Easy venison meatloaf recipe with breadcrumbs and barbecue sauce is here. Looking for a deer meat recipe that is pure comfort food, made as your favorite Old Fashioned dinner but leaner and with more flavor.
Deer meatloaf this could also be called, but the other term is a bit easier to swallow if you are a fan of Bambi and all. 😉 We live in an area where there is a lot of wildlife, and hunting. With that said I’ve found you can make all sorts of traditional recipes with more unusual meats. Here’s one of our favorite Ground Venison Recipes. (affiliate links present)
Now if you want to make a Spicy Meatloaf Recipe out of this meat just use the sauce listed in this recipe on top. There are tons of ways to add flavor and/or heat, and a number of different cooking methods as well. This is “old fashioned”, in a loaf pan and baked in your oven.
If you wanted to get the top super crispy in a countertop appliance, cut this recipe in half and follow our Ninja Foodi meatloaf instructions instead. that uses the air fryer function to cook it which means baked on sauce and a bit of crunch all the way around when you don’t bother using a pan.
Ingredient Notes
We are going to use 2 pounds of ground venison to make this one which will serve about 5-6 of you. Same meat used to make venison chili, and many other dishes we will share throughout this post so you can try them all.
Olive oil just a bit, is necessary just to soften the onions a bit until they are opaque. I mean you could just throw them in there but if my kids hear a crunch like that when eating it is a no go so I make them tender first. You can throw some minced garlic into the mix too.
Italian bread crumbs I like best since it’s seasoned already which means I need fewer ingredients. We do have tips on Meatloaf Without Breadcrumbs here too if you would rather use oats instead.
Your eggs is best added at room temperature and whisked a bit before pouring into your mixture.
For seasonings, the liquid element I add is some Worcestershire sauce which gives it a bold flavor with a bit of granulated garlic or garlic powder is a suitable substitute for that. With salt and pepper to taste.
To add more flavor near the end I will add a slather of some of our favorite barbecue sauce for a glaze, and more when served too. Ketchup can work with a bit of brown sugar mixed in to caramelize but Baby Rays has more flavor.
What internal temperature should ground deer be?
160 degrees Fahrenheit is your goal for ground deer meat recipes, no more. It really is similar to ground beef, any higher than that and it will begin to dry out so be careful near the end.
Baking Tips
Always add your pan full of meat mixture into a preheated oven so cook time is accurate. Keep a close eye and use a meat thermometer near the end. This lean meat can dry out quickly if baked too long. Allow to sit in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing and serving for best results to keep the juices inside.
Venison Meatloaf Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9×5 loaf pan
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 lbs venison, ground
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 c Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tbsp parsley, fresh, diced
- 1 tsp Old Bay
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- 1/2 c barbecue sauce, more when served too
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 370 F. Fry the onion with oil in a pan to soften for 4-5 minutes, stirring.
- Place ground venison, eggs, fried onions, breadcrumbs, salt and spices in a deep bowl. Place parsley in the bowl as well, reserving some for serving. Mix everything thoroughly.
- Line a loaf pan with non stick foil. Place the minced meat into it and smooth until thickness is the same all the way across pan. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
- Spread the sauce on the meatloaf, and put it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes until caramelized and internal temp is 160 degrees F in the center.
- Allow to sit in pan to cool on a rack after removing for 10 minutes before lifting out, slicing and serve with more sauce over the top.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You can use this same mixture to make venison burgers with it too though! That takes closer to 15 minutes to cook and you get the same flavors.
How long to do you cook meatloaf with ground venison?
Now How Long to Cook Meatloaf depends on the thickness of course. If you want it thinner in a square pan it won’t take quite as long. In a muffin tin cuts to a fraction of the time and comes out in portioned pieces from the get go. It will take about 45 minutes start to finish or so which is a quick meal overall with time to make a side or two along the way.
If yours isn’t ground you would need to make something like our Venison Cube Steak instead. Another great idea, or you could ask your local butcher if they can grind it for you. Stand mixers do have an attachment you can buy too that will do this too if you want to do it often it would be worth getting one of those.
Can you cook meatloaf in something other than a loaf pan?
Now you don’t have to use a loaf pan either. To tweak an ordinary old fashioned dish you can Bundt Pan Meatloaf instead! If you wanted to use just 1 pound just cut everything in half but the timing would take closer to 3/4 of the timing listed below.
Can you wrap this in bacon?
Making this into a classic Air Fryer Meatloaf Wrapped Bacon doesn’t really change the timing but adds a texture and flavor you’ll love. With any tweak you would always want a large bowl to mix everything together as well as a meat thermometer to test when it is safe to consume.
How do you make meatballs out of meatloaf mixture?
OR make into smaller pieces to cook Meatballs in Oven with this same mixture!! Served on top of a bed of mashed potatoes this is a killer finger food idea y’all. Now jump to recipe below and try it in different shapes and sizes after you enjoy this one.
