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A bowl of stew topped with melted cheese, a creamy white sauce, and garnished with chopped herbs, served in a ceramic dish. The sauce and cheese are spread over a rich, red tomato-based mixture.

Ground Venison Chili

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A stovetop chili built on lean ground venison, fire-roasted tomatoes, cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika, simmered uncovered until it thickens.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Southwest-Inspired
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp neutral oil grapeseed or similar
  • 1 lb ground venison
  • ½ yellow onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 14 oz fire-roasted crushed tomatoes 1 can
  • 1 cup beef stock beef or venison
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp cayenne
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt to taste

Equipment

  • wide, heavy pot or Dutch oven
  • Measuring spoons
  • Chef’s knife and cutting board

Method
 

  1. Film a wide pan with the oil and get it hot. Venison is lean enough that it will not render anything to cook in, so the oil is doing the job the fat would do in beef.
  2. Brown the venison in two batches so it is never crowded, letting each batch sit untouched before you break it up. It will spit and go grey and wet first. Keep going. When the spitting stops and the sizzle turns sharp and dry, the crumbles start catching brown. That sound is the water leaving, and nothing browns until it has.
  3. Onion in, 3 minutes, until it loses its bite. Garlic for the last minute only. The pan has been driven hot to brown lean meat and garlic scorches in about two.
  4. Tomato paste in, 2 minutes without moving it much, until it darkens and smells sweet rather than raw.
  5. Tomatoes, stock, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika and cayenne. Stir and bring to a low simmer.
  6. Simmer uncovered 30 to 45 minutes, until a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a track that stays open for a second before the chili closes over it. Venison is lean enough that no fat will ever rise to the top, so do not wait for it. If it is still loose, keep going with the lid off. Salt to taste at the end.

Notes

For seasoning, I always use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you use Morton, use half by volume, or just weigh it.
Make the chili the day before if you can. It is better cold and reheated than it is an hour old.

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