Who doesn’t love chili? And what hunter doesn’t love venison chili? This is my version of this classic dish. Chili has endless variations: Beans or no beans? Ground meat or chunks? Or no meat at all? Tomato products or no tomato products? Add coffee? Chocolate? Cinnamon?
In fact, so far as I can tell, the only things that really must be in chili to make it chili are red peppers of some sort, cumin, and onions. (Yes, there are vegetarian chiles out there.)
My version of venison chili hinges on ground deer meat, but I’ve made it with all kinds of meats, even ground turkey and goose. You can use any meat here. I’ve done it with diced venison or other meat and it’s good, too. Just don’t do large chunks; the texture of the chili will be off.
I find that the chorizo, which is kinda runny, is a perfect start to the chili, as it’s often very fatty. Bacon works great, too.Â
What makes my chili unique is the amount of dried chiles I use. I will typically use 12 to 16 dried chiles of all sorts, reconstituted and then pureed with a cup of weak coffee to make the backbone of the dish. Any variety of these chiles works, but remember that anchos are mild and guajillos are a bit hotter. None are really hot.
Don’t get all hung up on an exact combination of dried Mexican chiles. My advice is to use at least 3 or 4 kinds of chiles, and most of them should be mild. I like a mix of ancho, chipotle, guajillo, chile negro, chile mulato, cascabel, New Mexican and pasilla chiles. As you get to know these chiles — some are smoky, some hot, some sweet — you can adjust the mix to your taste.
This recipe has been a backbone of my game cooking for many years, and I’ve tinkered with it all this time. It has won numerous chili cookoffs and, may well be the best chili you’ve ever eaten.
I like beans in my chili, but you can skip if you feel strongly about it — talkin’ to you, Texans! You can also use canned beans, and if you are, add them towards the end of cooking. Be sure to rinse the canned beans before adding to remove some of the starchy liquid they’re canned in.Â
Once made, it will keep for a week in the fridge, and, if you skip the beans, it freezes well. Or, you can pressure can it in pints for 75 minutes at 10 psi (higher if you live at altitude). Check here for the food safety rules for pressure canned chili.
Doubt me? Make it. You’ll see.
Venison Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound pinto or black beans (optional)
- 12-16 dried ancho, guajillo, pasilla, or mulato chiles (use a mix of varieties)
- 1/2 pound Mexican chorizo or bacon
- 2-3 pounds venison, ground or diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6 cloves to 8 garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sweet or smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon chipotle powder (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup of black coffee
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- quart Beef or venison broth
- Salt to taste
- Cilantro and shredded cheese to garnish
Instructions
- Soak beans in water overnight. If you have forgotten this, pour boiling water over them and soak for 4 hours, changing the water after 2 hours.
- Break up and seed the chiles and cover with boiling water. Let stand for an hour or so. Grind to a puree with the consistency of gravy, adding about 1 cup of the soaking water and the coffee to do so.
- Break up the chorizo or chop bacon and fry over medium heat in a Dutch oven or other large, lidded, oven-proof pot. Once the chorizo has browned or the bacon is crispy, remove it and set aside. Add the venison and brown over high heat. You want the highest heat on your most powerful burner here, because the meat will want to steam and stew and not brown. If you are doing a big pot of chili, brown the meat in batches. Stir occasionally as it browns. Salt it as it cooks.
- Once all the meat is ready, add the onion to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. If you are using chorizo, return it to the pot; if you are using bacon, leave it out for now. Add the garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans, paprika, cumin, coriander, chipotle powder and salt one at a time, stirring to combine each time.
- Add chile puree and tomato paste and stir to combine well. Add the molasses and enough beef broth to cover everything – you want it to be thin like a soup. I typically need at least a pint of broth, sometimes a quart. Stir to combine all this well, bring to a bare simmer and cook gently for 3 hours or so, stirring occasionally. Put the lid halfway over the pot as it cooks. You want it to eventually cook down and be thick.
- Once the beans are tender, you're good to go. If you are using canned beans, now's the time to add them. Return the bacon to the chili if you're using it. Serve the chili with rice or cornbread, and top with cilantro, cheese and maybe some pickled onions.
