The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SCRAPPLE
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More clues leading to the result SCRAPPLE
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "meat dish" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case meat dish = scrapple.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SCRAPPLE mean?
SCRAPPLE noun- A tool for scraping.
- To scrape or grub around.
- (Blue Ridge) A mush of pork scraps, particularly head parts, and cornmeal or flour, which is boiled and poured into a mold, where the rendered gelatinous broth from cooking jells the mixture into a loaf.