Hearty Venison Chili Hunter J's Original Spicy Award-Winning Recipe (2024)

Published: Aug 20, 2018 · Modified: Oct 18, 2022 by Marisa Franca · 86 Comments

Hearty Venison Chili is a dish that's pure comfort in a bowl. It's thick and satisfyingwith 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.

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 abit 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!!

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.

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.

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.

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!!

Tutti a tavola è pronto!

Un caro saluto e alla prossima.

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