Slow Cooker Venison Chili

This Chunky Venison Chili is so very tender and it was made with one of the tougher cuts of the deer, from the rear leg. The trick is to brown the venison chunks over very high heat, quickly.

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The slow cooker makes this cut, normally just ground for burger meat, into a chili that you would never realize is even venison.

Eric tricks friends into telling them it is a filet of beef. 🙂 (and they believed him!)

I know you probably won’t believe me, but if you try this chili, you will not believe it is not filet!

What cuts to use for chili

Use any cuts from the back legs or rump section of the deer. These tougher cuts lend themselves well to slow cooking to tenderize the meat.

Another key to cooking these tougher cuts is to make sure that you remove all of the tendon that has multiple layers between the good meat. The tendon is hard to chew, and the chili will not be as tender.

You can also use ground deer meat and ground beef, if you prefer.

The Origins of Chili con Carne

As with many dishes we eat here in America, Chili con Carne is not a native dish from Mexico. Even though it is attributed to Mexico, immigrants probably modified an existing recipe to take advantage of locally sourced ingredients like many dishes.

One account attributes the dish to Sister Mary of Agreda of Spain. She was known as the Lady in Blue and is said to have never left Spain. After a trance, she supposedly wrote down the recipe for a stew containing venison or antelope meat, according to UCatholic.

Venison Chili vs. Beef Chili

If you were to compare the two chilies with the exact same ingredients and quantities, one made with venison and the other with beef, according to Outdoor Life, the venison chili would have less than half of the calories and 1/6th of the saturated fat. Thus, venison chili is the healthier choice.

We usually end up with over 300 pounds of meat between Eric and both boys. It really helps with the grocery bills.

The only drawback, or not, depending on how you look at it, is that I have to get creative with my recipes, or we would get very sick of eating venison.

Here are some of the great recipes we have come up with for making different venison recipes.

What you Need

• Venison: Venison roast or stew meat, if you prefer, use ground venison.
• Onion: Yellow or white onion or scallions.
• Celery: Celery adds more vegetables to the dish.
• Peppers: use sweet bell peppers and any hot pepper that you have available.
• Chipotle in adobo: Use the adobo sauce and one or two chopped chipotle peppers from a can of chipotle in adobo sauce.
• Assorted beans: pinto, chili, light or dark kidney beans, or black beans or black-eyed peas
• Tomatoes: Canned or fresh tomatoes are great for chili.
• Garlic: Fresh, minced or roasted garlic will both work. Roasted garlic gives a milder flavor.
• Cumin: The quintessential Mexican spice that adds an earthy flavor to dishes.
• Coriander: Coriander adds a slightly floral note.
• Granulated garlic: We add more garlic because we love it. Granulated garlic can be eliminated if the chili has enough garlic flavor for your tastes.
• Oregano or Mexican oregano: Mexican oregano has a more floral flavor than oregano.
• Chili powder: Add chili powder for your taste or substitute chipotle or cayenne pepper
• Salt (use our spicy salt for an added kick) and freshly ground black pepper
• Cornmeal: While not requisite for this recipe, the cornmeal adds the flavor of corn and thickens the chili because it is cooked in the slow cooker. If you cook the chili on the stovetop, feel free to eliminate it.
• Cheddar Cheese: Serve the chili with grated cheddar cheese.

How to make it

1. Brown meat in a little olive oil over high heat.
2. Add celery and onions to same pan. Turn heat down.
3. Cook until golden colored and vegetables are soft. Add everything to slow cooker.
4. Add tomatoes.
5. Chop peppers. (If using fresh peppers, soften them with onion and celery.)
6. Add spices to chili. Cover and cook on low for at least 8 hours.

Let your chili cook for a couple of days. I usually start the slow cooker on high until it boils, then turn it down to low and cook for about five hours. Refrigerate it overnight.

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The next day, scrape off any fat that accumulated on the top. Turn the slow cooker on high again until it boils. Then reduce heat to low. Cook it again for about five hours.

The cooling off and reheating not only improves the texture, it lets the flavors all mingle together.

Who hasn’t said that the soup or stew tasted better on the second day? The same goes for chili! I never skip this step; I feel it’s that important. Of course, it is certainly edible the first day it is cooked, just better on day two!

About an hour before serving, add the corn meal. It thickens up the chili nicely and adds extra flavor.

Chilies are a Great Place to Hide Extra Veggies

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I always add lots of veggies and beans to my chili. For this batch, I cleaned out the freezer of all the small bags of roasted sweet and hot peppers and garlic from my garden last summer.

Any vegetable you have on hand is great to add to chili, especially carrots. They add a natural sweetness to the chili.

What to do With Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers for 3-4 days. Leftover chili freezes well. Pack in airtight containers and freeze for up to six months. Make a large batch so that you can freeze servings for meal prep on busy nights when you don’t have time to cook.

Serve leftover chili in various ways to spice it up a bit.

• Chili-stuffed baked potatoes
• Chili mac and cheese
• Make chili nachos
• Chili dogs
• Chili cornbread casserole
• Filled stuffed peppers with leftover chili and top with cheese.

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Want to learn more about How to Cook Venison? Don’t miss our fantastic Ultimate Guide! Complete with 65 FREE Recipes from some of the top venison recipe developers in the world!

More Delicious Venison Recipes

• Bacon-wrapped Venison Backstrap
• Venison Stroganoff
• Venison Shanks
• Deer Jerky
• Venison Meatballs
• Venison Heart
• Deer Burger

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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.

Enjoy. And have fun cooking!

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