Ground Venison Chili

This ground venison chili recipe is full of flavor and spice from poblano peppers, jalapeno, and chili rojo powder. Simmered on low until all of the flavors meld together creating a deer meat chili that can not be beat!

My husband shot his first deer this past season and because he hunts for meat, not just sport, our household deep freezer is now overflowing with all kinds of cuts of venison.

My father in law was a meat cutter many years ago and kindly processed all of the meat for us (so much work!). We are super grateful.

Venison, or deer meat, is lean, with a slightly gamey taste to it. Venison chili is a great starter recipe using ground venison. It doesn't have to vary much from traditional chili, if at all. This deer chili recipe calls for a few tweaks to really make it shine!

Secret to a good ground venison chili?

A little but of acid! Acid helps cut through the gamey taste they venison can sometimes have. Whether this be citrus, vinegar, or even red wine, adding a bit of acid is a great addition to any chili recipe. I went with straight white vinegar here to keep it simple.

Another thing that will help take your chili to the next level to make sure there is enough fat. I do this by adding a decent amount of olive when sauteeing the peppers and onions at the beginning.

Venison is naturally a very lean cut of meat. When my father in law processes the meat, he actually adds fat into the ground venison to help it from drying out and make it more flavorful. When cooking with ground venison you want to use a little more fat than you normally would in whatever recipe you are making, to keep it nice and moist!

Ingredients for venison chili

• ground venison meat
• olive oil
• poblano peppers
• jalapeno
• onion
• chili powder (I used chili rojo, but any chili powder will work as well)
• cumin
• can of crushed tomatoes
• can of diced tomatoes
• beef stock (or venison stock if you have it!)
• kidney beans
• white vinegar
• salt

How to make ground venison chili

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add in diced poblano peppers, minced jalapeno, and diced onion. Saute for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

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Add ground venison and brown, breaking up the deer meat with a wooden spoon periodically. Continue browning until meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Add in canned diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, beef stock, chili rojo, cumin, and salt.

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Cover with a lid and turn heat down to low. Simmer chili on low heat for 30 minutes.

Remove lid and add kidney beans (drained and rinsed), along with the vinegar. Simmer uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

How to serve venison chili

Serve venison chili with your favorite traditional chili toppings! We love small pasta noodles, avocado, cheese, and sour cream! Some other chili toppings to try:

• hot sauce
• cilantro
• diced onion

You can serve corn bread on the side. I have even heard of some people serving chili with a side of cinnamon rolls! Who knew?

Substitutions/Variations

• No beans. Some places, like Texas, do not traditionally put beans in their chili. Feel free to omit them.

• Other beans. Instead if kidney beans, try pinto beans or black beans.

• Sweet Bell Pepper. Poblano peppers (along with diced jalapeno) add a little bit of heat to this ground venison chili. If you would like, you can swap in any color bell pepper instead.

Storage

Store chili in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Chili also freezes very well and can be kept for several months that way.