How to Make: Wild Game Meatloaf

Few foods carry a stigma like that which is often, if unjustifiably, attached to the humble meatloaf. Given a bad rap by decades of misguided and inadequate preparation—usually Heinz 57 played a role here—meatloaf became an easy target for culinary ridicule and, sadly, even outright disgust. Done right though, this iconic dish, which has roots in the dark ages of medieval Europe and found its footing on American shores with the arrival of scrapple-loving German immigrants, is wholly deserving of its global comfort food status. So when I’m sitting around with a surplus of ground game meat and I’ve had my fill of smash burgers, chili and pasta with bolognese, I’ll often revert back to this ancient food staple. Here’s how I make it.

Ingredients

2 lbs of ground game meat

** For this batch I used 100 percent ground venison with no added fat and had great results. You can obviously mix in whatever ratio of wild game meat you have on hand, but don’t be afraid to go full venison. Even in the absence of fat, the lean, ground deer meat binds well with the milk, bread and eggs incorporated into the recipe.

1 1/2 cups cubed and dried Italian bread or penko bread crumbs

3 eggs

1 cup milk

4 cloves garlic

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 of a small diced Jalapeño

1 carrot

1/2 a medium white onion

1/2 of a small fennel bulb

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/3 cup marina

1 and 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire

Procedure

Step 1.

Soak bread in milk for about 30 minutes or until soft.

Step 2.

Use a colander or fine mesh sieve to separate the bread crumbs from the milk, using your hands to squeeze out any remaining milk from the bread. Discard spent milk then use a knife to dice and smash soaked bread crumbs until you achieve a paste-like consistency.

Step 3.

Pulse all of your vegetables in a food processor, including garlic, until they too are transformed into a paste-like mixture.

Step 4.

Combine the veggie mixture, the bread crumb paste, eggs, spices, marinara, Worcestershire and ground meat into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. A stand mixer with a meat hook or paddle attachment helps a lot here if you have one.

Step 5.

Once the meat is thoroughly and evenly combined with all of the other ingredients, pack the mixture into an loaf pan of appropriate size. Bake this in the oven at 375 degrees F until it reaches an internal temperature of approximately 150-160 degrees. This usually takes an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes depending on the oven.

Step 6.

Once the desired internal temperature is achieved, set the pan aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.

Step 7.

Carefully upend the loaf pan, allowing the intact meat loaf to slide out onto a cutting board. Slice and serve.

When serving the meatloaf, ladle a warm spoonful of the marinara atop a slice, then sprinkle with the grated cheese and a few sprigs of fennel for color. A twice-baked potato makes a great addition to the finished plate.