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Hearty Venison Chili Hunter J’s Original Spicy Award-Winning Recipe

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Hearty Venison Chili is a dish that’s pure comfort in a bowl. It’s thick and satisfying with just the perfect blend of cumin, chili, herbs, and spicy heat. Your taste buds will stand up, take notice, and thank you for every spoonful.

Two brown glazed bowls of Hearty Venison Chili with shredded cheddar cheese on top and a sprinkling of green onions scattered over the cheese. Red bandanas under the bowls and a black wrought iron container holds red and yellow miniature peppers in the background.

Chili con Carne A Rich History

Chili with meat is a single pot stew that epitomizes campfire cooking. The stew has been around for centuries. In fact, the stew’s long, rich history includes a bit of mystery. The story tells of a mystic Lady in Blue, Sister María de Ágreda.

She never left her home country of Spain but, in 1629, 50 Jumano Indians said she appeared to them in the wilds of West Texas. It was the Lady in Blue who taught them how to make a fiery red stew. Now that stew must have contained some pretty potent peppers!!

Big cast iron pot over an open fire with Hearty Venison Chili is a modern creation from the Chili con Carne at a campfire.

Then came the Spanish priests who didn’t appreciate the potent stew. They called it “soup of the devil” and preached sermons against eating it. Was the soup devilishly good or devilishly powerful? I don’t believe the Texans agreed with the Padres; they continued to make the stew.  By the end of the Civil War, chili joints opened up all over the country.

Hearty Venison Chili Blueprint

Anyone can create a delicious pot of hearty venison chili. Just three things are necessary for it to be chili: a ragu of meat, hot chili peppers, and cumin.

The rest of the ingredients you add build layers of flavors to the dish. Once you have the blueprint for Hearty Venison Chili, you can create your recipe.

Hearty Venison Chili has lots of variations. Mexican Chili con carne is one of them.

Now, chili is not the type of dish that uses precise measurements. Hunter J gave me the ballpark amounts he uses.

The following is what makes a mouth-watering Hearty Venison Stew:

  • A large wooden spoon and a big pot.
  • Protein: a combination of venison and sausage. You may mix and match with other meats.
  • Aromatic Vegetables: this builds flavor. Onion is important as well as garlic. Add chili peppers, and variety is nice. Don’t forget, the smaller the chili, the more potent it is.
  • Spices and Seasonings: Cumin is the most important here. Ancho chili is great with the cumin, but you can add your favorite chili powder. Dried oregano, thyme, bay leaves, are a nice addition.
  • Liquids: beef broth, chicken broth, water, even beer.
  • Tomatoes: this is a good way to add flavor. Use sauce, paste, chopped tomatoes, even Ro-tel tomatoes (our favorite).
  • Other additions: we like to add beans as well as some small pasta when serving. That’s just our preference.

Hearty Venison Chili is slow-cooked and full of flavor in a large red Dutch oven. Chunks of meat, beans and pasta are in the large pot.

Putting the Hearty Venison Chili Together

This type of stew builds its flavor in stages:

  • In Dutch oven sear the meat until brown and fragrant. Don’t overcrowd. Remove meat.
  • Add the aromatics and sweat the vegetables until soft. Put the meat back into the pot.
  • Add the spices you want. You can add more later if needed.
  • Add the tomatoes and or sauce you want to use.
  • Add the cooking liquids.
  • Cook until the meat is tender and you have the thickness you desire. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Two brown glazed bowls filled with hearty venison chili that's topped with shredded yellow cheese and green onion rings. Small white bowl of green onions in background.

That’s all there is to it. Easy, right? Just think, chili began as a hearty dish on the Western frontier and its now become a stew everyone wants to master and make as their own. We hope you give Hunter J’s recipe a try. Serve it with some of our crusty rolls. You won’t regret it!!

If you like spicy recipes you might enjoy

Spicy Beef Enchiladas with Cornmeal Crepes

Spicy Baked Venison Meatballs

Crispy Fried Chicken Golden Brown With Spicy Tang

The recipes aren’t mouth burning hot, just pleasantly spicy

.

Tutti a tavola è pronto! 

Un caro saluto e alla prossima.

