Thick Venison Chili

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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

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.

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.

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.

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.

4.65 from 14 votes

Equipment

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

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