Easy Slow Cooker Venison Chili

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The best Texas-style Deer Chili Recipe made from ground venison meat with a spicy, Southern flavor! Simple and easy to make in the Crockpot!

If you're a hunter or are married to one (like me), chances are your freezer is currently full of deer meat! Nothing is more comforting on a cold winter's night than to cozy up to a warm bowl of spicy venison chili!

This is one of my all-time favorite deer meat recipes, along with my Southern Fried Deer Steak topped with my creamy Country Gravy! Yum!

Here in Texas, we believe chili should be meaty, spicy, and made without beans. In this recipe, green chilies, red chili powder, and cayenne pepper provide the perfect amount of Southern heat!

If you're looking to spice it up even more, tone it down a hair, or prefer to add beans, you can follow my tips and variations listed below to easily suit your fancy!

I prefer to cook my chili in the Crockpot (Slow Cooker) but it can also be made on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker). Whether you're cooking this chili at home or right at deer camp, you can find instructions below for the cooking method you prefer.

If you're an avid hunter or have one in your family, I highly recommend you buying a copy of The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook by Steven Rinella. Trust me, you will not be sorry! You will learn so much about processing and cooking wild game from this book!

Recipe Ingredients:

• Olive oil - used to brown the meat in.
• Ground venison - For a rich and flavorful chili, I prefer to use an 80/20 deer-meat to pork-fat ratio. This percentage of fat is usually added to your ground venison while your deer is being processed. However, if your deer meat has no fat added to it, don't worry, the chili will still be delicious!
• Vegetables - diced tomatoes, green chilies, tomato sauce, and an onion.
• Chicken broth - Most people add beef broth to there chili but I'm not a fan of its potent taste for this dish. Chicken broth has a lighter, saltier flavor that carries well in this recipe.
• Seasonings - chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, ground cumin, minced garlic, ground black pepper, ground oregano, paprika, salt, seasoned salt, and cayenne pepper.
• Masa harina flour - used to slightly thicken the chili and add a subtle corn taste that takes the flavor to a whole new level! This can be substituted with flour, cornmeal, or corn starch.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add ground venison.

Cook until completely browned (about 7-10 minutes), breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks.

Drain and discard excess fat/grease from the meat, if necessary.

Transfer meat into the slow cooker.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients (except for the masa harina flour and water).

Close the lid and cook on High for 3-4 hours or on Low for 6-8 hours.

Place masa harina flour into a small bowl. Add ½ cup warm water and stir.

Pour masa slurry into the chili and stir.

Place lid back on slow cooker and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve hot.

Top with corn chips, sour cream, chopped green onions, and shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with crackers or cornbread.

Recipe Tips and Variations:

• Add beans: Sometimes you need an extra bulk to your chili - especially if you have a growing boy (like mine) whose stomach is ultimately a bottomless pit! In this case, simply add one 15-ounce can of pinto beans (drained and rinsed) and one 15-ounce can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed) about one hour prior to the end of your cook time.
• Add more spicy: My father-in-law cannot get his food spicy enough and always throws a jalapeño in the chili pot along with the rest of the ingredients. When the chili is done cooking, he smashes up the jalapeño and then discards it. You can also add another tablespoon of chili powder for an extra fiery kick! (Just have a glass of water handy, you're gonna need it!)
• Milder flavor: If you have young children (like me) chances are they will take one bite of this and turn their noses up at it (after running for water!). You can tone down the heat by adding only one tablespoon of chili powder instead of two, using a can of diced tomatoes without green chilies, and ditching the cayenne pepper. Trust me, after you do this they will be licking their bowls clean!
• Beer: Simply omit the chicken broth and pour the whole can of beer into the chili before cooking. The beer will cook down and delicately flavor the chili. The taste will be slightly different but equally as yummy! Especially good when cooking over an open fire at deer camp!
• Thicker: Add an extra tablespoon of masa harina flour and cook longer until preferred thickness is reached.
• Thinner: Add more chicken broth, a little at a time, until desire consistency is achieved.
• Masa harina flour alternatives: I realize not everyone has this ingredient in their pantry and you sure don't want to buy a large bag of it just to use one tablespoon for this recipe! Substitute this with the same amount of flour, cornmeal, or corn starch instead.