Two bowls of hearty venison chili in brown glazed bowls atop of red bandanas. Shredded yellow cheese and green onion circles top the chili. Red and yellow miniature peppers in a wrought iron container in background.

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Hearty Venison Chili is a spicy flavorful stew that is slow-cooked to draw out all of the flavors.


Hearty venison chili is spicy and full of flavor. Slow cooked so that all of the flavors meld together beautifully.

Hearty Venison Chili Hunter J’s Original Spicy Award-Winning Recipe

A hearty stew made up of ground venison meat and sausage with a delightful combination of herbs and spices. The meat is slow cooked and full of flavor. The balance and flavors are mouth watering good and you can control the heat of the stew.
5 from 23 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner, hearty dish, lunch, Soup, Stew
Cuisine: American, Spanish, Tex-Mex
Keyword: comfort food, deer chili, fall dish, venison chili
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 320kcal
Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way compliments of Hunter J

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 pound ground venison
  • 3/4 pound pork sausage
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 large onions chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large jalapeño diced remove inner ribs and remove all seeds if you don't like it too hot
  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 Tablespoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 2 teaspoons thyme 3 bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 24 oz. low-sodium beef broth
  • 14.5 oz. can low- sodium chicken broth
  • 1 Tablespoon sauce from Chipotles chilies in Adobo Sauce. we make our own, check out the recipe
  • 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 10 oz can Ro-Tel tomatoes if you don't like spicy, add 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
  • 2 14 oz. cans Pinto beans drained
  • Your choice of pasta cooked according to directions
  • *Optional sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

Instructions

  • Heat the oil and butter in a large pot or Dutch oven.
  • Add the venison and sausage and cook about 10 minutes, stirring to break up the pieces.
  • Stir in the onions, garlic, and jalapeño pepper and continue to cook until tender and translucent.
  • Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, adobo sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Cook for about 10 minutes.
  • Add the beef broth, chicken broth, tomato sauce, Ro-Tel tomatoes (or regular tomatoes) and bring to a simmer.
  • Simmer for 60 minutes, stirring often. Add the beans and continue to simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
  • Taste and see if the chili needs any additional seasoning.
  • Before serving add some cooked pasta in the bottom of a bowl then pour the hot chili over it.
  • You may add some sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese, if you like.

Nutrition

Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1101mg | Potassium: 857mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 14.2% | Vitamin C: 16.7% | Calcium: 7% | Iron: 29.1%

Note: Recipe and content from © 2017 All Our Way are copyright protected. Please do not use content or recipe without prior written permission. If you want to share the information, please link to this post. Grazie.

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74 Comments

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    Comments


    1. This chili is so amazing I am making it again with in 2 weeks of each other. Something about a big hot bowl of venison chili, watching the snow fall and the wood burning stove just says Comfort food for the Soul. I used 2 lbs of venison burger along with 1lb of venison sausage for this 2nd round instead of regular sausage and WOW what a big taste difference! And for the beans I used 1 can of chili beans and 1 can of red kidney beans. Everything else remained the same.

      Reply

      • Hi, Tara! Thank you so much for your sweet comment! I’m so glad you like the chili!! Your chili sounds great. We’ve used venison sausage too instead of regular sausage and the dish still comes out great. Thank you for taking the time to write — I would love to hear more about your recipes.

        Reply


    2. Wow – I made this for a chili cook-off event at work and this dish stole the show. I used a combination of pork sausage, venison and deer sausage (keeping with the proportions). We also made a chipotle paste, akin to the adobo sauce recipe. The ingredients and combination of spices & herbs are the real-deal. Thanks for posting this recipe! Absolutely fantastic!

      Reply


    3. I was looking for a recipe to use the venison burger we have. This is the most delicious chili I’ve ever tasted! I normally don’t even like chili. Thank you!

      Reply

      • Hello, Rochelle! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. We also love the recipe. If you like Shepherd’s Pie, we will be posting a recipe using venison. We will probably call it a Cottage or Hunter’s Pie. What do you think?

        Reply


    6. This came around again on Pinterest – and reminds me that, now that I’ve moved, time to look for a local source of venison here in North Carolina! I’ve had venison chili, years ago, and it had so much flavor – I”d love to be able to make it myself!.

