Venison Chili

We used ground venison for this recipe and it was perfect. It was a great tasting chili. It would be wonderful served over rice. Also, be sure to cut up the cooked bacon. Its a hearty, manly chili, but don't be afraid.

Excellent!!!! A show stopper!! I made a few changes at the suggestion of some of the reviews: used 1 lb ground venison and 2 cans black beans, drained; did not add the salt; did not add oil (bacon has enough fat to cook the venison); cut wine back to 1 cup + used about 1/4 cup to deglaze pan after cooking bacon and venison; used entire small can of tomato paste (6 oz/5 tbsp); doubled the chili powder and cayenne pepper; left out cilantro (allergy); did not have red wine vinegar so used 2 tbsp of GOOD balsamic vinegar. Turned out a little sweet, but I used a Spanish fortified wine that already is sweet, so with the dark brown sugar a little too sweet. I will use same wine and cut back on the dark brown sugar next time. I also will add some chipolte peppers for some smoky heat. Can't wait to make it again!!

This is an excellent recipe. My boyfriend wnet hunting and came back with far too much venison to know what to do with. I found this recipes and as soon as I read the ingredients, I knew this was gonna be good. And it was! My boyfriend brought a batch in to work and all his co-workers devoured it immediately. We added extra of the hot spices because we like our chili to have more of a "kick". I will certainly make this recipe again. Friends have already asked for the recipe.

This was very tasty! You should not add the salt to taste, just add it after you cook it IF you think it needs it, this came out WAY TOOOOO SALTY! This was like a very good stew, not chili, we like thick, HOT chili. This was still very tasty!

This was so good. I made a few changes to go with things on hand. used bullion cubes instead of broth and tomato sauce instead of paste. and garlic powder instead of cloves. I left out the cilantro. I don't usually like venison chili but this was great.

Very good recipe. Not the usual chili flavor, but still very good. Used all ground venison and served on rice. Family and friends really enjoyed it. I plan to make another batch and take it in to work. Recommend, as another reviewer has also, not adding the salt as in the recipe but using as seasoning at the table. Also recommend increasing the black beans to 4 cups. Could also eliminate the canola oil to fry the bacon. Frying 10 (chopped up) strips of bacon yields more than enough fat in which to brown the venison. Regardless, this is a GOOD recipe.

I love this recipe as do many of my friends. So much so that I change the quantities to fit 25 servings from the normal 7. My dad is the hunter in the family and I stumbled across this recipe last year during football season after he had given me a large quantity of the meat. I use roast meat that I hand cut down into about 1/2" x 1/2" cubes. I made this for some friends, many of whom had never had venison or said they did not like venison and it was a showstopper. In fact, the promise of this chili being made again this week is what convinced several of my friends to help me move this last weekend! A couple of changes that I make are 1: increase the tomato paste and add some flour/water mixture to thicken it up; 2: use a cab/merlot wine; 3: increase the spices, not too much because I love that it is slightly sweet and then the heat kicks in; and 4: I use the juices/fat that I get from frying the venison in the bacon fat and add it back in instead of some of the chicken stock to put back in all that wonderful flavor. When making the 25 servings it really does take much longer to reduce the liquid down but the wait is well worth it. I haven't had any problem with the salt but I add very little *relying mostly on the bacon drippings* and make sure to use unsalted butter. A wonderful recipe even for those who say that they don't like venison!

Oh soo good. One of the best chili's I've ever made. I left out the cilantro (simply because I don't like it). I was a little short on red wine too, but it was all ok in the end. Loved this one!

Great, Scotch! I'm not much for venison, but we have alot of ground deer burger. I've been looking for a recipe FOR DEER, not substituting from beef (those never seem quite right). This was really nice, even with the ground meat instead of chunks. Thank you much!

Excellent. The kids ate it up. So did Hubby who hates venison!

WAYYYY too much wine!

This recipe is really good for those of us who don't like the strong taste of venison. Both my wife and my mother like this chili and neither like venison. I did modify it slightly. Instead of red wine, I used 1 cup of port and instead of chili powder I used fajita seasoning and omitted the cilantro. HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this recipe!!!

