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Chunky venison chili in white bowl with black trim.
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5 from 7 votes

Chunky Venison Chili - Slow Cooker Version

Chunky venison chili only takes a few minutes to put together but it slow cooks for 2 days! So tender, you won't believe it's venison!
Course entree
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 hours
Slow Cooker 10 hours
Total Time 10 hours 30 minutes
Servings 12 servings +
Calories 226kcal
Author Beth Neels
Cost $4

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 lb beef we used sirloin steak, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 3 lb venison remove all tendons and silver skin, cut into bite sized chunks
  • 1 large Onion diced
  • 3 stalks Celery diced
  • 1 Pepper roasted or fresh, diced
  • 2 Chipotle in adobo and tablespoons of juice, minced
  • 2 cans beans assorted
  • 3 28 oz diced tomatoes I used frozen
  • 1 head roasted garlic or mince 3 large cloves fresh
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp garlic, granulated
  • 1 tbsp dried coriander
  • 1 tbsp oregano, dried
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Chili powder
  • 2 tbsp cornmeal if the chili has a lot of liquid, I may add up to 1/4 cup
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Add olive oil to cast pan, if you have one, over high heat. Brown beef first. (The reason I use a little beef is because it adds a bit of much need fat to the chili) 
  • Once beef is browned remove it to slow cooker with slotted spoon. Add a bit more oil, if you need to between batches. Then brown venison, in batches. Add it to the slow cooker when browned.
  • Add a bit more oil and reduce heat on pan. Sauté onion, celery and peppers (if using fresh). 
  • When they are soft, add garlic and soften that until it is fragrant.
  • Add some of the tomatoes to the same pan and scrape the fond (browned bits). 
  • Add all of the rest ingredients to the slow cooker. Turn heat to high until it boils. Turn down and cook on low for about 5 hours.
  • Refrigerate overnight. The next day, scrape the accumulated fat off the top of the chili. Again, turn slow cooker to high until chili boils. Then reduce heat and cook for another 4 hours or so. Then add corn meal and stir in. Cook for another 30 minutes- 1 hour. Serve with cheese, green onions, jalapeño slices, sour cream or whatever other toppings you like.

Video

Notes

This venison chili can be made without the beef, but is far superior with beef. It adds to much needed fat to the dish.
Cooling the chili overnight makes the it so much better! There is no comparison to chili that has been cooked one day.
 
Perfect garnishes for chili:
  • green onion
  • cheese
  • creme fraiche or sour cream
  • queso fresco or cotija
  • cilantro
  • parsley
  • pickled jalapeno
Serve with cornbread. (Mandatory in my opinion!)

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 706mg | Potassium: 539mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 5.6mg