I haven’t made another chile for quite awhile now. Really the only reason I have molasses in the pantry, I should probably find some other recipes for it.
Great recipe! Adding pickled onions when serving was a great suggestion/addition.
Fantastic!, Chorizo and a ground venison. I used all four peppers recommended and a sumatra coffee. My first experience with venison and this recipe will be a staple going forward, thanks Hank.
question: wanting to make this chili, but reading thru the recipe…. do you puree the 1 cup of soaking water AND the coffee beans, or just the water, with the dried chiles?
thanks for any help
Joseph: There is no coffee beans. Just leftover coffee. And I generally go full on coffee + chiles to puree because the soaking water can get a little bitter, more bitter even than coffee. But others use the soaking water. Your call.
Hank,
This has become my go-to chili recipe. I think it’s great for all kinds of meat. This turned out to be a perfect way to cook up a days worth of dove hunting last season and has become my favorite way to enjoy the bounty. Thanks for the recipe and stay safe during this craziness.
Hi Hank, limited on supplies at the moment.. you know.. quarantine and all. What do you think about substituting mushroom broth in place of beef broth?
Katrina: Go for it. I can almost guarantee it will be good!
Getting ready to make this chili 🙂 I wonder if doing it in a crock pot would turn out the same? I plan to do a really large amount in a 22 quart crock. Would you do most everything the same or change something?
Ryan: You can’t brown meat in a crockpot, but you certainly can simmer it all day in one.
Hi Hank! Headed to a chili cook off tomorrow with my Husbands venison. Unfortunately, I am down to ground breakfast sausage and ground Italian sausage. I was thinking of using Mexican chorizo and ground breakfast sausage? Do you have any suggestions? Oh and black beans? I do have a few venison roast at the bottom of the freezer.
Thank you
Sarah: I’d use the ground Italian sausage.
Love this chili recipe. There is so much depth of flavor without being hot/spicy just to be spicy. Soo good!
Would ground venison that is already seasoned with Cajun spices work well in this recipe?
Jessica: I mean, yes, but it is a different flavor. Hard to adjust all the other spices based off that.
Best chili recipe, ever!
This has become my go to chili recipe. Plenty of flavor without being too spicy for our friends who can’t take the heat. I usually use pinto beans, and diced venison.
Great recipe, tasty and not too difficult. Chorizo and a smoked/cubed venison sirloin. I used all four peppers listed and added a tsp of jalapeño powder. Another great one Hank!
Love this recipe! We’ve made it many times now with various combinations of meats. We have found that we really like throwing in chunks of stew meat in addition to the ground meats. It also won the chili cook off contest in my office, and we have a bunch of veeeery picky Texans! Thank you for sharing! Note for anyone wondering: This can be done in a Crock-Pot, but you’ll probably need a lot less liquid. I also partly-cooked the meat first and just used the Crock-Pot for the simmering everything and cooking the beans. The Dutch oven is superior, but sometimes a Crock-Pot is more convenient 🙂
Tasty and suits me
I made this off the cuff but following the ingredients loosely.
I used 1.8# elk shank, 1.25# of elk grind, 1/2 # of bacon and mixed pintos and black beans.
I also used frozen fire roasted green chilies instead of the Dried chilies.
The coffee base is fantastic, the cilantro garnish completes it.
The shank meat was added after slow cooking and cutting most of the tendons out. Finely cut it added to the texture of the chilly as a whole. I can see why chorizo is a recommendation.
Best venison chili recipe I’ve ever made
Thank you for sharing
Fantastic chili! Love the addition of coffee and molasses.
I love the addition of the Mexican chorizo. I used my Chile base sauce which contains a mix of three different Chile’s plus my ground ancho Chile powder. Great recipe!
This was my first attempt at a Chili recipe. I cannot express in words how AMAZING this is!! I followed your recipe exactly and will never try anything else as this is literally Perfect!!
I’m always looking for new ways to cook my wild game and after trying this one recipe I want your book!