A Very Hearty Chili! Different from any I have ever had before. The flavor is quite good. I used ground venison also, whole can of tomato paste, used southwestern blended chipotle chili powder and doubled it. I cooked it on high in the crock pot for 1.5 hours and served it with Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread. Thought we had died and we went to heaven stomach first!

Everyone though this was the best chili they had ever had! I added a jalapeno and lots of chili powder and chipolte chili powder to give it a kick. Served over rice with corn bread!

Tasty, flavorful, the BEST recipe that I have gotten from allrecipes.com. This was my first time cooking with venison and the chili turned out DELISH! Our modifications - I let the liquids reduce quite a bit so it wasn't soupy. It took longer than the recipe mentioned - but I was in no hurry. Also, I didn't have red wine on hand or red wine vinegar, so I substituted with white and it was simply wonderful. I skipped the additional salt, did not add oil to the bacon, and did drain most of the fat from the bacon/meat mixture before combining everything. I used 2 med sized onions and added extra bacon because we LOVE bacon. The spices were perfect for us - and ideal for my 5 year old. My husband adjusted the heat to his own dish to kick it up a bit. Finally, I cooked the meat till it was VERY well browned. It added a nice texture to the meal. We served it with tortilla chips, which the kids crunched up and sprinkled on their chili. This was truly the best tasting chili that I have ever had. A+++

This was GREAT! The reason I am only giving 3 stars is because, if you follow the recipe exactly, it tastes nothing like chili. It tastes more like a meaty stew. You can really taste the red wine flavor. It isn't spicy or "chili" flavored at all, so if that is what you are looking for, I would suggest at least doubling the cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.

Maybe this chili wasn't meant for the slow cooker, therefor it did not come out right.

This is a wonderful recipe. I made it with venison hamburger instead of stew meat and used about half the amount of wine. I also used a variety of dry beans, soaked overnight and then put it all in a crockpot for the day. When I came home from work I had dinner ready for an extended family dinner - and no complaints, not even from my picky little sister!

This is a unusual and delicious version of chili. We cooked ground venison, used 2/3rds the wine, and added several cups more black and kidney beans. Everything tasted great except the wine taste was way too strong for some members of our party, and the chili was very soupy despite extra time boiling to reduce liquid. So we'd try it again with maybe 1/3rd the wine, and overall reduce all the liquids for a less brothy chili. Thanks for the great recipe!

Man it up! A thicker and more savory twist. Like so many of you, I read numerous reviews before cooking and made some modifications to the recipe. Several women commented on how they loved the chili but it was too sweet for their husbands. I don't like sweet chili, so I cut the brown sugar in half (2 tablespoons). That was just right for me. Similarly, the soupy / watery texture was a common theme, so I cut most of the liquids in half (except I used about 3 quarters of the broth called for and a whole small can of tomato paste). If I do it again, I'll use more wine (than the half I used), the full amount of broth, and closer to the full amount of vinegar (to cut through all that fat). And speaking of fat, I only used 5 strips of bacon and no oil. Next time, I would reduce the butter by a tablespoon (and probably cut back on the bacon) - it was still quite rich! Also, like another commenter mentioned, cut up that bacon pretty well - before cooking it. That will get it crisper and help it to blend in better with the deer. Ultimately, I want to tell you that by reducing the sugar and liquids, this turned out to be an incredibly thick and meaty chili. And while it certainly is a different chili recipe, it clearly was chili - and a manly one at that, given the earthly flavors and thickness. The whole family loved it. It was probably the best chili I have made.

Yummy! We substituted ground beef for the venison and it was still amazing.. Definitely a must-try...

The other reviews convinced me to try this, and it was excellent! I also added some jalapeno and serrano peppers for extra heat, used half kidney and half pinto beans, and reduced the liquid by a quarter. I am sure that it would have been every bit as good as written, those are just my personal preferences.

I call this Chic Chili because the gals in our dinner group loved it, and the men said it didn't taste like normal chili. They were right; it was different, but DELICIOUS. How can you go wrong with a butter base and red wine reduction? The smell and taste was fabulous, but "too sweet" for the guys. My husband said he would eat it again if we added in more "chili" flavor. I would eat it again just as it is. The only alteration I made was 1/8 tsp red pepper instead of 1 tsp.

I have made and eaten many chilis and this is by far my favorite. I loved it and nothing to improve on just follow the recipe exactly.

