Hearty Venison Chili Recipe

This time of year, nothing warms my family up like a good bowl of chili. As wife to an avid hunter, Ryan, I

have learned to use venison to make dishes that are both delicious and healthful. A champion of good nutrition, I feel good about eating wholesome venison. It’s leaner than beef, and because it’s a product of my husband’s hunts, I know that it’s 100 percent free-range and organic.

I use ground venison in the same way that I would use ground beef. For this particular batch of chili, I decided to save myself a little effort and cooked it in my slow cooker. Yes, you heard me right — I cook ground meat in a slow cooker, and you can too! There’s no need to brown the meat beforehand to drain the fat. The slight amount of fat that lean venison does contain will help keep the meat moist.

Venison Chili Recipe

Ground venison
Tomato puree from garden tomatoes
Onion, chopped
Garden bell pepper, diced
12 oz cooked chili beans
1 bulb garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste

To prepare my crock-pot chili, I simply take ground venison that has completely thawed in the refrigerator and give it a good rinsing. Then, I place garden-tomato puree in the base of the slow cooker to give the meat a nice liquid to cook in. I put the meat on top of the puree and make sure that I use a fork to mash up the meat and separate it—if I don’t, it would cook up in a big mass. Next, I add chopped onion, diced garden peppers, 12 ounces of cooked chili beans, and a bit of homemade salsa for a kick. Chili seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic, and a hint of cinnamon complete the recipe.