Thank you so much for sharing such an incredible recipe!!!!
I cut my ground venison w/pork fatback before I package and freeze. About 85/15 %. Would you still add the chorizo if this is the venison you had?
Rick: Yes. I like chorizo.
This is by far the best chili recipe I have come across and my new go to for our Christmas Eve chili tradition!
Lovely recipe that I use all the time now. Genius adding coffee to the meat! Would recommend 🙂
Made this today for dinner tonight. This is good stuff. Line cook approved. ?????
Is it still good if you don’t serve it with rice or anything and just eat it like chilly
Soul: Of course.
I made this Saturday and kept to the recipe using venison and some chipotle bacon (Al’s grocery in the little town of Westby MT makes the BEST bacon!!). The recipe turned out very nice indeed! The family enjoyed it and that’s what counts. Perfect medicine for a typical cold/rainy/snowy/windy Montana ‘throw the kitchen sink at ya’ spring weekend. It will go in my repertoire of now 3 go to chili/chile recipes!
Hank, Wow! I took this to a potluck last night. It was a big hit and, even though I’m not a great chili lover, I am now a huge fan of THIS chili. I didn’t have the chiles so I did have to substitute tomatoes w/green chiles. Everything else was the same, and next time, I’m going for the dried chiles. Can’t wait for supper tonight to have leftovers!
Pure awesomeness; this recipe never disappoints. My wife & children love it too. Have shared with friends & they get the same results. Thanks!
Dude! This is my second time making this chili and it is hands down some of the best chili I have had. No beans for this Texan ? From my family to yours, thank you!
This is hands down the best chili recipe I’ve ever made. My husband and I have tried dozens of recipes for venison chili and now I feel I don’t have to search any more. I can’t recommend this enough, and the sheer volume, diversity and preparation methods for the chilis make the dish. Thank you for sharing what will certainly be an heirloom recipe in our house. Forgot to rate it the first time, so wanted to post this to be sure it gets credit.
Just tried this for the first time, wow! Used two pounds of ground venison and a pound of venison stew chunks cut into smaller bite-sized pieces along with Mexican chorizo and black beans. For the sauce, combined three each of guajillo, poblano, pasillo, mulato and chipotle peppers with the coffee; just enough kick to keep chile heads interested without injuring others with a tender palate like my wife. I have used a chipotle, black bean recipe for venison over the years but it is a distant third to your recipe. This is the solution for anyone with mounds of frozen ground venison. Thank you for another magical game recipe.
I won a chili cook off with this recipe!
A friend has an annual blind-tasting chili cook off at his house, and there were about 15 entries, and this recipe won me way more votes than the next runner-up. I think the blend of coffee and rehydrated chilis gives this chili a very unique and good flavor. People loved it! I highly recommend this recipe, I have used it a couple of times, and tried a few different black bean/kidney bean combos.
If you happen to be in St. Paul, Minnesota, go buy your chiles at El Burrito Mercado at 175 Cesar Chavez St. They have the best selection and incredibly low prices, compared to what other grocery stores charge for them. And get some tamales for lunch, of course.
Jason: Ha! That’s exactly where I bought my chiles when I lived in St. Paul!
“Best damn chili I have ever eaten” per my husband.
I can see why the recipe wins awards. The whole family LOVED it.
I won an office chili cookoff with this recipe – thank you for sharing!!
Do you have an instant pot version of this recipe?
Nicole: No. I don’t use an instant pot.
Thank you for this recipe. I bought ground venison by mistake (long, weird story) and needed to find a use for it. This was delicious! I did not have quite enough venison and chorizo, so I cut down on all the other ingredients except the pepper puree, for some reason. Brain blip, I guess. Do you have any other suggestions for how I can use the remaining pepper puree? I have about half to three quarters cup left over.
Outstanding! Made with elk. This is what Chili should taste like. Definitely get that pan steaming hot to brown the meat!
It’s not too spicy just a great kick.