This was a very good base, but it needed more... we added a can of diced stewed tomatoes, a can of kidney beans, several diced hot peppers and some extra hot spices and it was delicious.

Excellent Chili. It's definitely not the normal chili flavor, but excellent. I added a bunch of veggies, like carrots, zucchini, summer squash, celery and onion and cooked the whole thing in my slow cooker. I used venison chops. I could have left the meat on the bone and served as is, but I took the time to shred the meat and it was well worth it. It would have been nice to leave it on the bone too...for a nice dinner presentation. The meat was so very tender! Anyway, this is a keeper in my household. Thanks for sharing! UPDATE: I made last night with ground venison and it came out awesome...and it's less work!

Unbelievable. This recipe is a keeper. I used stew meat instead of venison and it came out wonderful. I also omitted the canola oil, fried the bacon, removed and then just browned the stew meat in the bacon drippings for 15 min. Don't think twice. Just try this one.

My husband and I were wowed by this recipe. I don't care much for venison, but my husband does and we both loved this hearty soup. I used cooking wine instead of the real deal. This chili also freezes well. It requires quite a bit of prep work, but worth every minute - it's a keeper.

Reduction took a little longer but it's worth the effort! I had to substitute parsley for cilantro.

This was amazing! I come from a hunting family. This was the first time we diced some elk up to use in chili. This isn't your average chili. It was so flavorful! Mine turned out a little more like a soup, but it was delicious! Next time I think I will try using kidney beans. It took a little longer than an hour and a half, like suggested.

I really loved this recipe! Verry tasty especially the next day!

Absolutely delicious!! Would add more beans but other than that good just like it is.

Every time I make this recipe I get fantastic reviews. Of course when you kill a deer you have plenty of meat to go around, and this chili is a great way use up all that meat. In addition, chili recipes are always so dynamic...you can add ingredients at any point to alter the taste if needed. I usually add 2 cans of seasoned black beans with jalapenos because we like more spice, instead of the regular 2 cups of black beans. I also substitute the cayenne and chili powder with a cajun seasoning for ease. Instead of cooking everything in a big pot, I saute the onion and garlic as specified, then add that plus the vinegar, tomato paste, chicken stock, etc. in a crock pot on high. Then add the cut-up cooked bacon, cooked venison, and beans in the crock pot. Give it a good stir and let the ingredients mix on high temp until the chili reaches the desired consistency and flavor. For me that's about 12 hours. But the nice thing about this method is you can mix everything the night before, put the crock pot on whatever temperature you desire, and have dinner ready when you get back from work the next day!

Love this Chili! I'm always looking for different ways to prepare venison and this is one of the best

This recipe is incredible. My husband is a hunter and I made this recipe for a crowd at the cabin and it was a hit. Now I'm asked to make it every year. I made it exactly as is with the exception of using ground venison. We serve it with corn muffins. It is true that it is not like traditional chili but I think that is what makes it so great. When everyone has eaten more than their fair share of chili for the season, they will change their mind when they try this! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!

My family enjoyed this recipe, so much that my 11 year-old twins wanted the leftovers for breakfast! I added a can of pinto beans and only used 1 T brown sugar. I also was generous with the seasonings, and tripled the chili powder. Served over rice, and topped with plain yogurt. This is our new venison chili favorite. I vowed to use up all the ground venison in our freezer with this recipe. Thank you To Scotch!

I had my doubts how a bottle of wine could make a good chili sauce, but I was pleasantly surprised. I followed the recipe exactly except for adding 2 habanero, 2 serrano, and 4 jalapeno peppers for extra heat. I will make this recipe again the same way.

BLAH!

Very good. Not your usual chili flavor but unique and good. Didn't have cilantro and added 2 habanero peppers. Think I would omit bacon next time just to decrease fat. Thanks for sharing.

This is delicious !! My first time tasting venison, but not my last. Husband loved it.

Great flavor! This was thin, like stew, so since I prefer thicker consistency I added flour during the last bit of cooking.

SO yummy. This is the 2nd time I made this recipe with ground venison and it turned out fantastic, The first time I made it I don't think I let the broth/wine reduce long enough, as it was a little strong with the vinegar taste. I also used the entire can of tomato paste last time and found that I like this recipe better when using only the 4 tablespoons it calls for. I used a dry cab for the wine, ground venison and no cilantro (as I didn't have any), and it was perfect. Really great recipe and will be using for my next chili cook-off competition with friends! I'm a noob with venison and this was well worth the effort!

