My brother in law Stu is also here from England and wanted to make some chili. I had a good recipe from a couple of years ago and updated it to take advantage of my fresh tomatoes and venison. Unfortunately, he is leaving Saturday so I had to make it myself and not with him, so are some detailed instructions, followed by a printable recipe.
Both recipes start basically the same way, with some fat and meat... what a great way to start out the recipe. Don't worry if you can't find the beef heart for the first recipe, just substitute more ground beef. I like the heart because it adds another texture to the final chili.
When the meat is done, add the peppers and onions. In the 2012 recipe I used some mild peppers in adobo sauce that I had made at home. You can use Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce, but be careful as they can add a lot of heat.
Once the peppers and onions are soft, add the spices and let them get fragrant. I like to stir everything to the side of my pan, let the bottom get good and hot and dump the spices right in the middle. Stir them a little and the smell will be amazing. after about a minute, stir everything together.
Now add the liquids, tomatoes, broth and beer. Don't worry about what kind of beer, I used Corona for the 2014 and i think Labbat for the 2012. Bring everything to a boil and then down to the simmer.
Oh yeah, the smoked bone. I found one of these at a local butcher. It adds a really nice smoky flavor as well as it looks really cool when you use it to stir the chili as it sticks out of the pan. For the 2014 I had some bones I had saved from some smoked porkchops.
Then I turn everything on low and let it simmer over night. this is really the secret to a good soup, stew, or chili in my opinion. Then the following morning, give it a final seasoning check, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Enjoy!
Chili 2012
½ c Bacon
Fat
1 ½ lb
Ground Sirloin
1 lb Ground
Beef Heart
1 lb Diced
Sirloin
1 Onion,
diced
2 Green
Peppers, diced
1 T Cumin
1 T Oregano
2 T Paprika
1 T Thyme
1 T Granulated Garlic
1 #10 Can Diced Tomatoes
4 c Beef
Stock
Smoked Bone
2 12oz
bottle beer
6 oz Tomato
paste
Mild
Peppers in Adobo Sauce, chopped
Salt and
Pepper TT
1.
Cook beef in bacon fat, add onions and peppers
2.
Saute 10 minutes
3.
Return meat to pan and add tomatoes, stock, bone
and beer
4.
Simmer 1 hour
5.
Add remaining ingredients and season with salt
and pepper
6.
Remove bone and serve
Chili
2014
½ c Olive Oil
3# Ground Venison
1 Onion, diced
2 Green Peppers, diced
2 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded, minced
1 T Instant Coffee
1 T Cumin
1 T Oregano
2 T Paprika
1 T Thyme
1 T Granulated Garlic
12 c Fresh Tomatoes, diced
4 c Beef Stock Smoked Bone
2
- 12oz bottle beer
16
oz Tomato paste
Salt and Pepper TT 1.
1.
Cook
venison in olive oil
2. Add onions and peppers and s
3. Add spices and stir to coat, sauté 2 minutes
4. Add tomatoes, stock, bone and beer, simmer
1 hour
5.
Add
remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper
6.
Remove
bone and serve
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I also made some killer Venison Quesadillas, check these out to.
Venison Quesadillas
2 T Olive Oil
1# Ground Venison
1/2 Red Onion, cut into 1/8 inch rings
1 Red Bell Peppers, diced
3 T Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Celery Salt
Salt and pepper TT
1/4 pound Good Irish Cheddar Cheese, such as Dubliner, shaved
4 Flour Tortillas
Cooking Spray
1.
Cook
venison in olive oil
2.
Add onions and peppers and s
3. Add balsamic, celery salt and 1 cup of water simmer
1 hour, careful not to let it dry out
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, set aside
5.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
6. Spray tortillas and place on a baking sheet
7. Divide venison onion mixture on to the tortillas
8. Top with cheese and fold tortillas over
9. Bake 10 - 12 minutes until golden brown
10. cut into triangles and serve immediately
** Notes, I used Fustini (www.fustinis.com) Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar which added a nice fruity complement to the gaminess of the venison