Stove Top:

Cooking this chili on the stovetop will take less time than cooking in the slow cooker and, best of all, you only dirty up one pot - how great is that!

1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add ground venison and cook until completely browned (about 7-10 minutes), breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks.
3. Drain and discard excess fat/grease from the meat, if necessary.
4. Add in the rest of the ingredients (except for the masa harina flour and water) and stir.
5. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
6. Place masa harina flour in a small bowl. Add ½ cup warm water and stir.
7. Pour masa slurry into the chili and stir.
8. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker):

The one-pot wonder! If you're in a hurry and only want one dish to clean - this is the way to go!

1. Set Instant Pot to the "Saute" function and heat olive oil.
2. Add ground venison and cook until completely browned (about 7-10 minutes), breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks.
3. Drain and discard excess fat/grease from the meat, if necessary.
4. Add in the rest of the ingredients (except for the masa harina flour and water) and stir.
5. Lock the lid in place and pressure cook on manual high for 20 minutes. Once done, allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes and then do a manual release, if necessary.
6. Place masa harina flour in a small bowl. Add ½ cup warm water and stir.
7. Carefully open the lid and pour the masa slurry into the chili and stir.
8. Cook, uncovered, on the "Sauté" setting for an additional 10 minutes. If the chili is too thin, cook longer until the right consistency is reached. (Remember, chili thickens as it cools.)

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Best Slow-Cooker Deer (Venison) Chili No Beans

The best Texas-style Deer Chili Recipe made from ground venison meat with a spicy, Southern flavor! Simple and easy to make in the Crockpot!

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 4 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 10 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 540 kcal

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds ground venison
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 small white onion (diced)
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoons (3 cloves) minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon masa harina flour
• ½ cup warm water

• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.

• Add ground venison and cook until completely browned (about 7-10 minutes), breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks.

• Drain and discard excess fat/grease from the meat, if necessary.

• Transfer meat into the slow cooker.

• Stir in the rest of the ingredients (except for the masa harina flour and water).

• Close the lid and cook on High for 3-4 hours or on Low for 6-8 hours.

• Place masa harina flour into a small bowl. Add ½ cup warm water and stir.

• Pour masa slurry into the chili and stir.

• Place lid back on slow cooker and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

• Top with corn chips, sour cream, chopped green onions, and shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with crackers or cornbread.

** This recipe makes enough to serve four people one serving of chili. So, if you have a hungry bunch I highly recommend doubling this recipe.

Leftovers:

Place leftovers in a food storage container and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Recipe Tips and Variations:

• Beans: Add one 15-ounce can of pinto beans (drained and rinsed) and one 15-ounce can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed) about one hour prior to the end of your cook time.
• Extra Spicy: Add a jalapeño to the slow cooker before cooking. When done, smash up the jalapeño in the chili and discard. You can also add another tablespoon of chili powder.
• Milder flavor: You can make this chili less spicy by only adding one tablespoon of chili powder instead of two, using a can of diced tomatoes without green chilies, and omitting the cayenne pepper.
• Beer: Use in place of chicken broth. Pour the whole can of beer into the chili before cooking. The beer will cook down and delicately flavor the chili.
• Thicker: Add an extra tablespoon of masa harina flour and cook longer until preferred thickness is reached.
• Thinner: Add more chicken broth, a little at a time, until desire consistency is achieved.

Nutrition Facts

Best Slow-Cooker Deer (Venison) Chili No Beans

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 540 Calories from Fat 237

% Daily Value*

Fat 26.3g 40%

Carbohydrates 10.5g 4%

Fiber 2.3g 10%

Sugar 6.7g 7%

Protein 62.9g 126%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. The nutritional values listed above are approximate. If you follow a special diet, please use your own calculations.

Leave a comment below to let us know how it was!

Easy Slow Cooker Venison Chili

Source: https://www.ranchstylekitchen.com/slow-cooker-deer-venison-chili-no-beans/

Posted by: sandsstogut.blogspot.com

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