I was looking for a sweet chili recipe that didn't use ground beef and this one hit the spot. I used moose stew meat since that's what I had. I followed the 4th suggestion down: 1 1/2 cups wine, balsamic vinegar, boullion, full small can of tomato paste, extra chili powder, no salt or oil and 2 cans of beans. So definitely not followed to a T, but it was a great starting point. And the flavors were simply divine. Who doesn't love red wine and bacon?

Great chilli! I used half ground beef and half ground venison. It was delicious! This would be great with some Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins. The red wine is perfect with the venison.

This is an awesome venison chili, everyone loved it. We made it without the cilantro the first time and liked it better than with the cilantro the second, just personal preference probably.

I too used ground venison for my version and it was excellent! Earlier reviews had intimated that the dish was not quite as fiery as one would expect chili to be, so I doubled the cayenne. I would still rate the end product to be a mild to medium chili, but the extra cayenne was a big help and added a bit of "after-glow". As far a cooking the meat, I omitted the canola oil and just used most of the bacon grease for the cooking fat for the venison. (After frying the bacon I poured out the grease and deglazed the pan with red wine. I added the resulting liquor and bits to the stock, and then returned most of the bacon grease to the pan to fry the venison) I took another shortcut by using two cans of black beans, drained but not rinsed instead of cooking 2 cups of dry beans. Also, make sure your reduction ends up on the high side of half or you won't have quite enough liquid.

This chili is amazing, we used 1lb of ground venison and 1lb of ground beef to cut down the gamey taste for those who aren't such a fan. My boyfriend is an immediate fan though, made it for dinner last night had some for lunch and he's already talking about he wants it again for dinner tonight! Good thing its a big batch!

I think this is pretty good! I have not had a full serving yet, but have been sampling all evening. I didn't make any changes except for the fact that my chicken broth was already seasoned with oregano and rosemary. I was a bit worried with all the red wine, as I'm not a huge wine drinker, and the chili was sooo red, but it tastes great. I also used ground venison.

We love this different version of chili. I did not give it 5 stars due to a few adjustments I felt it needed for us. I wanted a thicker stew-like chili so I reduced the chicken broth by 1/2 and used only 1 cup of red wine. For ease, I used about 1/2 to 1 cup of real bacon bits to cook the venison. I also omitted the cilantro. Instead of tomato paste, I drained a can of chopped tomatoes and added this. I think this would be good with beef as well. It was so delicious, I am preparing it for my supper club.

This is a very good recipe. We did cut the chicken stock down and only added 2 cups.

This chili is so good. I used 1.5 lb of ground and 1 lb of cubed venison. I decreased the brown sugar to 3 tbl, used white wine vinegar because I didn't have red and a full can of paste. I used a can of kidney, pinto and black beans., doubled the chili powder which gave it a little kick and it was only slightly sweet. No cilantro. I will definitely make this again.

i love this chili its great because i love venison meat!!

Loved this recipe with a few alterations. I followed other reviewer's advice and cut the wine to 1.5 cups plus some for deglazing, doubled chili powder, but instead of doubling cayenne, I added 1/2 tsp black pepper. I did not add cilantro. I didn't have black beans so I used 16 Oz dried red kidney beans. I soaked them and cooked them separately with a little bit of salt and a bay leaf. I did not drain it before adding it to the pot. I also just used the bacon fat instead of using canola oil to cook the venison. I am not sure how much venison I had. It maybe somewhere between 1 and 2lbs. I think next time we might add a little bit of chopped tomatoes. Oh, I also just used the whole 6oz can of tomato paste.

It was more like a stew; glad I made some white rice on the side. My husband wasn't a fan of the sweet taste, but we did enjoy it.

Great chili! I used 1 lb ground venison and 1 lb pork sausage, 2 small white onions bc i didn't have a red one, 1 1/2 cups of wine, dried cilantro because the store was out of fresh, 1/4 tsp cayenne and 2 heaping tsp chili powder, and I added a can of pinto and a can of kidney beans because we like beans :) better than other venison chili recipes I have tried!

