Thick Venison Chili - Favorite Venison Recipes (2024)

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For the first 15 years of our marriage, our family practically lived on venison that my husband hunted, both deer and elk. After much trial and error, I learned the best recipes for using the roasts, steaks, and burger. This Thick Venison Chili recipe is one that uses ground venison burger.

(Post modified with new photos on 1/5/24.)

My husband likes a thick chili (unlike my Game Day Chili with Beer recipe) so this is a recipe that he enjoys. Ah well, you have to give a man what he wants every now and then.

We have found when processing our own ground venison that it tastes better if you add a little beef tallow (or lard) to the meat to give it more flavor as well as add some fat to the very lean meat. We suggest between 15-20% of tallow works well, to give it 85/15 or 80/20 ratio.

More Venison Recipes to Try

  • German Venison Rouladen
  • John Wayne Venison Casserole
  • Chunky Venison Stew
  • Venison Jerky

Ingredients for Thick Venison Chili

(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)

  • ground venison (elk or deer)
  • sweet onion
  • green bell pepper
  • garlic clove
  • chili powder
  • onion powder
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • red kidney beans
  • chili beans
  • whole or stewed tomatoes
  • tomato paste

Instructions for Making This Recipe

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Gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

Prepare the Ingredients

Using a cutting board and a Chef’s knife, dice the yellow onion and green bell pepper. Mince the garlic.

Thick Venison Chili - Favorite Venison Recipes (3)

If using whole tomatoes, go ahead and hand crush them in a separate bowl.

Alternately you may use one 14.5 can of diced tomatoes, and a can of crushed tomatoes for nearly the same results.

In a large Dutch oven, brown the ground venison, adding a little vegetable oil, if needed.

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Using a wooden spoon, stir in the diced onion and green bell pepper, and the minced garlic. Cook on medium high heat until the vegetables are tender, 5-7 minutes.

When using an enameled Dutch oven, you should always use either a wooden, nylon, or silicone utensil so as not to damage the enameled surface.

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Add the chili powder, onion powder, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir together and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

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Add the undrained red kidney beans, chili beans, hand crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir well and bring to a boil.

Notice how this recipe layers its ingredients a little at a time, to give the flavors a chance to meld together. You’ll find that some of the most flavorful dishes use this method of cooking to bring the ingredients together. It’s a wonderful practice to follow.

Lower the temperature and cover with a lid. Simmer on low for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally.

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The longer this chili cooks, the better. Some say it’s even better the next day when warmed a second time.

Serve with chunks of cheddar cheese, sweet pickles, and saltine crackers. Another way to serve this thick chili is with Frito corn chips. Just place corn chips in a bowl or on a plate and spoon the chili over it, topping it with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. Kind of like a Frito Chili Pie.

This recipe will serve 4-6 people.

See more Venison Recipes Here. Browse Soup Recipes Here.

Thick Venison Chili

The first ten years of our marriage, we nearly lived on wild game, much of it deer or elk meat. Here's a chili recipe using ground venison that is thick, which my husband likes.

Print RatePin Recipe

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Hearty Soup, Vension Meat, Wild Game

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 6 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground venison elk or deer
  • 1 cup yellow onion diced
  • 1 cup green bell pepper diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 15.5 oz. red kidney beans do not drain
  • 15.5 oz. chili beans
  • 28 oz. whole tomatoes hand crushed
  • 6 oz. tomato paste

Instructions

  • Gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

Prepare the Ingredients

  • Using a cutting board and a Chef's knife, dice the yellow onion and green bell pepper.

  • Mince the garlic.

  • Hand crush the stewed or whole tomatoes.

Make the Chili

  • In a large Dutch oven, brown the ground venison, adding a little vegetable oil, if needed.

  • Using a wooden spoon, stir in the diced yellow onion and green bell pepper, and the minced garlic. Cook on medium high heat until the vegetables are tender, 5-7 minutes.

  • Add the chili powder, onion powder, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir together and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

  • Add the undrained red kidney beans, chili beans, hand crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir well and bring to a boil.

  • Lower the temperature and cover with a lid. Simmer on low for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer this cooks, the better. Serve with cheddar cheese and saltine crackers. Serves 4-6.

Nutrition

Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 1249mg | Potassium: 1706mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1834IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 8mg

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Thick Venison Chili - Favorite Venison Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you make venison chili less gamey? ›

Add a little beef broth, tomato paste, and our Chili Seasoning to the stock pot with the strained veggies. Another way to reduce the gaminess out of the venison is to add a can of beer. You can use dark ale or light ale – whatever you prefer. The alcohol will cook off and make the flavor even richer.