I’ve made chili for years, never the same way twice. I had another recipe ready to go, but saw this one. It intrigued me, so I dove in with both feet. OMG it was the absolute best chili I’ve ever made. I’ve got another batch of chilis soaking right now for the next batch. Will make some to enjoy tonight and some to freeze for later. Thank you.
This is by far the BEST chili I’ve ever made! My boyfriend, who is an avid hunter, loves it. I’m making this recipe tomorrow for a work food day – and I’m positive it won’t last long.
Well done Hank, well done!
Best chili I’ve ever made! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I made a double batch exactly how the recipe says for a party and it was delicious. Thanks.
For everybody trying this recipe: Do not add 1 cup of coffee grounds to the chili. Just 1 cup of already made coffee.
Joshua: HAHAHAAHA! OH NO! Yeah, that’d be a bad mistake.
I developed my recipe years ago. It has gotten less spicy as the years go by. It barely counts as chili because my stomach can’t take the spice anymore.
We butcher ourselves. After dealing with the chops, the rest goes into three basic piles: steaks, Swiss steak, chili.
Steaks are chunks thick enough to grill nicely. Usually packaged in twos or threes. Swiss steak is for the lower legs. Between the pounding and the long cooking, the silver skin and tendons melt away.
Everything else is chili. I don’t cut it up until I use it because I might want to make stew instead.
I’ll put the chili recipe in another comment in case you want to delete it.
Seriously awesome recipe! Made it for my chili competition tomorrow, let’s see if everyone likes it as much as I do!
Hi there! Love the chili; do you know how many calories are in each serving?
Katherine: Nope, sorry.
I’m not a big fan of sweetness in my chili. Has anyone tried cutting back on the molasses or omitting it? Or does the molasses blend in with the other flavors?
Just asking around before I go rogue. I would hate to ruin this recipe!
Devon: There’s not much sweetness in there, and it’s only a little molasses. But if you are concerned, skip it.
Loved it! And I will definitely enjoy it again. Unfortunatelty, I could not find the proper dried chiles at my local grocery store, and was left with only some of the very (and I mean very) hot kind. I did cut the number way back, but wow! Still, quite tasty, and I can’t wait to special order in the dried chilis that I need. Love your wild game kitchen sense. Best!
Best chili recipe ever! Used this at a chili cook-off and walked away with the first place trophy in 2 categories.
I didn’t have everything exactly. I used Jalapenos and Serrano! It turned out absolutely amazing. Even second day out of a microwave for lunch. Wow. Definitely going to try this recipe to a tee next round.
I usually make my chili with chopped chuck roast. Gives a really good texture when it cooks down. Any reason this recipe needs ground or could I try it with some chopped venison roast? I don’t really cook any stews or anything so I’m not sure if venison will cook down the same way. I assume it would.
Blake: No reason at all! Use the chopped chuck.
I want to make this chili! Any suggestions on what part of grocery store I can find dried chili’s? What kind of packaging do they come in? Thanks!
Jena: Check the “Hispanic Aisle.” They will be in clear plastic bags near the Mexican spices and tortillas.
Do you drain bacon grease before adding venison?
K: Rarely. If the venison is super lean I won’t, but if it has pork ground in it I will.
sounds yummy. gonna try it. Work is having a chili cookoff. If I prepare the night before and want to bring it in to eat at 2pm the next day, should I put it in a crockpot on low?
any other suggestions for the “next day”?
Larry: I’d do the overnight thing.
when does the coffee get added?? I didnt see it anywhere in the 1-6 steps..
Any info would be great .. i cant wait to make this tomorrow!!
Thanks Hank!
Nick: It helps you puree the chiles.
Made this chili a couple days ago, delicious! Used a combination of ancho, amarillo, and mulato chiles. With a 3 and 5 year old in the house, we needed it to be rather mild. It was perfect! Thank you, this will be my go-to chili recipe!
Hands down my favorite chili recipe ever! The flavors combine so well together, with the dried chiles and coffee – yum.
Best. Chili. Ever.
This is the best chile I’ve ever had.
