venison, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, balsamic, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix everything together well.

Lightly oil and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Add the meatloaf mixture into the pan, pressing it evenly into all of the corners.

Slide the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.

While the meatloaf bakes, mix together the topping ingredients. After the 45 minutes is up, brush the topping all over the meatloaf and slide it back into the oven.

Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the meatloaf is totally done and has reached an internal temperature of 160°F.

Rest for a few minutes for slicing and serving. If you wish, after slicing the meatloaf, heat a medium pan over medium heat and melt in a bit of butter. Brown meatloaf slices on each side for extra texture.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Cook's Notes:

How do you make meatloaf taste good with venison? It can be hard to make something that uses all deer meat taste the way you’re used to eating something with ground beef would. That’s why so many people are disappointed or even turned off when they take their family’s favourite meatloaf recipe that calls for beef and sub venison. You can’t cook it like you cook beef.
Deer meat will never taste exactly like ground beef, but if you use recipes that are formulated appropriately for venison, you may wind up like me. I can barely stand the taste of commercially bought ground beef anymore, I 100% prefer wild game.
This venison meatloaf recipe uses acidic ingredients like balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and milk to balance out the rich flavour that is deer meat. It also calls for caramelized onion and garlic which lends a slightly sweet yet perfectly aromatic flavour to the dish.
I also love using Italian seasoning in my wild game recipes. That spice blend is ALWAYS on hand because it plays so well with big game flavours.