The Best Venison Chili Ever.

I have a weakness for chili. I think I have always loved it. I will admit that I was really picky when I was little and only ate the meat out of it, but I have grown up and the more chunks the better!

I make chili for our family about once a week so I have gotten pretty good at it. I don't use the packaged seasoning mixes since they all have gluten and tons of chemicals in them. Plus, it maybe takes about 20 seconds longer to put together your own seasoning. I didn't take pictures of every step...just the end result.

I used just over a pound of meat...I cubed two venison steaks and a couple of pork chops and tossed them in the pan to brown (I used 1T. of bacon drippings for this as the venison is so lean that it drys out without some nice fat). I then added a can of red beans, two cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup beef stock, and all my seasonings. I let it simmer for a bit and hit the cutting board. I chopped one sweet onion and one bell pepper. In a separate pan I sauteed the peppers and onions until they were soft and the onions were almost translucent. At this point I added them to the meat mix and kept on simmering.

I really want to stop using canned tomato products. We have a veggie share from a local farm for the summer and we have our small garden in the backyard. Between the two, I hope to can enough tomatoes to get us through next winter and spring.

Now that I went off on a tangent, let me get back to my chili.

Here is the picture of The Best Venison Chili Ever

....and for the actual recipe....

1-2 lbs. cubed/ground/shredded meat (pork, beef, venison, turkey, chicken, etc..)
1 bell pepper
1 sweet onion
1-3 jalapeno (however much you want for your preferred amount of kick)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can red beans
2 T chili powder
1 T garlic powder (or 3-4 cloves)
dash of oregano
dash of red pepper
1 t. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 - 2 T bacon drippings or butter (we are dairy free so no butter here)
1/4 c. beef stock

Cube venison steaks and a couple of pork chops and tossed them in the pan to brown (I used 1T. of bacon drippings for this as the venison is so lean that it drys out without some nice fat). I then added a can of red beans, two cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup beef stock, and all my seasonings. I let it simmer for a bit and hit the cutting board. I chopped the sweet onion and the peppers. In a separate pan I sauteed the peppers and onions until they were soft and the onions were almost translucent. At this point I added them to the meat mix and kept on simmering.

You can top the chili with some nice fresh avocado for a yummy creamy texture.

Enjoy, I know we did!