there is a chili thread in the general discussion board, but its getting burried pretty quick, so i thought i'd add my recipe to a thread here so its easily found.

here's my venison chili recipe

1lb venison burger
1 16oz can of light red kidney beans
1/2 of a good sized onion, chopped
1/2 of a good sized green pepper, chopped
i packet of "HOT" chili seasoning from ??? i can't remember the brand name. its in the grocery store tho...kinda an orange packet EDIT: its McCormicks brand "HOT Chili Mix"
1 quart of home canned tomatoes.

brown the venison, onion and green pepper, drain, and then pour into what's below

in big pot mix tomatoes, kidney beans, and chili packet

cook on medium heat for 1/2 hour

also fix some Jiffy corn muffins to sprinkle in the chili.

that is my all time favorite chili recipe.

Moved the other thread here, and then merged these topics together.

The venison chili I make has been getting some pretty good reviews around here. I dont do anything too different than any of these recipes, except I brown both a pound of buck burger and I dice up about 3\4 lb of venison chops into about 1\2" squares. It really gives substance.
Slow simmering is key, I use tomato juice, but sauce or paste is fine, you'll just end up diluting it with water. The acid in the tomato is a natural meat tenderizer, so even if you've been lucky enough to score that big old swamp buck youve been after, the meat will tenderize. You'll find out that the steak will fall apart if you leave it on long enough, even more so the next day.
I brown the meat with the garlic,onion and bell pepper, I think it helps season the meat.

I really dont measure much and everyone has different ideas of what spices should go in the chili. Here is my laundry list .

1lb burger
3\4 lb diced venison steak or chops
20 oz tomato juice(about half of a large can)
1 can kidney beans(drained)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can diced tomato
1 red bell pepper diced finely
1 large onion finely diced
3 garlic cloves pressed or smashed
1 tbsp cayenne pepper (add to taste, might want to start with less)
1\2 tsp habanero sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1|4 tsp ancho chili powder
4 dried habanero peppers

This is the list as best I can remember,
Something to keep in mind is that if you sample the chili, you slowly get used to the heat and will continue to add spice to it until you think it is right and probably overdo it, Ive watched friends eat my chili with sweat and tears running down their faces because of this, but they still hike up their skirts and eat.

Tip of the day guys... McCormicks may be pretty decent chili powder -- it's what I grew up on, and I love it -- but you have to try the chili powders from Pendery's (if you shop online, look under Chile Blends). The level of flavor in those suckers leaves McCormick in the dust. Now, I do have a problem with my current blend: two parts Ft. Worth Light to one part Original. The flavor is fantastic, but I have to use tons of it. Like one and a half to two cups in a gallon or so of chili. I'm thinking about switching from Ft. Worth Light to one of their punchier mixes.

But seriously, if all you've ever used is McCormicks, you've got to try chili powder from someone who takes it seriously!

Hmmm, there's a small problem with a lot of these recipes.

In Texas if you put beans in chili then we all walk away. Really, no lie. No beans in chili ever here. Ever. Unless you are a furriner or something like that.

I go to chili cookoffs a couple times a year around the state. Never saw a bean in any pot in the decades I've been going.

Wouldn't matter if you won top state prize in 49 other states, we wouldn't even take your entry fee if we saw a single bean.



Nothing wrong with beans, mind you, but not in chili thankyouverymuch.


Btw, never buy spices from a chain grocery store for your chili. Go to a busy ethnic importer as the spices are far fresher. They will sell it bulk powder to you. If you can ever find a good Lebanese grocer then you are golden. All those jars you see in the chain stores? Those spices are warehoused from massive container load buys brokered years in advance and your spice could be over 2 years old even if they put it on the shelf that day. The ethnic places buy smaller loads and move the product far faster. Best part about hunting these places down is the price you pay. The spice is twice as tasty and costs half as much. I've been known to go to the chain stores and buy those jars just for the jars. Get home, dump it in the trash, and then drive with my empty jars to the spice merchants. I'll bet I have a dozen spice jars I never tasted the original contents.


Oh, and we'll use cups of chili powder in our big pots of chili. Real chili powder isn't any hotter than paprika. Actually, I've known certain paprika varieties to be hotter. I've put a teaspoon of chili powder on a single chicken breast just to broil it. No heat at all. It's the cayenne powder that's hot.

This post has been edited by +Zeke+: August 20th 2009 9:12 AM

I'm going to make a pot of chili now --- will use a conglomeration of all the recipes with what I have on hand and come up with something good.

All the recipes call for Kidney Beans, has anyone ever tried Pinto Beans?