SLOW COOKER VENISON GREEN CHILI CON CARNE
Venison shoulder, neck, or shanks are slow-cooked with roasted green chiles, tomatoes, onions, and stock until tender, then finished with a blended chile sauce. It makes a rich green chile con carne that works well on its own or over rice.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil (olive, bacon fat or pork lard)
- 2 pounds boneless venison shoulder, neck or shanks
- 3 poblano peppers (5 hatch chilies or 1 cup canned roasted green chiles)
- 1 jalapeno
- 2 onions, sliced thick
- 2 cups diced tomatoes, or one 15 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 3/4 cups stock (venison or beef)
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a large skillet heat the cooking oil over medium high heat. Season the venison with salt and pepper to your liking. Once the pan is hot, sear the venison on all sides until golden brown. Work in batches if you need to, overcrowding the pan will cause your meat to steam rather than sear. Set the meat to the side.
- If using fresh chiles, follow this step. Under your broiler or on your grill, roast the poblanos and jalapeno until they are charred. Remove from the heat and place in a blow covered with a towel. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the outer layer of skin and the seeds from the peppers. Chop them roughly with a knife.
- In the bottom of your slow cooker, add the sliced onions. Place the venison on top of the onions followed by the remaining ingredients. Season with about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and black pepper to your liking.
- Cook in your slow-cooker on the high setting for 6 to 8 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Remove the deer meat from the cooker. While reserving the cooking liquid to use as a sauce, strain the cooking liquid. Add the strained vegetables and herbs to a blender. Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to make a sauce to your desired thickness. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Add chopped fresh cilantro to your liking as well.
- Pour your pureed sauce over the meat and stir to combine.
NOTES
- Brown the venison first. Sear it on all sides until golden brown before adding it to the slow cooker, so the finished chili has better depth. Work in batches if needed so the meat browns rather than steams.
- Roast fresh chiles if using. Char the poblanos and jalapenos, then steam them, then peel and seed them before chopping. Canned roasted green chiles and canned fire-roasted tomatoes also work as a shortcut.
- Build the cooker in layers. Put the sliced onions in first, set the venison on top, then add the chiles, tomatoes, herbs, stock, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.
- Cook until fork-tender. Run it on high for 6 to 8 hours and go by texture more than the clock. The meat should pull apart easily before you finish the sauce.
- Blend the sauce at the end. Remove the venison, strain the cooking liquid, then blend the cooked vegetables and herbs with enough of the reserved liquid to make the sauce as thick or loose as you want.
- Season after blending. Taste the finished sauce and adjust with salt, black pepper, cilantro, honey, chile flakes, or hot sauce depending on how you want it to land.
- Store it for later. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat.
Nutrition
Calories: 402kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 193mg | Sodium: 554mg | Potassium: 1202mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 740IU | Vitamin C: 91mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 10mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
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