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ULTIMATE VENISON MEATLOAF

Chefs of RodnReel.com
by Mike Lane & Chefs of Rodnreel
Recipe by Sean Rabeaux
 

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 2 red bell peppers
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 dry bay leaves
• 4 oz. catsup
• 1 oz.Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp. chopped parsley
• Cayenne
• Original Tabasco^® brand
• Pepper Sauce (optional)
• 2 slices white bread
• 2 oz. milk
• Olive oil
• 1 Ib. ground deer meat
• 1 Ib. ground pork
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tbsp. dried)
• Kosher salt
• Cracked pepper
• 6 strips quality pork bacon
 

Directions

Dice onion, bell peppers, garlic, and tomatoes.

Add bay leaves, catsup, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, cayenne, and Tabasco^® brand Pepper Sauce (optional).

Let tomato relish cook down for about 10 minutes. Then remove bay leaves.

Cut off bread crusts and let bread soak in milk for 2 minutes.

Put oil in bottom of baking pan, add 3/4 of tomato relish, the deer meat, and pork, and mix. (You can substitute ground beef or elk for deer.)

Crack egg over mixture, add thyme and bread, and gently squeeze into mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Gently mix with hands, dump into loaf pan, and form loaf. Take remaining tomato relish and dump on top of loaf.

Lay bacon on top of meatloaf.

Cook for 1 hour to1 hour 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let meatloaf rest for about 15 minutes.
 

Personal Notes: This dish was thrown together at an old friend's deer camp years ago. I used what we had in the camp at the time. Since then, I've experimented with this dish many times, resulting in this completed recipe. Enjoy!

For a side dish, get 2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 consistent size, put in boiling water, and add kosher salt. After 10-15 minutes, take a fork and give it a smash to see if it's cooked. If it smashes well, drain the potatoes and mash them up well. Heat 1 small container heavy cream and 1/2 stick butter on low heat and combine with the potatoes. Add salt, cracked pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil and you are finished with the potatoes.

I also like to cook fresh green beans with this meal. First, buy 2 lb. green beans and snap the tips off. Then, boil in water for about 7 minutes. Blanch in cool water and drop into a bowl. (Optional: If you have almonds or pecans, slightly toast them in a skillet with some butter and set aside.)  Cook 1/2 lb. bacon in a skillet, remove, but leave the grease. Add 1 chopped yellow onion to this and saute with a little chopped fresh garlic. Gently fold the green beans in, and sprinkle the toasted nuts on top. Add salt, pepper, and a little olive oil to complete this side dish.