Best Crockpot Venison Chili Recipe

Crockpot venison chili is a healthy recipe with deer meat you’ll love. Add dry or canned beans to make this hearty dinner packed with protein and flavor. Whether you want to brown and add it into our 5 ingredient Crockpot Chili recipe or make more homemade from scratch, this is a delicious protein to use.

Deer Meat Chili

We are in Idaho which means that deer season is between August and December. If you got lucky last year and have some in your deep freezer you might want something beyond stew at this point (though that is good). Boy do we have a treat for you.

Get out some crushed tomatoes, onions of course, with beans (that last item is debatable depending on where you’re from). If you ask any Texan are always like “nope”. Decide for yourself friends, it is a go for us. Either way this is totally delish.

Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
2. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

Venison Chili Slow Cooker

Yes I make our Instant Pot chili all the time. It’s super cheap, a dump and go meal, but low and slow is honestly best when it comes to this Southern dish. The sauce and flavors get more of a chance to meld and soak together for the most flavorful bites possible.

What spices are good on deer meat?

Bay leaves, rosemary and sage work well with this type of protein. Some think it tastes a bit gamey, meaning that it has a strong flavor so stronger seasonings are suggested to tame that down a bit. Cooking it with low heat for a longer duration will help marry all of it together well, and make it quite tender at the same time.

What can I do with fresh deer meat?

If you are making our Ninja Foodi stew with it would cut it into smaller pieces, and braise the pieces before add it into the pot. This will get rid of some of the blood and fat. Adding onions, garlic and bacon will tame the more intense flavors of this type of meat, and are a great add into that meal anyway.

Follow these same tips if you make any of our other stew meat recipes using this instead of beef. If you have it ground by the butcher it will cook up more similar to any of our eas ground beef recipes EXCEPT for the fact that it is much leaner. SO you may need to add some olive oil to moisten things up.

Ground Deer Meat Recipe

As you can see there is usually less fat than if you bought a package of 80/20 at the store. That means it will cook up faster and not be as bland as it’s cheaper counterpart. If you are new to cooking with it you shouldn’t be scared though. Start with ground and move on to bite size pieces, and then later you’ll feel more comfortable with a steak.

Venison Chili Ingredients

1. Package of ground venison
2. Onion
3. Crushed tomatoes
4. Canned kidney beans are way easier but any beans will do
5. Salt and pepper
6. Chili powder or cayenne pepper for a bit of heat
7. I mean chopped roasted garlic would be fantastic if you had it on hand, garlic powder works too
8. Basil
9. Corn kernels give this a great texture, but is optional
10. Beef bone broth is way better than just using water

When done we usually serve this on a bed of Ninja Foodi rice (if you haven’t tried it it’s our go to method) with shredded cheese on top. OR just ladle it into bowls with freshly diced onions on top and go with that. 😉

Do you cook venison like ground beef?

Yes, you can cook similarly in many recipes, but there are some differences to keep in mind due to the fact that it is much leaner and often gamey flavor; you may want to add seasonings with the meat to tone down the flavor, be careful not to cook too long and dry it out (it doesn’t need long)

What is the best temperature for venison?

Venison ground meat should be cooked to a safe internal temperature of 160° F. If you had a really large pot you could easily double this for a large get together. There are only 4 of us left at home so I typically use my 6 quart for this. I will say that chili is by far the best Super Bowl meal to make. It is super duper cheap, feeds a crowd and everyone loves it.

• In a large skillet brown your ground meat and diced onions until it is lightly browned on the outside.
• Dump contents from pan into a slow cooker with all of your seasonings. Mix together to coat. Dump in beans drained and rinsed, and crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes are a good alternative.
• Fill tomato can with water or beef broth and pour into slow cooker. Add corn now if desired, stir everything together.
  • look at consistency, if you want it thicker add a small can of tomato sauce
• Let the chili cook on high for 4 hours or low (recommended) for 6-8 hours or until beans are as tender as you desire.
• Top with cheese and more diced onions, sour cream, chives, etc and enjoy.

If you are serving this for a brunch or event where people are eating for a number of hours just leave it on warm once it is done. It won’t hurt anything for an additional 2-3 hours this way, in fact it will make the flavors even better. With another slow cooker you could make a batch of Crockpot cornbread for a side dish.

Venison Chili with Beans

If you have kids or someone who is sensitive to anything spicy you might want to leave the chili seasonings out and just add those later on. I am all about mild chili but my husband and daughter like it more medium/hot so that has been the best way to adjust things for everyone.

Once you are all done consuming your slow cooker venison chili you need to cool it down completely before storing it. Once it is room temperature ladle it into containers that are about what you would heat up in one serving. It will last 3-4 days in your fridge. If you don’t think you’ll eat it before then then freeze it. Then make cowboy cornbread casserole with it!

You can use freezer bags or airtight containers to do this. Mark the date you did this and reheat within 3 months for best results. Allowing it to defrost overnight in the refrigerator is best, then pour into a microwave safe bowl for about 2 minutes stirring halfway thru. Or reheat on a pot on the stovetop.

Print recipe below and let us know what you think!