5 Venison Chili Recipes That Get the Most Out Of Your Harvest

Few things will ever honor venison like a good, hot, hearty bowl of chili. Sure, stews are versatile and delicious, but chili packs a punch that no other soup-like dish can match. Venison chili may be one of the greatest ways to eat wild game. Check out some of our favorite venison chili recipes below. Try them one by one, checklist style, and let us know which is your favorite.

1. Crockpot Venison Chili

All the benefits of a delicious chili dinner plus the hands-off ease of a crockpot? Sign us up. It is the brainchild of outdoorswoman Christi Holmes, who came up with it as an easy dinner after a long day ice fishing.

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"This chili is something you can just throw together for when you come home and you're exhausted," Holmes said. 

This crockpot venison chili recipe will probably quickly become one of your go-tos. 

Recipe via: Down East

Ingredients: 

• 2  pounds venison burger 
• 3  28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped (leave the seeds in if you like it spicy)
• 1?2 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 1?4 cup chili powder
• 1 15-ounce can corn, drained

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2. Venison Chili Con Carne

Something about bacon makes it the perfect addition to everything. No, seriously, everything—even chocolate. This chili recipe includes some of my favorite pepper (chipotle), a little dose of jalapeno, and a hearty portion of bacon to add fat to the lean venison meat. If you only have ground venison available, this recipe is still possible, though we do recommend using the stew meat to get the correct texture.

Recipe via: Buckmasters.com

Ingredients:

• 1 16-ounce can tomatoes, diced
• 3 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobe sauce
• 5 slices bacon, finely chopped
• 4 pounds venison stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped
• 1 can kidney beans
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow corn mix

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3. Hearty Chunk Venison Chili

A unique chili recipe that combines two staple wild game meats: venison and turkey. This dish is super cozy and could easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.

Recipe via: Mama Hen's Kitchen 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 lb. ground venison
• 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
• 30 oz. tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. seasoning (Zatarain's, Cajun seasoning)
• 2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

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4. No Beans, Tex-Mex Style Venison Chili

If you like a little zest to your chili, here's a good one. Tex-Mex is one of the great benefits of living down South, where finding things like Mexican Oregano isn't that difficult. If you're up north, though, check out your local organic supermarket or make a visit to a specialty spice shop. They're likely to carry it, as well as all of the other tasty spices you'll need to complete this recipe.

Recipe via: Food Network

Ingredients:

5. The Chile-Lover's Venison Chili

We're huge fans of Hank Shaw over at Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook, and this recipe stands as witness to his mastery of wild game meats and traditional cooking methods. Like Hank mentions in his recipe, this can be tweaked to serve your own chili preferences, but what we like so much about it is the dried chiles he purees with coffee to serve as the "backbone" of this dish. If you're serious about making a chili that would rival any state cook-off, this is the one.

Recipe via: Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pinto beans or kidney beans
• 4 each, dried ancho, guajillo, pasilla, cascabel, mirasol or mulato chiles
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6-8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 habanero, fresh, if they're in season
• 2 pounds ground venison or ground beef
• 1 pound sausage, taken out of skin and broken up (venison or pork is fine)
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped or one small can
• 1 cup of weak coffee
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• Beef or venison broth (have a quart ready)
• At least 2 tablespoons salt
• Cilantro and shredded cheese to garnish

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6. No Frills, No Heat Venison Chili

Being from Texas, I personally think it's a crime to make chili without chilies, but to each his or her own. This simple recipe is easy enough to whip up and will make for an all-around crowd pleaser for those who like to be able to season things on their own. This recipe calls for ground pork to add fat to the very lean venison meat, but you could also use 80/20 beef if you so desired.

Recipe via: Sugarcrafter

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground venison
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp hot sauce (I like Frank's)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 can (24 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 large can (40.5 ounces) dark red kidney beans
• Cheddar cheese, for topping

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READ MORE: WILD GAME AND BOURBON TEAM UP IN THIS DELICIOUS JIM BEAM VENISON PASTA RECIPE