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I had a request this week for some venison recipes, and it reminded me that my brother took down a large buck this hunting season and I have a bunch of venison coming my way since he doesn’t really like it.

I love all kinds of venison cuts, and prefer the unprocessed ones over processed, so here’s some of my favorite recipes that I’ll be using this fall and winter when my freezer is stocked.

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The one side note with this recipe is that if you didn’t get any fat blended in with your ground venison, you’ll want to add a little bit of fatty ground beef or ground pork in with the venison here. Meat loaf is a recipe that needs some fat or else you run the risk of it turning out quite dry. 

It’s all up to you, but I use about a 1/2 pound of 80/20 ground beef and 1 1/2 pounds of ground venison, but you can up the ratio or lower it to your liking.

If you’d like to keep it healthier and lean, you can soak the breadcrumbs in milk for a few minutes before adding them in the mixture.

VENISON MEATLOAF

MEATLOAF

2 pounds ground venison (blended with fat)

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup beef broth

2 eggs (beaten)

2/3 cup grated onion

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon brown mustard

1 ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon  ground sage

GLAZE

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Gently crumble venison into small pieces and place into a large bowl. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.

In a separate bowl combine the remaining meatloaf ingredients and stir to combine the meat mixture. *

Pour seasoning and liquid mixture into bowl with venison. Gently mix to combine with clean hands.

Combine all ingredients for the glaze and paint a couple tablespoons onto the bottom of a loaf pan. Place the meatloaf into the loaf pan and pour remaining glaze over the top of the meatloaf.

Place meatloaf in the oven for 75 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Let meatloaf rest for 5 minutes and serve.

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HUNTER’S

CASSEROLE

MASHED POTATO

LAYER

2 pounds potatoes unpeeled

1/2 cup salted butter

VENISON LAYER

2 pounds ground venison

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup white onion chopped

1/2 cup bell pepper chopped

3 cloves garlic

4 oz chopped green chilies undrained

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

CHEESE LAYER

2 eggs beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

16 oz cottage cheese

14 oz ricotta cheese

8 oz sharp cheddar or Monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.

Mashed Potato Layer

Using a large pot, boil two pounds of skin-on golden potatoes in lightly salted water until fork tender.

Drain the potatoes and mash them well with ½ cup of salted butter.

Spread your mashed potatoes into the bottom of a 13×9 pan or two smaller square roasting pan(s) and set aside.

Venison Layer

Brown two pounds of ground venison in olive oil and drain the cooked meat if necessary.  Remove the meat, but do not clean the pan.

In the same pan where you cooked the meat, sauté onion, yellow bell pepper, and garlic cloves for three minutes. Add the undrained can of green chilis, Worcestershire sauce, Hungarian paprika, 1 tsp. salt and black pepper and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Stir your cooked vegetables into your bowl of meat and spread it on top of the mashed potatoes to make the second layer.

Cheese Layer

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese and remaining ½ tsp. of salt.

Pour the cheese mixture on top of the meat layer and top with shredded cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

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MAPLE SAGE VENISON BREAKFAST SAUSAGE

1 pound ground venison

1/2 pound ground pork

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Olive oil for cooking

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to work together until combined. Ideally, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight before cooking.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Shape the sausage into 10-15 small patties about ¼ inch thick.

Working in batches, cook for 2-3 minutes per side until nicely browned and cooked through. If using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 165°F.

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VENISON SPAGHETTI SAUCE

2 pounds ground venison or lean ground beef

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup tomato paste

28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

3/4 cup water or beef stock

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon sugar

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

3 basil leaves, chopped

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot and starts to shimmer, add the venison. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Cook, without stirring, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon into small bits.

Add the onion and garlic and cook while stirring, until they begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the water while scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, dried oregano, thyme, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Gently simmer until the sauce has slightly thickened and the flavors have developed, around 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the chopped parsley and basil. Stir to combine.

TFD: "In every hunter's heart, there is a deep respect for the creatures of the wild, a respect that non-hunters may never comprehend."

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