Duration
2.5 hours
Serves
6 to 8
I’ll immediately get my bragging out of the way: The contest organizer said that I won “in a landslide.” According to her, “Everyone that tried chili voted for yours.” I’m going to be riding that high until next year’s competition.
Now that that’s out of my system, let me tell you about the recipe.
I think there are two things that make this chili unique. The first is that I use hot Italian sausage instead of plain burger. A lot of the herbs and spices in Italian sausage, like black pepper, red pepper, paprika, onion, and garlic, are familiar chili ingredients. By using sausage in your chili, you’re getting a head start on the flavor-making process.
The second thing that makes this recipe different is the can of maple baked beans. I got this hot tip from a deer hunter in Kentucky back in 2016. That good ol’ boy told me that his wife regularly wins their church’s chili cook-off and that her secret ingredient is baked beans. Since that day, I haven’t made a pot of chili without a can of baked beans in it.
The rest of the ingredients are pretty traditional chili components and allow a lot of room for personal preference. Want it spicier? Double the amount of ancho chili powder. Want it sweeter? Add another spoonful of brown sugar. Want it thicker? Only use a cup of broth. Change nothing at all? You’ll have a bowl of award-winning chili.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground venison burger
- 1 lb. ground venison hot Italian sausage
- 5 strips of bacon, sliced
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 22 oz. can maple baked beans, undrained
- 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
- 15 oz. can black beans, drained
- 20 oz. can diced tomatoes and chopped green chilies, undrained
- 8 oz. can diced green chilies, undrained
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 2 cups venison broth
- 3 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tbsp. ancho chili powder
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. salt
- Tortilla strips, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro for toppings
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Cook the sliced bacon in the Dutch oven. Remove the bacon from the pot, but leave the bacon grease.
- Add the diced bell peppers and diced onion to the pot. Cook until softened. You should have enough bacon grease for this step, but if not, add some additional oil or butter to the pot. Once the veggies are soft, remove them from the Dutch oven.
- Add the sausage and burger to the pot. Cook until browned, then drain the grease. (You can combine steps 2 and 3 by cooking everything at the same time, but I find that this overcrowds my Dutch oven and ends up steaming the meat and veggies instead of browning them.)
- Add all other ingredients to the pot (including the bacon, bell peppers, and onions). Simmer for two hours. Stir every 30 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite chili toppings, like tortilla strips, shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.
I’ll immediately get my bragging out of the way: The contest organizer said that I won “in a landslide.” According to her, “Everyone that tried chili voted for yours.” I’m going to be riding that high until next year’s competition.
Now that that’s out of my system, let me tell you about the recipe.
I think there are two things that make this chili unique. The first is that I use hot Italian sausage instead of plain burger. A lot of the herbs and spices in Italian sausage, like black pepper, red pepper, paprika, onion, and garlic, are familiar chili ingredients. By using sausage in your chili, you’re getting a head start on the flavor-making process.
The second thing that makes this recipe different is the can of maple baked beans. I got this hot tip from a deer hunter in Kentucky back in 2016. That good ol’ boy told me that his wife regularly wins their church’s chili cook-off and that her secret ingredient is baked beans. Since that day, I haven’t made a pot of chili without a can of baked beans in it.
The rest of the ingredients are pretty traditional chili components and allow a lot of room for personal preference. Want it spicier? Double the amount of ancho chili powder. Want it sweeter? Add another spoonful of brown sugar. Want it thicker? Only use a cup of broth. Change nothing at all? You’ll have a bowl of award-winning chili.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground venison burger
- 1 lb. ground venison hot Italian sausage
- 5 strips of bacon, sliced
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 22 oz. can maple baked beans, undrained
- 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
- 15 oz. can black beans, drained
- 20 oz. can diced tomatoes and chopped green chilies, undrained
- 8 oz. can diced green chilies, undrained
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 2 cups venison broth
- 3 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tbsp. ancho chili powder
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. salt
- Tortilla strips, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro for toppings
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Cook the sliced bacon in the Dutch oven. Remove the bacon from the pot, but leave the bacon grease.
- Add the diced bell peppers and diced onion to the pot. Cook until softened. You should have enough bacon grease for this step, but if not, add some additional oil or butter to the pot. Once the veggies are soft, remove them from the Dutch oven.
- Add the sausage and burger to the pot. Cook until browned, then drain the grease. (You can combine steps 2 and 3 by cooking everything at the same time, but I find that this overcrowds my Dutch oven and ends up steaming the meat and veggies instead of browning them.)
- Add all other ingredients to the pot (including the bacon, bell peppers, and onions). Simmer for two hours. Stir every 30 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite chili toppings, like tortilla strips, shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.