How do you thicken deer meat? ›

I couldn't keep them from crumbling apart so someone suggested adding cheese crumbles, maybe add some moisture like an egg too. They do have lard crumbles for this exact reason bc game meats are usually so lean. Mix some fat (cheese, lard & an egg, squish it all together or back it up & you should be good!)

What is deer chili made of? ›

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook venison, onion and garlic in oil until meat is browned. Transfer to a slow cooker and stir together with chiles, beans, broth oregano, cumin, salt and paprika.

How long can you keep venison chili in the fridge? ›

Yield: This Venison Chili recipe makes about 9 cups of chili, enough for 6 hearty servings, 1 ½ cups each. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make ahead: Cool within 2 hours, cover, and refrigerate up to 3 days in advance. Reheat the full recipe on the stove over low heat to 165 degrees.

What takes the gamey taste out of venison? ›

The distinct game flavor of either birds or animals will be milder after soaking the meat overnight in the refrigerator in either a salt or vinegar solution. 2. Vinegar solution - 1 cup per quart of cold water. Use enough solution to cover the game completely.

What does vinegar do to venison? ›

Soak the Venison in Vinegar

This will help tenderize the deer meat and remove any leftover "gamey" flavor.

What does soaking deer meat in milk do? ›

Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least four hours, and no more than 12, before proceeding to cook it as you normally would. The calcium in milk contains enzymes that will tenderize the meat, and the main protein in milk will neutralize the gamey flavor.

What is the best fat to mix with venison? ›

Depending on what you're planning to cook, you may want to add fat to your ground venison. This added fat can be bacon, pork shoulder, pork belly, beef tallow, etc. It's purely personal preference. I always add about 15-20 percent fat if I'm making hamburger or kebabs, which makes the meat juicier and more flavorful.

How do you make venison stew less gamey? ›

To reduce the gamey taste of venison, soak it in milk in your refrigerator for about 2 days. This tenderizes the meat, too.

How do you grind venison for chili? ›

You will want to use the fine die when making sausages. The medium or large plates are perfect if you want coarse ground meat for recipes like chili. If you cut your meat into huge chunks you may need to do a double grind starting with the large or medium plate and finish with the small.

What is the difference between Texas chili and Colorado chili? ›

So how do they differ? Well, besides the different chile peppers used, Texas chili is traditionally made without tomatoes, though you will find them in chile colorado. Likewise, fillers are verboten in Texas chili yet potatoes are welcome in chile colorado.

Why is Cincinnati chili so good? ›

Cincinnati chili has a flavor all its own

The unique spice blend, texture, and toppings are the three elements that set Cincinnati chili apart from the rest. According to Simply Recipes, many soup and stew dishes get their flavor from the caramelization that occurs when you sear the protein featured in the dish.

How long can you freeze deer meat before it goes bad? ›

Venison should be stored frozen until preparation for cooking. Properly wrapped or packaged venison can be stored in a freezer for 9-12 months. To avoid quality deterioration, never refreeze thawed venison. Always thaw venison properly in a refrigerator or in a microwave.

Can you freeze venison chili? ›

Freezing works whether you are making all meat or vegetarian chili. While the texture might change slightly due to the veggies and beans, everything still reheats in one cohesive, delicious lunch or dinner that you can serve with your favorite toppings and add-ins or pack into a thermos container for a hot lunch.

Does venison age in the freezer? ›

All that bad bacteria that actually rots meat and will result in food poisoning thrives in temperatures above 40 degrees, and anything below freezing is, well, freezing meat and not dry aging it. The ideal temperature in a space used for dry aging is between 34 and 37 degrees.

How to cook ground venison without gamey taste? ›

Use Marinades. Marinade may be used to cover up the 'gamey' flavors in venison. Marinades tenderize (soften muscle fibers) and enhance the flavor of venison. Marinades can add fat and calories to this lean cut of meat.

How do you hide the taste of venison? ›

Adding pork fat or just regular hamburger in with the game meat will cut down on the venison taste. If you are working with fowl, cutting in chicken or turkey burger will help mellow that flavor.

Why does my ground venison taste gamey? ›

Venison silver skin, fat, ligaments, and other undesirable parts of a deer that aren't muscle don't taste very good. Deer fat is generally bitter, unlike beef fat. This is probably the number one reason why folks think venison, particularly ground venison, tastes gamey.

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