Recipe of the Month
by Duane Radford
Cindy's Venison Chili Con Carne
● 1-pound ground venison
● 2 tablespoons butter
● 1 white Spanish onion (chopped)
● 2 garlic cloves (minced)
● 1 bell pepper (chopped)
● 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
● 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
● 2 tablespoons chili powder
● 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
● 1 teaspoon ground cumin
● 1 teaspoon dried oregano
● 2 bay leaves
● 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained. I use fire roasted with garlic.
● 1 cup beef broth or water
● 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained.
● 1 can (16 ounces) beans with pork
● 1 cup frozen kernel corn
● Optional: sour cream and grated cheddar cheese for serving.
A friend of mine, Cindy Gerdes, gave me this recipe for ground meat (beef), which I adapted for venison. It’s an easy to make, wholesome comfort food that features a typical Tex-Mex dish of “venison” ground meat. The Spanish phrase “chili con carne” means chili with meat, but chili and chili con carne can both refer to the authentic spicy dish of meat, chili peppers, beans, tomatoes, seasonings and spices. You can prepare the chili in either a Dutch oven or a skillet (with a lid).
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a Dutch oven, cook the ground venison over medium heat until no longer pink, ~15 minutes (crumble the ground meat). Because venison is lean and has little or no fat, it is NOT necessary to drain it, as you might do for ground meat that is not extra lean. Scoop out the venison and set aside.
2. In the same pot, sauté a chopped onion until tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the green/ red pepper, salt, black pepper, chili powder, cayenne, cumin and oregano. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring until the seasoning spices are combined.
3. Add diced tomatoes and browned venison. Stir in beef broth or water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for at least half an hour, preferably one hour. Add beans and corn and heat through.
As an alternative, you can make the chili in a cast iron skillet using the following steps.
1. Add the butter to a skillet, heat, and brown the ground venison at a medium to low heat for about 15 minutes.
2. Add the onion, garlic and peppers and sauté them with the ground venison until they set up—about 5 minutes.
3. Add the salt, black pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, oregano, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, beans with pork and corn, beef broth (or water). Stir well and simmer for at least half and hour, preferably 1 hour.
This is a stand-alone dish that does not need complimentary side dishes. Serve in bowls and enjoy with corn bread, pan buns or bread.
For a beer pairing you can’t go wrong with an India pale ale. For a wine pairing, I’d opt for a full-bodied red wine—a Baco Noir would be my top choice.
Hopefully there will be some left-over chili which always tastes better the next day after the spices fully set up in the ground meat.
