The Absolute Best Way to Make Venison Meatloaf (Not your Mama’s Meatloaf!)

Not Your Mother’s Meatloaf

by Lori and Don Thomas

RESTAURANTS AND MEATLOAF

Located in downtown Billings, Montana, Walker’s Grill enjoys a reputation as one of the best restaurants in the area. It may not deserve Michelin stars, but this is eastern Montana meat-and-potatoes country. Whenever we overnight in Billings to catch a plane, we usually treat ourselves to dinner at Walker’s.

Like most good restaurants, the menu there is a mix of old standbys and new recipes getting a test drive. We have long been intrigued by one of those regulars that seems to have been there forever: James Beard’s meatloaf. We always swear we’re going to try it but never do. Granted, Beard was once one of the country’s most famous chefs and a pioneer of television cooking shows, but meatloaf? Our expectation for a restaurant meal is something we couldn’t throw together just as easily (and more cheaply) at home, either because of the quality of the ingredients or a unique presentation. Anybody can make meatloaf out of anything, right?

GROUND VENISON MEATLOAF IS DIFFERENT AND UTILIZES CUTS THAT CAN’T BE COOKED STAND-ALONE 

Well, yeah … and that’s one of the wonderful things about meatloaf. It’s a basic concept that can be modified in many ways depending upon availability of different ingredients and individual tastes. It fares particularly well using ground venison as a starting point and creating different variations from there. As discussed earlier, we recognize that you can’t make a stand-alone meal out of every cut from a venison carcass. But with proper handling, a deer can yield excellent ground meat (burger) that can be made into almost anything, including meatloaf.

Most of us ate plenty of meatloaf when we were growing up. Ingredients were inexpensive and readily obtained; preparation was quick and easy—perfect for a busy household with hungry kids. While every family seemed to have its own favorite recipe, most meatloaf tasted pretty much the same and quickly became boring. What kid has never said, “Oh, no! Not meatloaf again.”

We can do better, and using ground venison instead of the traditional beef burger is a good place to start. Unfortunately, meatloaf made with lean meat tends to come out dry and crumbly, so we recommend supplementing the venison with ground pork in a 2:1 ratio. Using the seasoned sausage of your choice will allow even greater variety in the finished product. It would be hard for most of us to imagine meatloaf without ketchup, but commercial ketchup suffers from the same problem as most meatloaf: It all tastes nearly the same and quickly becomes boring. We prefer the zippier version described below as a change of pace.

It’ll have you saying, “Oh, boy! Meatloaf!”

RECIPE –  Not Your Mother’s Venison Meatloaf

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 lbs ground venison
• 1 lb pork sausage
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp rosemary
• Dash ground nutmeg
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp capers, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• Chili garlic sauce to taste (1-2 tbsp)
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 bacon slices

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the celery, onion, grated carrots, and ½ tsp sea salt. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for about a minute more. Remove from heat and let cool for several minutes.
2. Add the milk to breadcrumbs and let soak.
3. Add the sauteed vegetables, ground venison, ground pork, eggs, chili garlic sauce, spices, and soy sauce to a large mixing bowl.
4. Mix to combine. At this point, take a tablespoon of the mixture and cook thoroughly on a hot skillet. Let it cool and have a taste, adjusting seasonings to your preference.
5. Place the mixture on a greased baking pan. Mold into a loaf by hand.
6. Criss-cross bacon strips across top of loaf. You may add some ketchup on the top.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 F. Baking time may vary depending on how you shape the loaf.

RECIPE – Not Your Mother’s Chipotle Ketchup

(May be made up to two months in advance.)

Ingredients

• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• ¼ tsp allspice
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp minced canned chipotle in adobo sauce
• 3 pounds fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped. May substitute 3 cans of diced tomatoes, drained.
• ¾ cup cider vinegar 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Place the first six ingredients in cheesecloth and tie closed with twine. Cut back on cloves if you prefer less of that distinctive taste.
2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven and cook onion 5 minutes or until soft. Add tomato paste and garlic, mix well, and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Place mixture from No. 2 above, chipotle, and half of tomatoes in a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl, process remaining tomatoes, and combine.
4. In small batches, pass mixture through a fine strainer into a new bowl. Remove pulp and discard.
5. Add vinegar, sugar, salt, and spice sachet, bring to slow boil over medium heat, and stir until mixture thickens and darkens, approximately 30 minutes to an hour.
6. As mixture cools, funnel into 1-cup jars. Seal with lids and place in refrigerator, where ketchup will keep for up to two months.