Wonderful! Very different from typical chili--more complex and sophisticated (definitely NOT for spaghetti red or chili dogs). I used ground venison. No hitches there. For the wine I used a cheap Cabernet Sauvignon, which provided a very nice flavor.

Excelent. My husband just told me this is the best chili he has ever had. I had to use what I had on hand since we live quite a few miles from town. I used venison summer sausage in place of bacon. I used round steak from our Elk this year. I substituted apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar. I also had vegetable base instead of chicken.

This recipes is excellent! I doubled the cayenne and chili powder per another review, b/c living on the border, everyone likes a little more spice. Also, while defrosting the meat I put it in some milk to take some of the game taste out. Thanks for posting!

I made this with ground venison.... with a couple of modifications. Everyone in my family loved it! So here is what I did. First, I used all of the ingredients listed and I would highly recommend that they all be used. BUT I tripled the chili powder and cumin. Also, once I added the meat to the liquid I could tell it was not going to be the hearty stew texture that my family likes (as other reviews have said- it is soupy if you follow the recipe exactly) so I quickly browned some ground turkey I had and added that to the pot. It was the perfect texture. Summarizing- add a pound of meat and spice it up a bit more with the chili powder...perfecto.

I made this yesterday with some ground venison my father-in-law hunted. I didn't have red wine, so I substituted with some cranberry pomegranate juice I had on hand. Worked wonderfully! This is a delicious recipe!!

This is the best! We weren't sure at all what to expect, but we were far from disappointed. LOVE! So flavorful.

This is the best chili I have ever made.... and I have made many. Perfect for a snowy, cold day. I used a cheap bottle of merlot and it turned out perfect!

Fantastic! I used moose instead which was super lean. I added a bit of cinnamon and some extra diced tomatoes. What a beautiful red chili we had.

This is excellent - have made it 5 or 6 times. I suggest making sure you use thick cut bacon with good fat content (since venison is very lean) to add flavor. We've used a peppered bacon as well and found that to add a subtle spicy-ness. We cook the onion (substituted shallots) and garlic longer than the recipe states, and de-glaze the pot with some of the wine - this adds another splash of great flavor. One of our household adds shaved Parmesan on top to garnish - a nice touch. Goes over really well on a cold evening - better on the second day as are most pots of chili!

I have made this twice and it was a big hit!

I've never personally cooked venison and this receipe made my first try easy and delicious. Some modifications: - 3/4 an onion instead of a full one. - omitted the brown sugar and bacon because I didn't have any (but I bet it'd make it better) - Cut the wine in half to 1 1/2 cups. - Subbed chipotle chili pepper instead of cayenne and doubled the chili powder - Used half ground beef and half ground venison - Subbed black beans with one can rinsed kidney beans and one can rinsed pinto beans I think it would also be good to throw in a can of drained corn. Served with corn bread.

Delicious. Made it without the bacon, because we don't eat pork, but it didn't seem to be missing anything! Also used ground venison. Thanks for this amazing recipe :)

Was given some fresh, very fresh, ground deer meat yesterday, hunted off local land. Made this today with only one substitution: refried beans instead of black whole ones. I liked that this was not tomato based, because I realized last minute I didn't have any crushed tomatoes on hand, but I did have a bottle of red cooking wine. Did a little extra on the spices, even threw in some Hungarian paprika. Made it with large pasta shells and baked some cornbread from scratch. Absolutely delicious.

I make this every year, and save some for the freezer! I use ground venison instead of stew meat, and I highly recommend using Fetzer's Merlot as the wine (it will be the whole bottle, just dump). Make sure that you simmer it and allow it to reduce! It will thicken some, but it gets a much richer flavor than if you tried eating it with more of a soupy, watery consistancy (we've tried both). No other changes needed.

I made this recipe with a few changes. I made it as a stew as some other people recommended. I left out the chicken broth and beans and followed the rest of the recipe as is except I added potatoes, carrots and two cans of cream of mushroom soup, it was wonderful. Served it over wide egg noodles, everyone loved it. Can't hardly taste the wild gamey taste. I will make this again for sure.

The best venison chili I have ever had. I went exactly by the recipe and it was amazing!

did not add salt. Use a whole can of tomato paste. Added a can of mild Rotelle because it was too sweet. Added a can of corn.

this came out great!!!

