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Venison Chili with Jalapeno-Cheddar Corn Muffins

I spent most of Saturday in the car driving to/from North Jersey in a freak Nor’easter snowfall that really made the ride quite an experience. After yesterday, it is clear that winter is (sadly) not too far away, so I better get started on some of my favorite cold weather foods. First up, chili.
Venison Chili

 

I just joined a new farm club called Arganica, that just started delivering to Philadelphia. I actually joined it because my CSA share is ending and I still wanted to receive different vegetables during the winter months. However, as I was looking over their offerings, their meat and fish section is what really caught my eye. I decided to take a chance on a new type of meat I’ve never cooked with before: venison. When I mentioned I was planning on making venison chili to my boyfriend, his eyes lit up. Here’s hoping my chili can live up to whatever high expectation he has for this meal! To go along with the chili, I also made pepper Jack corn bread muffins.

Venison Chili

For those a bit wary about venison, the meat is actually quite lean; venison is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol than beef, pork, or lamb.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
2 lbs ground venison
4 strips of bacon
2 cans red kidney beans, drained
1 can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon ground chili
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 jalapeno (or similar) pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup weak coffee
Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Sour cream
Cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
Begin by preparing your ingredients. Chop the bell peppers, remove the seeds from the jalapeno pepper and chop. Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Brew your coffee.
Add the butter and oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the venison and cook until  mostly browned, about ten minutes, mixing to break up the venison.

Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 additional minutes.

Drain the excess fat from the meat. Add the meat to a large crock pot.

In the same pan used to brown the meat, add the bacon and cook for 3 minutes on each side, until slightly crisp. (It will cook more in the crock pot).

Remove from heat and roughly chop. Add to the crock pot. Add the remaining ingredients through the coffee. (Coffee just works to enhance the flavors of the meat in this dish, feel free to leave it out). Mix and cover.

Cook on high for 2 hours without removing the lid — removing the lid will release the heat and might increase the time you need to cook the chili. After 2 hours, turn the heat down to low and cook for an additional 6 to 8 hours.

To serve, top with shredded cheese or a teaspoon of sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Venison Chili

 

Waiting for the chili to cook was agonizing enough so I cut corners on the corn bread. (Sorry!)
Ingredients:
Cornbread mix
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine the egg, vegetable oil, and milk in a medium bowl.

Add the cornbread mix and stir until just combined. Spoon into a muffin pan.  Cook for 30 minutes.  While the muffins are cooking, shred the cheese.

Remove from the oven and top with Pepper Jack cheese. Add back to the oven for 1 minute or until the cheese has melted. Serve with the chili.

The chili turned out a tad too thin for me. I’d suggest if you make this, limiting the beef broth to 1/4 cup and the coffee to a 1/4 cup, and maybe adding an extra can of beans.

Past that, the chili was amazing! The venison flavor still shone through but the after taste had some nice heat. I thought it had the perfect amount of spice, my boyfriend thought it was a tad too spicy, so he added some sour cream to top off his chili.

The cornbread muffins were slightly sweet which was a good contrast to the chili. Definitely worth making again! If you do not want to use venison, you can substitute ground beef instead.

Venison Chili with Jalapeno-Cheddar Corn Muffins
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 lbs ground venison
  • 4 strips of bacon
  • 2 cans red kidney beans, drained
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon ground chili
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno (or similar) pepper, seeds removed and chopped
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1/2 cup weak coffee
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
  • Sour cream
  • Cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
  1. Begin by preparing your ingredients. Chop the bell peppers, remove the seeds from the jalapeno pepper and chop. Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Brew your coffee.
  2. Add the butter and oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the venison and cook until mostly browned, about ten minutes, mixing to break up the venison.
  3. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 additional minutes.
  4. Drain the excess fat from the meat. Add the meat to a large crock pot.
  5. In the same pan used to brown the meat, add the bacon and cook for 3 minutes on each side, until slightly crisp. (It will cook more in the crock pot).
  6. Remove from heat and roughly chop. Add to the crock pot. Add the remaining ingredients through the coffee. (Coffee just works to enhance the flavors of the meat in this dish, feel free to leave it out). Mix and cover.
  7. Cook on high for 2 hours without removing the lid — removing the lid will release the heat and might increase the time you need to cook the chili. After 2 hours, turn the heat down to low and cook for an additional 6 to 8 hours.
  8. To serve, top with shredded cheese or a teaspoon of sour cream and chopped cilantro.
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Comments

  3. This looks amazing. I wish I had a local place to get venison. My husband always says he will get me one but all of the hunting equipment is back in Maine.

    Reply

  7. This chili recipe is perfect timing, it is deer hunting season here! The guys are here every weekend so I will be sure to share this recipe and keep it for me to prepare also. Great ingredients-also the cornbread is a nice pairing. Well done.

    Reply

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