Made your chili tonight with ground venison. Tweaked the recipe a bit to add more tomato paste, removed the beans and used beef stock instead of broth. Made a wonderful gravy with the chilis you suggested plus 1 hatch chili, which gave it the right amount of heat. The end result was a wonderful venison chili! Thank you for posting your recipe Hank. It has now found a home in my catalog of favorite recipes.
Can you accomplish this in a crockpot? If so do I just add everything at once ?
Brian: Sorta. You need to brown the meats and onions first, then it can all go into a crockpot.
So I am new to this cooking stuff. I don’t like very hot stuff. Actually I prefer things a bit sweeter. What would you recommend for chiles?
Scott: Anchos. They are mild and are slightly raisiny sweet.
I am looking forward to cooking this recipe! Absolutely everything I have cooked created by Hank, has been exceptional!
Hank, question regarding the coffee. Weak coffee to you is what? I feel that this element plays an important role .
Glenn: I just use regular coffee I’d drink.
Have you done this recipe in a slow cooker? If so, how would you go about it?
John: No, I haven’t done it in a slow cooker.
Is that 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste? What volume does this recipe yield? I am cooking for about 20 and need to know what size pot to start with.
Ian: As it states, this recipe feeds 10. Yes, it’s 2-3 Tbsp of tomato paste.
Should I cook the deer and chorizo thoroughly before adding to the chile pot or is it a quick browning?
Russ: Quick browning only. It’ll cook through in the chili.
Hi Hank it’s Oggie! Recommended this recipe to a friend today. Love it! Keep killing it out there Hank!
I assume I should drain off the chili soaking water?
Claire: I use it. But if you are worried about it being spicy, toss it.
Hank, As Joe asked above… The instruction say “4 ea….” peppers. I’m unsure if that means 4 peppers total in the recipe, or 4 of each kind of pepper… meaning when you recommend to use 4 varieties would be 16 total peppers.
Thanks
Ryan: Use 12-16 total peppers.
I’ve used this recipe twice now with slight variations in meat and peppers. It’s slightly time intensive, but well worth the wait. Prepare the pepper gravy a day or two in advance and your family will savor the amazing flavors. Use your Instant Pot to slow cook the recipe . Mmmmmm!
I’m unclear on the total number of chiles to use. 4 of each and how many varieties?
Joe: Whatever you want. The variety isn’t set in stone. I’ve done it will all of one variety, too.
Thanks! Texan here using beans in chili for the first time. Turned out delicious!
I would like to try this recipe, but I have one question. Do you include the bean soak water when you add the beans?
Darrell: No, you don’t.
This chili rocks!
We made it for a company chili cook off and WON! Its little involved with the chilies and ingredients but the pay off is worth it.
Fantastic recipe. I had to modify a few things to make it work from my pantry. Regardless, the kids and adults cleaned their plates after having seconds!! Trust me, that says a lot.
I just pulled this off of my Big Green Egg and this is KILLER! I split the difference and used bacon and chorizo and put about 20 chilies (a few of each) in it. The hint of added smoke from cooking it for 3-4 hours on the grill (covered in a dutch oven for 3/4 of the time) gave it a nice complexity with that coffee and chili flavor. I used Axis deer meat. Will definitely be doing this again! Don’t be afraid of the chilies, y’all.
Served with cornbread and smoked Gouda cheese.
I made this last year and again today. Pretty much by the books, but I also added meat I got from the bones after making the venison stock. I also roasted some poblano peppers and added the flesh after removing the flesh and seeds. My kids and I love this recipe!
Excellent recipe. I pretty much followed it other than using canned rather than dried beans, antelope rather than venison, and I added diced tomatoes. I used chorizo instead of bacon, pinto beans instead of black, and ancho, chipotle, and pasilla peppers. Should be good vegetarian (veg stock) or with any other type of ground meat.
My family doesn’t like spicy yet (young kids) should I cut peppers quantity in half?
Corey: Hmmmm…. this recipe hinges on chiles, so I would make it with just anchos — they’re the mildest of all of the chiles I mention in the ingredients.
Thank you sir!
Hank,
Do you drain the bacon or chorizo fat or leave it? Thanks!
