Venison Chili

So it seems like Charleston skipped right over fall, and now all of the sudden its winter! I know warmer weather is on its way, but this weekend was too cold for my liking. Friends in Greenville, Columbia and NC got snow- on November 1st! Anyway, the colder weather has me (and probably many of you) craving chili. Luckily, we had one package of ground venison left in the freezer, so I thawed it out and made some venison chili- yum!

Now there are about a billion different ways to make chili- including variations on the original with many different ingredients. Today, I stuck close to the classic chili, but there are a few things I do differently. For one, I use venison instead of ground beef. There is something so right about venison  in chili.

Ingredients

I use a can of kidney beans as well as black and pinto beans. The green peppers and jalapeños are a must. I also add hot sauce to taste at the end.

Dicing the garlic and onion- as you can see I like a thick diced onion to help make the chili "chunkier"

Don't you drink beer while making chili :)

Bacon!

Sautéing the onion, jalapeño, garlic and onion in the left over bacon grease

Set bacon to the side

Rinsing the beans in water

Chopped bacon

Tomatoes and beans in the crock pot

Add the spices to the sautéed mixture prior to placing ingredients in the crock pot 

The venison- I add yellow mustard and soy sauce to
take some of the "gamey taste" out of it

Strain the venison as some water will accumulate from cooking it

Once everything is in the crockpot- taste it and add more spices and hot sauce as needed

Ingredients

2 green peppers, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 yellow onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
2 strips of bacon
3- 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
Salt (I use Garlic salt) + Black pepper

Package of ground venison (or beef/turkey etc)
~About 1 1/2 - 2 pounds

Directions

1. Put 3 cans of crushed tomatoes in the crock pot.

2. Pour beans into a strainer and rinse thoroughly with water. Add to the crock pot and turn it on low.

3. Fry bacon in a cast iron skillet and then set aside, leaving the bacon grease in the skillet.

4. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño and green peppers to the skillet with the bacon grease and sauté for 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent.

5. Add the chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and cumin. Stir the vegetables mixing in the spices evenly and allow to simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add this mixture to the crock pot.

6. Chop up the bacon and add to the crock pot.

7. In the same skillet, cook your meat until it is no longer pink. Strain the water from the venison that results from cooking it. Then, add the venison to the crockpot.

8. Stir all ingredients together in the crock pot, give it a taste and add more heat/salt/pepper as you see fit. I like to go a little "lighter" on seasonings on the front end, because you can always add more at the end.

I added about 1 tsp of garlic salt and chili powder and several dashes of hot sauce.
Feel free to add other ingredients- I add fresh roasted corn whenever it is in season!

Make sure the chili sits in the crock pot for at least two hours (on low) to allow all of the flavors to meld.

This serves about 8 people.

Enjoy- And don't forget your cheddar cheese and other toppings of preference!

What are your favorite ways to make chili??