Click on the link to watch the episode or get the recipe from Wednesday's episode on Twin Cities Live.
Whether you are serving this to warm a group of hungry hunters, or gathered around the family dinner table this venison chili recipe is the best.
The secret ingredient that makes chili special is the ground venison of course. The ideal chili grind is coarse because it lends a better texture to the final chili. This differs from the grind used for ground burger which is typically double ground using a finer plate. You can ask your butcher to run a few pounds of your venison for chili or you can do it at home yourself.
Just run some venison trim and pork butt through your coarsest grinding plate (8mm plate is great) in one pass then gently mix together. I do this with my KitchenAid and it makes phenomenal venison chili with the recipe included. I like an 70/30 blend of venison to pork because the pork fat will really carry a lot of the flavor for the chili. You can make this chili without the pork if you want to use straight ground venison. An alternate method is to use cubed Venison.
Recipe:
2 pounds venison trim - ground
1 pound pork trim - ground
2 tablespoon Olive oil
28 ounces canned Petite Diced Tomatoes
30 ounces canned Mixed Chili beans with the sauce
15 ounces canned Tomato Sauce
6 ounces canned Tomato Paste
1 Large Red Onion (chopped)
1 Small Green pepper (chopped)
2 -3 Jalapeño Peppers (chopped)
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon each salt & pepper
1 tablespoon + 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 cups Beef broth made from concentrate
Chili Seasoning:
1 ½ tablespoon kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoon Cumin
2 teaspoons Oregano
2 tablespoons Chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons Onion powder
1 ½ teaspoons Paprika
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
½ teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
Optional Garnishes for Serving:
Saltine Crackers
Chopped onion
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Steps
Heat oil in a large pan and add venison, onions, peppers, and some salt & pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until meat has browned and onions and peppers are tender. If using a Dutch Oven you don't need to transfer, but if you aren't cooking this in a Dutch Oven, transfer the meat mixture to a crock pot, stock pot, or slow cooker if desired.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings and stir together.
Add remaining ingredients, stir together, and simmer covered over low heat for 3 hours. If you want a thicker chili, cook uncovered for some of the moisture to evaporate.
Ladle chili into bowls, sprinkle with desired chili toppings, and serve.