      Reply


    8. I really enjoyed reading this post! The history was such fun, and your explanation of how to build the chili, thinking of it like a “blueprint” is a great way of explaining how the basic foundation can be tweaked and customized for personal preferences. And BTW, I definitely love serving chili with pasta, too – yum!

      Reply


    13. Love a good chili and this one does look super hearty! I love it when the spoon basically stands up in it and that’s what this one looks like too! Love the cheddar on top – one of my fave toppings 🙂

      Reply

    21. I know the temps are still a little warm here in NY but I am so ready for fall and I’m seriously in the mood for a comforting bowl of this chili. It’s just loaded with so many delicious ingredients and I love that you added pasta to yours. I remember sometimes my mom would do that when I was younger and it was just the best treat to me! This really brings back fond memories..wish I had a bowl right now 🙂

      Reply

    24. Have not tried Venison yet, but I am willing to have a taste if available. Unfortunately, we are not hunters, so there is a slim chance I’d ever taste it anytime soon. I heard though that it is healthy and very lean, so I enjoyed reading this post today.

      Reply


    25. I have yet to try venison. We don’t have any hunters in the family. I will see if my neighbour has any in his freezer. Chili is the perfect comfort food…and I bet the venison takes it to a whole new level of goodness.

      Reply

    26. I can’t wait to give this try! A friend of ours always tries to give us venison after hunting season and I”m always weary about taking it because I don’t know what to do with it. This looks so good and like something my son would eat which is a big plus!

      Reply

      • Hi, Abby!! I hope you get some venison too. We have more recipes planned for the venison we have. I’m really excited about the recipes. Let me know if you like the recipe. xoxo

        Reply


    30. Just in time for hunting season, thanks for this! I like your chili making method, layering the flavors. That’s what I really love about French cooking, the flavor layering. Looks amazing!

      Reply

      • Hi, Tina! Thank you! As you said, layering the flavors enhances the final taste. We are planning some more interesting recipes using venison. A hint — one of the recipes will include a duxelles in it.

        Reply

      • Hey, Carrie! It’s nice getting that delicious meat, isn’t it? Be sure to check out the venison stew and the venison steak with potatoes. I’ll be posting more venison recipes in the near future. xoxo

        Reply

      • Hi, Cheryl! Seriously, the venison does not have a funny taste! It is delicious but this recipe is also good with beef. Whatever you prefer. Hope you’re Sunday is going well.

        Reply

    33. I’d love to try this with venison – but that’s hard to get around here! Looks like a great recipe, though – may try it with other kinds of meat. (You can never have too many chili recipes… LOL)

      Reply

    35. Marisa, this is a perfect autumn dish. I’ll have to make it with beef, and I’ll add beans. I’ve never heard of anyone adding pasta to chili – you may have invented something! Must try it next time – what’s not to love about pasta!

      Reply


    36. Chili and fall perfect comfort food! We love chili and this would be a prefect winters meals for us. I’m going to make it with beef though cause I don’t get venison meat here. Love the color you have here. Can’t wait to try this.

      Reply


    38. Yeah! It’s fall and we love homemade soups😊….I just finished my grocery list with Tex Mex ingredients….I plan to use your recipe to modify mine….I know my gang would love the heat.

      Thanks, Marisa Love yas…..

      Reply

      • Hi, Susie! Although it’s still warm here we are both craving soup — guess it’s just the season like the changing leaves. Miss talking to you, but we’ll catch up this weekend. Love and hugs to all. ❤️🤗

        Reply

    39. This looks so good and reminds me of a chili my dad used to eat when I was a kid. It’s also something my husband and son would like. This is such a great family style recipe. Adding to my list of recipes to make this winter.

      Reply

      • Thank you, Chiara! I wish I could send you a big pot for you and your family. We call it our comfort food since it certainly warms us up. Buona giornata e un abbraccio forte.

        Reply

    42. For years, I didn’t realize that cumin was the flavor I was missing from my Chili. Once I figured that out, I loved my homemade chili. I wish we knew some hunters, so I could make this venison chili. It sounds delicious. I guess I’ll just have to make it with some other meat.

      Reply


    43. I love a spicy chili dish like this and I love the food history of the Lady in Blue. I need to send my hubby out for deer season this year for sure! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!

      Reply

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