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Home » Recipes » Dinner

Venison Chili (Smoky & Spicy!)

Published: May 12, 2021 · Modified: Sep 21, 2024 by Christina Koncker · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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This easy Venison Chili features ground venison punched up with spicy, smoky, umami flavors from chipotle en adobo peppers - it plays well with the earthy flavor of deer meat. You can also expect the usual chili suspects including beans, onion, bell pepper, and garlic.

Venison chili in a Dutch oven with a ladle in the chili.

Ground venison is a lean, flavorful meat that can be used much like ground beef in recipes - though it's quite lean compared to beef. It's a fantastic addition to almost any chili recipe - simply replace the ground beef with ground venison.

Chili is one of my favorites to make because it's full of flavor, easy to customize and makes THE BEST leftovers because chili is one dish that is definitely better the next day.

This venison chili recipe I'm about to lay on you is spicy, smoky, and chock full of umami. If you want to try more dishes made with venison, I highly recommend this Venison Soup and Venison Tacos!

Jump to:
  • Why You'll Love This Venison Chili Recipe
  • What is Venison?
  • Ingredients
  • How To Make Venison Chili
  • Serving Suggestions and Chili Toppings
  • Top Tips for the BEST Venison Chili
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Other Chilis and Soups
  • Venison Chili (Smoky & Spicy!)

Why You'll Love This Venison Chili Recipe

  • It's a great way to use venison. It's hard to be creative with ground beef, and even harder with ground venison (at least I think so). Chili is a user-friendly way to approach cooking venison because it's forgiving - and guaranteed to come out moist!
  • It's lean! Chili can feel heavy, but venison is super lean. Using ground venison instead of the usual ground beef lightens things up.
  • It feeds a crowd. This deer chili recipe feeds 8. Though you'll want to serve it with a nice slide of bread or tortilla chips and this Creamy Salsa Sauce.

What is Venison?

Venison is meat that comes from deer. You likely won't find deer meat in your local grocery store because there are strict food-grade guidelines around how meat must be processed before it can be approved for commercial sale (read a bit about game meat and food safety here).

Most venison is harvested via hunting deer in the wild. It's difficult to ensure that the deer meat your Uncle Randy harvested during hunting season meets those strict food guidelines; therefore, you won't find it for sale in stores.

It's also uncommon to see venison served in restaurants. If you ever encounter it on a menu, you can be sure that it was farm-raised venison and processed within food-grade guidelines.

For this recipe, I am referring to venison that has been harvested in the wild (during deer hunting season). Hunting deer is a popular outdoor activity in Minnesota, one that my family and I have participated in for many years. The ground venison for this recipe was provided by a deer my little 'bro harvested.

Ingredients

Spicy venison chili in a bowl and garnished with shredded cheese and sour cream.

This deer chili recipe uses many ingredients you will commonly see in chili recipes, plus a few extras to bring a smoky and spicy edge.

  • Ground venison meat - I grind venison myself using a meat grinder attachment that's compatible with my vintage KitchenAid stand mixer.
  • Meat seasoning of your choosing - You could season simply it with salt and black pepper. Or for a bit of Tex mex flavor, try seasoning your ground venison for this chili with one or a combination of these homemade seasonings: taco seasoning, adobo seasoning, or fajita seasoning.
  • Bacon grease - Venison is very lean so I love cooking it in leftover bacon grease to add some fat back in. You could also use extra virgin olive oil if you prefer. For more ways to use leftover bacon grease, check out my nifty idea list.
  • Veggies - Garlic, yellow onion, and red bell pepper are all welcome in this hearty chili.
  • Tomato sauce and diced tomatoes - I like to use both to achieve a rustic consistency.
  • Black beans - Or pinto or kidney beans, use whatever you'd like! I actually don’t strain the beans off, I add the liquid right into the chili. But rinse and strain if you want to reduce the sodium. Or if you'd prefer this be a no-bean venison chili, leave the beans out, though I'd recommend adding ½ pound more venison or replacing with an equal amount of corn.
  • Chipotle en adobo peppers - This is the key ingredient to achieving smoke and heat. It's so so good with venison!
  • Worcestershire sauce - This is my secret chili ingredient. Everyone has one, I love adding the W sauce to bring even more umami.
  • Cayenne pepper - Just a few dashes to add even more heat. You could also add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce instead.

How To Make Venison Chili

  1. Cook the ground venison in a pot with melted bacon grease until browned. Season with salt and pepper or add additional seasonings as you like. Stir frequently as it cooks. When ready, remove the cooked venison from the pot and set it aside.
  2. Add the chipotle en adobo peppers to a food processor and process for 20-30 seconds. Set these aside.
  3. Add more bacon grease to the pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, diced red bell pepper, and minced garlic to the pot once it's melted and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add the cooked ground venison, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans with liquid, blended chipotle en adobo peppers, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot.
  5. Stir together and cook over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
  6. Sample and adjust seasoning as necessary. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
  7. Remove from heat and serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired.
Ground venison chili in a bowl with a spoon and topped with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Serving Suggestions and Chili Toppings

You should definitely consider some slammin’ sides to serve along with deer meat chili! Keep it simple with some Spicy Pico de Gallo and tortilla chips! Or enjoy a savory salad like this Tex-Mex Pasta Salad or Corn and Quinoa Salad.