My husband's eyes were rolling back in his head after I made this, and I didn't even had the chance to let it 'brew' yet - always better the next day! I followed the recommendations of a number of reviewers. For this recipe, I doubled the amount of beans, using one can of black beans and one can of red kidney beans. I halved the amount of wine (3 cups, really??). I used a regular cooking onion instead of red, doubled the amount of cumin and cayenne, and omitted both the oil for the bacon and the salt for the venison. Finally, instead of the chilli powder, I added one chipotle pepper for smokiness, and half a jalapeno (this was playing it safe - I think I might do a whole jalapeno next time). Be prepared to let the liquids reduce a bit longer than 30 minutes as it can be a bit soupy (adding flour helped). Next time, I will try this with ground venison, although hubby insists it was absolutely perfect the first time.

This chili came out very thick with a few modifications. As always, i love some sour cream and cheese in my chili, otherwise it just doesn't cut it. Also, make sure you have some good bread to go with the chili.

I did not care for this recipe. I followed the recipe step by step. Tasted very winey and vinegary and I only used 1 cup of wine vs what the recipe tells you. I continued letting it slow cook in the crock pot hoping some different flavors would set in but they didnt.

Whole family loves this chili, even the “I don’t like venison “ folks. Thanks for the great recipe. Making it into a pot pie tonight.

This was amazing! My family loved it, as well as the hunter that gave us the meat. He said it was the best venison chili he has ever had. Definately a different flavor, not a typical spicy chili, but amazing in its own right!

I was surprised to find this recipe here, it’s been in my binder for quite some time. Because it comes out with no gamey taste and has the most wonderful, deep flavors, this is the only way I make it. The note I have on my recipe states that it comes from “Chef David Burke of the Park Avenue Cafe”.

Only change to the recipe was the addition of chopped de Arbol peppers. Chili ain’t chili without some natural heat. Bring it!

this recipes is great....i use a merlot wine...and usually make a triple batch :) yummmy

Very flavorful and satisfying chili!

I had a hard time seeing this as chili with all the wine in it. I tried it and the taste was ok, but not chili in my opinion.

This is an unusual chili but good. It has a sweet, smokey almost BBQ like flavor to it rather than a spicy mexican style chili. I was pleasantly surprised. I used deer burger in this recipe followed the recipe straight up. Not gamey at all. Give it a try if you are looking for a new way to cook venison.

Absolutely fantastic. Used ground venison, and cut back the cayenne a bit for husband's taste, but absolutely the best chili I have ever had. So much depth in flavor. Kudos to its creator.

super easy and good. I didn't have tomato paste so I substituted a large can of diced tomatoes instead of the paste and broth. Excellent!

This was delicious!! I added a jalapeño and a banana pepper for flavor, otherwise followed recipe exactly. Best venison chili I've ever had!!

I adjusted the recipe a bit by adding 1 can of red beans and 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes. I think I should have only done one can of tomatoes, or I put too much tomato paste in it, because it came out a bit tomatoey. But actually still very good.

I loved this recipe. I even make this at campouts over a fire in a dutch oven. i let it simmer slowly for 2 hours and seldom have leftovers.

Definitely would make it again!! My wife (even though she is not impressed with wild meat) thoroughly enjoyed. A keeper!

Pretty good. Quite rich so you do not want a lot. Definitely worth trying.

Good stuff! I did tweak slightly by using a cornstarch slurry to thicken it a bit. More a personal preference than anything. Used half burger and half stew meat to provide different textures.

Love it! I add diced smoked chipotle peppers and crushed red pepper. That makes for a sweet smokey spice. I also use 3lbs of ground vension mixed 50/50 with pork.

Very Delicious!!!

Added a whole jalapeño, not for the faint of heart, but very delicious! Probably the best chili I've ever made

better than beef any day :)

Not chili. Too sweet.

I made this last night and it was SOOOOOO delicious. My husband said it was the BEST I've ever made. I didn't have bacon so I just used a little butter and olive mix to cook the venison in as it doesn't have much fat in it. I also added a small can of stewed tomatoes. Fantastic...I really think the red wine makes the flavor go beyond the typical chili recipe!!

This is very tasty. I am always looking for new ways to prepare game. I do recommend spicing it up with a little hot pepper.