Michael: I leave it, unless there is a huge amount. I like a little fat in my chili.
Good recipe! I made it today. I love the flavor the varied dried chilies give to this dish.
Surely you meant two TEASPOONS of salt? I used two tablespoons per the recipe (along with almost 4 pounds of meat) and even my saltaholic wife can’t get past the saltiness.
I’m assuming this was a typo because I am a huge fan of your recipes.
Solomon: Ack!! Yes, a typo. Fixed it. Really sorry about that.
Made this for a chili cook-off at work. Unfortunately my Chili was not ready in time for the tasting, so I was disqualified. Served it afterwards, when it was ready, and everyone agreed that it would have won, hands down. I used Firestone Double Barrel Ale in place of the coffee and cut bacon into little cubes from a block.
Literally the best chili I have ever eaten. Thank you so much for sharing. I love leaning new ways to cook the deer I harvest.
I’m making this chili, for a cook-off next weekend. Made a trial batch today, with ground venison. I thoroughly enjoy the flavor of this chili, and believe we’ll take home the trophy.
The recipe call for 4each of 6 different chilis, but there is an or in there. Are we really to use 24 chilis?
Joan: It’s up to you. That part of the recipe is variable depending on how hot you want it, and what chiles you have on hand.
Damn fine chili. Reminds me of the elk chili served at the North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge. God bless you for sharing.
Is it a total of 4 chiles all together? Or, 4 chiles representing each type with a recommended 6 types, totalling 24 chiles? 24 seems a bit much. Please clarify
William: It’s 4 total, but you can use up to 8. And most of those chiles are not very hot, just so you know…
Hank,
I added a half chipotle pepper to the puree. Should I still add the Chipotle powder or will it turn my chili into an epic fail? I’m currently in the process of making it today. Also, molasses doesn’t seem to be readily available here in San Diego, as a result, I’m having to use pure maple syrup. Thanks again for doing what you do, Hank.
-JW
JW: It is all up to your heat tolerance.
Hank,
I made this Chili a couple of months ago and my kids loved it. It tasted even better the next day on some Italian bread. My kids have been begging me to make it again. I have one question: What do you mean by black coffee? Last time I used a cup of Maxwell House. Should I use espresso instead?
Joe: It’s just coffee with no cream. Any brand will do.
Hank,
You’ve made a huge mistake.
I made this recipe last night. It’s wonderfully rich, silky sweet and with my personal touch of four Morita chili’s, it’s intoxicating smokey. Now back to my first point; brief statement regarding the mistake. Your fame has won our everlasting one-sided friendship; of which, the specific word and definition for this distant love escapes me. We’ll be watching, Hank; from afar; distant; studying your habits; moves. We’ll harvest your teachings, aim to improve our lives; toast our meals, sing songs and praises to Hank the educated, Hank the hunter gatherer; writer; and best friend from afar. We’ll be watching.
P.S. Celery seed; a secret we will not share. Bless you for sharing with us.
Tay & John
Hank,
Since I need to buy the chilies online I’m going to stick with the first three. How many of each of those do you recommend?
Made this on Saturday to eat during the game yesterday and Hank is on the money. This is the best chili I’ve ever eaten. I used ground venison but am looking forward to the next batch with some Newfoundland moose I recently received from my neighbor.
One shortcut that may help some folks is that I used an immersion blender for the soaked peppers rather than pulling out the real blender and it worked just fine.
You provide six different chiles. Would you suggest using all of them if all are available? Or, if you have to choose, which are your preferred chilis?
Gina: The first three.
does this keep well? if I fix it on day 1, refrigerate it for a day and then eat it the 3rd day — will it be okay?
Mary: Absolutely.
Hank,
Could maple syrup (the good, pure kind) be substituted for the molasses? The only reason being is that I have some maple syrup but not molasses on hand.
Thanks!
Craig: Yep. It will work just fine.
Have you ever added stout beer to this chili? Not sure if it would be too much with the molasses in it.
Hey Hank,
My wife and I love the older version of this recipe with pork sausage, but I see that the old link (from 05/10/2011) redirects here. Any chance you could post the old one somewhere or send it via email… or have you completely disavowed it? 😉
Thanks!
