For A Delicious Meatloaf Loaded With Flavor, Don't Sleep On Venison

A delicious meatloaf recipe can be made using several meat options. Meatloaf made with ground beef will be packed with a strong, savory flavor that can complement the equally strong tastes of bold toppings. Opt for a meatloaf made with ground turkey or ground chicken, and it'll have a subtle flavor that can blend well with rich toppings. Pork-based meatloaf will be succulent and a little sweet, so it'll likely pair well with savory sauces and glazes. While these are all great meat options that typically make the lists of most meatloaf recipes, there is another meat option that is seriously underrated: venison.

Ever wonder how delicious meatloaf would taste if it had a flavor profile of sweet, peppery, and earthy? Well, that's exactly how a bite of venison meatloaf would land on your tongue. Venison has distinctive, bold flavors because the meat comes from game animals — wild animals that are hunted. Venison meat typically derives from deer, but technically it can also come from elk, moose, caribou, or antelope. Each of these venison meats can be used in a meatloaf recipe to create a distinctively flavorful, meaty dish.

Deer often eat fruit, nuts, seeds, forbs, grass, and stems. Since those foods get absorbed into the meat of the deer, they give venison strong sweet, spicy, and earthy flavors that you can taste subtle notes of when you dig into your venison meatloaf. Meatloaf made with elk meat that is cooked at a low temperature will have an unbeatable succulence, as well as a spicy, sweet flavor. A moose meatloaf will rival one made from beef, and although it won't be as juicy (though it's common to add in some ground beef fat to combat the leanness of wild game) it'll be a bit sharper in flavor.

If you want a strong flavor combo of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, then a caribou meatloaf will do the job. Use ground antelope in your meatloaf recipe, and your meat will be loaded with minty, sour, and spicy flavors due to the antelope's heavy diet of sage. Cook the venison meatloaf that most excites your taste buds, but also whip up a side dish that will pair well with your rich minced cut. 

Whichever venison meatloaf you choose is going to be packing a flavorful punch, so mildly flavored side dishes will be best for balancing out your meal. Creamy mashed potatoes and grassy-tasting green beans offer the subtle complementary flavors your meal needs. Roasted asparagus will also give you a subtle, earthy side dish that will be delicious next to your loaf.

Complete your venison meatloaf meal with a nice helping of polenta, since its light corn taste will be delightful after every bite. Silky macaroni and cheese will give you luscious cheesy mouthfuls that will taste even more delicious after you eat chunks of that flavorful venison. No matter which particular venison and side dish pairing you choose, you're going to enjoy a great meal. And if a neighboring hunter supplied the cut, make sure to pay them in kind with a pan of the final product.