Venison Meat Loaf

Venison meatloaf solves the eternal problem of cooking ground game: lean deer meat dries out fast in a long bake. The fix here is twofold. First, a quarter pound of ground pork sausage blended with three-quarters of a pound of ground venison puts back the fat the deer doesn’t have.

Second, the basting trick. A cup of water and half a packet of dried onion soup mix gets brushed over the loaf every ten minutes during the hour-long bake. That liquid keeps the surface moist while the savory soup mix builds a glossy, deeply flavored crust by the time the timer goes off.

Lemon juice in the meat mixture is the quiet secret. Just a teaspoon brightens the gamey notes that some folks find off-putting in venison and rounds out the rich pork.

Pro Tips

• Mix the ground meats with a fork or your fingertips, not a stand mixer. Compacted meat means dense, rubbery loaf.
• Set the loaf on a rack inside the pan if you have one. The fat that renders out collects below instead of pooling around the loaf.
• Use a thermometer. Pull at 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) internal for a juicy result; venison goes from tender to dry quickly past that.

Variations

• Swap pork sausage for bacon bits or ground chorizo for a smokier or spicier profile.
• Stir in finely diced mushrooms cooked dry first; they add umami and extra moisture.
• Use beef bouillon and a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce instead of onion soup mix for a less salty, deeper-flavored baste.