I have disavowed it, but just sub in the pork sausage from the old recipe for the chorizo in this one. Basically they are the same recipes, other than that.
Hank,
Does the ground venison typically contain any added fat? Or are you simply using 100% ground venison since it’s a chili?
Thanks!
Jordan: Mine always has added fat, but this is one instance where you can use 100 percent ground venison.
Hey Hank,
If using canned beans, do they need to be soaked overnight?
Thanks
Adam
Adam: Nope.
For anyone looking to use up leftover turkey next week – I used the pepper combo suggested with as much of the method as possible, but didn’t brown the meat and just included turkey skin instead of bacon.
It was awesome – chopped up the dark meat and skin really finely, added it after everything, and my wife and I could not stop eating it.
Really amazing recipe. The turkey was just a test, can’t wait to try it full on with the venison I’ve been saving.
Andrew, I use ground elk and venison interchangeably, occassionally ground beef or boar, depending on what’s in the freezer, and over the course of several years and dozens of batches I have never noticed such sweetness. Maybe something else was going on with your batch?
Not a comment on this recipe per se, but a question about game meat in chili and similar dishes in general. Several years ago I used ground elk in a chili recipe. Identical to a chili recipe we do several times per year except we used ground elk instead of beef. The chili had a very distinct sweetness to it with the elk that it never has with beef. We tried several things to dial out some of that sweetness to no avail. It was sweet to the point it was basically inedible.
What would be the cause of that, and what do I need to do to prevent it next time?
Looking forward to trying this recipe.
Hank, I just have to say thanks again. Because of great recipes like this, my wife has gone from hardly even liking red meat to eating all the great stuff I bring home from hunting. Between you and Steve Rinella, her whole outlook on food has changed, keep it up! I’m looking forward to getting Buck, Buck, Moose in my mailbox in a few months!
I love your recipe. Although I’m not a huge fan of chili but this dishes is really delicious! Thanks for sharing
For a smoother chile puree, put the blendered puree through a food mill to get rid of the skins. It’s the skins that can cause indigestion.
Teresa: That’s a good idea if you have a weak blender. I use a Vitamix and it takes care of the skins quite well.
Hank. Do you have a suggestion for a good source of dried chilies?
Zach: Any Latin market, most big supermarkets in the “Hispanic” section, Trader Joe’s, World Market, or, if all else fails, Amazon.
Great recipe for that misnamed chili powder and cumin-based stew so popular in much of the US, but it ain’t chili once you throw beans in there…
Nick: Clearly you are a Texan. Everyone else puts beans in their chili. 😉
This recipe is also awesome with Duck Breasts substituted for the venison. I save all my diver breast meat (I breast out the divers that have the dreaded orange fishy fat, if the fat is white they get plucked)and when I have 10-15 breasts I make this chili recipe. The only variance is that I simmer everything in a BBQ over low fire using Oak or Hickory to give the chili that smoky flavor for 1 hour before putting the lid on the Dutch oven. Everyone that has tried it, even the non-duck eaters, all love it. Thanks for the recipe.
Don – the best dried chiles are still pliable and will not break when bent. These types would not grind well unless you dried them out further. Using Hank’s method in my opinion gives you a much fresher tasting chili. I’ve done both methods and I’ve been making chilis out of dried pods for several years now and I’ve won some awards also. Pick different types of chilis – find a taste you like.
Great looking recipe! Interesting addition of coffee and molasses.
I use my standard chili recipe which is pretty similar and just change up the meat. “Bambi and Bullwinkle Chili” is hard to beat!
Sorry, I meant to include a question in my previous comment: Does the puree vs rub have any distinct culinary effect?
I make a dish somewhere in-between this and your Chile Colorado but instead of pureeing the chiles with coffee or stock I seed them and grind them in a coffee grinder-turned-spice-mill then make a dry rub with salt and oregano. Likely wouldn’t work on the tiny pieces of meat suggested here but the larger Colorado-style chunks it works beautifully.