For this deer meat chili recipe, I highly recommend pairing with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese to serve as a counterbalance to the heat. But you may also want to garnish with:

  • Corn chips
  • Tortilla chips
  • Croutons
  • Fresh or dried herbs, like oregano or thyme
  • Roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds
A bowl of homemade venison chili topped with sour cream and cheese and a spoon in the bowl.

Top Tips for the BEST Venison Chili

  • Tip 1. Cook the ground venison in a fat when browning. I like to use bacon grease, but you could also use olive or vegetable oil. Venison is very lean and benefits from the addition of a little fat.
  • Tip 2. Make it a day in advance. This chili is so great the next day. I would recommend this if your venison is a bit on the gamey side as letting it rest overnight helps the flavors infuse into the meat.
  • Tip 3. Season your venison however you'd like. You could do it simply with just salt and pepper. OR you could try one of my homemade seasonings and take it a Tex-Mex route.
  • Tip 4. New to cooking venison? You might want to try a 50/50 mixture of venison and beef if you would like to ensure the resulting chili won't taste gamey.

Recipe FAQs

Does venison chili taste gamey?

For the uninitiated, eating ground venison meat can be an experience, especially wild venison. Its flavor can be a bit unpredictable but it has a very distinct earthiness to it; it's also not as juicy as beef and is super lean and firm.

Venison chili is probably the best dish to make with venison, especially for those who don't like to taste any gaminess. The bacon grease, broth, sweet and acidic tomatoes, and robust spices in this chili recipe help to remove gamey flavor, while also infusing the ground venison with delicious chili flavors.

Does farm-raised deer meat taste the same as wild?

I've never eaten farm-raised venison, but I've heard it's very similar to wild-hunted deer meat (though I'd wager more consistent in flavor since the diet is controlled as well as the age at harvesting).

How should I store leftover deer meat chili?

Store leftover deer meat chili in a lidded container in the refrigerator and use it within 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3-6 months.

Can I cook venison meat chili in a slow cooker or Crockpot?

Yes! To make this deer meet chili in a slow cooker, I'd recommend browning the venison first. Once cooked, add all of the ingredients to a Crockpot and cook over HIGH for 4-6 hours, or LOW for 8-10 hours.

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If you tried this smoky and spicy Venison Chili recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!

A bowl of ground venison chili topped with sour cream and cheese and a spoon in the bowl.

Venison Chili (Smoky & Spicy!)

Christina Koncker
This Venison Chili recipe features ground venison punched up with spicy, smoky, umami flavors that play off the earthy flavor of deer meat, and paired with the usual chili suspects including fresh onion, bell peppers, and garlic.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people
Calories 356 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ pounds ground venison meat
  • meat seasoning of your choosing*
  • 2 tablespoons bacon grease (or extra virgin olive oil)
  • 5-6 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ medium yellow onion finely diced
  • ½ large red bell pepper finely diced
  • 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15.5 ounce can black beans (don’t strain, add the liquid to the chili)
  • ½ 7.5 ounce can chipotle en adobo peppers blended
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Cook ground venison in 1 tablespoon of bacon grease until browned, in a large pot over medium heat - and DON'T forget to season with salt and pepper. Remove the cooked venison from the pot and set aside.
    2 tablespoons bacon grease, 1 ½ pounds ground venison meat
  • Add ½ can of chipotle en adobo peppers to a food processor and process for 20-30 seconds. Set aside.
    ½ 7.5 ounce can chipotle en adobo peppers
  • Add 1 tablespoon of bacon grease to a large pot over medium heat. When it turns liquid, add diced onion, diced red bell pepper, and garlic to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    ½ medium yellow onion, ½ large red bell pepper, 5-6 cloves garlic
  • Add the ground venison, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans with liquid, blended chipotle en adobo peppers, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper to the pot and stir. 
    1 15 ounce can tomato sauce, 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, 1 15.5 ounce can black beans, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Cook over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
  • Sample and adjust seasoning as necessary. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
    salt and pepper, to taste
  • Remove from heat and serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired.

Notes

Season your venison however you'd like. Or try one of these homemade seasonings:
    • Taco seasoning (homemade!)
    • Adobo seasoning (homemade!)
    • Fajita seasoning (also homemade!)
 
*Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using an online nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 356kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 27gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 378mgPotassium: 788mgFiber: 14gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 642IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 5mg
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Christina from Midwexican

About Christina

I'm a Minnesota native who can't get enough of south-of-the-border flavors. My recipes combine comforting Midwestern eats with bold Mexican and Tex-Mex flavors. If you love comforting food, bold flavors, and - most importantly - tacos! then you'll love what I'm cooking!

Learn more about me

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