Hattie''s Venison Chili Con Carne
Submitted by Tyson
Texas-style venison chili con carne with no beans, loaded with cumin, paprika, oregano, and pure chili powder. Lean, bold, and freezer-friendly wild game chili.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThis is purist chili, Texas-style. No beans, no tomatoes, just cubed venison simmered in stock with a serious spice blend. Hattie’s recipe calls for pure chili powder (ground dried chilies only, not the commercial blends that sneak in salt and filler), and that makes all the difference in depth and heat.
Ten cloves of garlic, generous cumin, paprika, oregano, and cayenne build layers of flavor around the lean venison. The meat gets browned in batches in a cast iron skillet before joining softened onions and stock in a heavy pot for a long, slow simmer.
Because venison is so lean, this chili won’t throw off much fat, but Hattie recommends an overnight chill and defat anyway. That extra day also lets the spices bloom and meld. Reheat the next day and the chili tastes twice as good.
Chef Tips
- Brown the meat in small batches. Crowding the skillet steams the venison instead of searing it, and you lose all that flavor from browning.
- Crush the oregano between your palms before adding. This breaks the dried leaves and releases their oils immediately.
- Use pure ground chili powder from a bulk bin, not seasoned blends. You control the salt and spice levels yourself.
- Thicken with a masa or fine cornmeal slurry if you like, but cook at least 20 more minutes after adding or it tastes pasty.
Variations
- Use elk or bison for a different wild game flavor with similar leanness.
- Add fresh chili peppers (3 to 4) if you want real fire. Hattie suggests saving the venison for milder batches.
- Serve over rice with coleslaw on the side for a classic pairing.
Ingredients
Directions
using meat, cube it, and brown in batches in olive oil (about 2 Tbsp) in a large ski llet ( I prefer a ten-inch cast iron skillet - not Caphalon!!).
If using venis on burger, just brown it.
Drain the meat. 2. In a three to four quart heavy po teaspoon (mine is a Le Creuset that I bought at the Salvation Army in Santa Cruz, CA), heat one tablespoon of olive oil and sauté, two large onions which have been sliced.
- When the onions are limp, but not yellow (don’t overcook them, have been mashed and minced.
When the garlic scents up, add the meat.
Add one quart of homemade chicken or beef stock.
If you don''t have your own stock, try Campbell’s low- sodium chicken s tock.
Add the spices. Crush the oregano in your hand before adding.
Brin g to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for at 6. Even thou! ! ! gh venison is very lean, the chili should be defatted. I do this by letting it cool and then refrigerating the chili overnight. The next day, I remove the f at. Notes 1. The amount of seasoning will make a sprightly but not incendia ry chili. If you’re going for the burn, use beef (why waste venison?) and add three to four fresh chili peppers.
Chili powder can be purchased in bulk at most alternative grocers. The chili powder is made from only ground up chilies . Don’t use commercial mixes, which include spices and salt which take all the fun out of it.
To serve, reheat. Some like to thicken the chili with masa or fine corn meal. To do this, mix some about ¼ cup fine corn meal with enou gh water to make a thin paste (no more than one cup of water). Add this quickl y to the chili as it simmers, stir like crazy, or you may get lumps. If you u se the masa, be sure to cook the chili for at least another 20 minutes or so, o r it may taste pasty.
Serve it up in bow! ! ! ls with rice, beans, bread or whatever on the side. Coleslaw would be the only salad I’d serve with this.
It freezes beautifully.
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