Venison Chili

Venison. 
Being the daughter of a devout hunter, I grew up on wild game.
From Deer Meat to Fresh Fish to Duck and Wild Turkey...
Hunters are the best solutions to the overpopulation of deer. The other options include birth control, poisons, relocating populations, harvesting and nothing.
All of the above options are very unnatural and actually harmful to the environment.
Hunters provide a natural (the way humans as animals should be getting our food) way to control them.
It's part of the circle of life in nature.

That being said. Venison is one of the best red meats that you can eat.
-Because it's wild, it is naturally grass fed and has no chemicals, additives, antibiotics, added hormones... etc.
-Venison has a very low fat content. Just lean meat.
-It contains a lot of iron, great for women. Iron is a necessary component that transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells and is also part of key enzyme system for energy production and metabolism.
(Source)
-Its high riboflavin content helps reduce migranes and headaches.
-Venison has a very low amount of cholesterol, even less than chicken, so it's a great choice for those who are vulnerable to heart disease.
-When it is fresh it has a rich, woody flavor and after it is frozen it is safer for you to eat, guarenteeing that parasites that may be present will have died in the freezer. Either way, it's a win/win situation.
-It is rich in protein, iron, vitamin B12, B6, riboflavin and niacin.

Venison can be a substitute for beef in most cases. Although, because it is so lean, it often needs additives (in burgers for instance) to stay moist while being cooked.
In chili, however, this is not the case since it is in a globby mixture anyways.
The cool thing too about chili is that there is really no wrong answer. As long as you have the meat, the beans and tomato sauce, everything else just makes it your own! My chili is rarely the same twice.
Here's my basic recipe, based on Kevin Blewett's Famous Venison Chili.

Dad's Famous Chili















(Sorry this isn't the most appetizing photo... I need to work on my food photography)

Ingredients:

1 Package Venison burger (about a pound)
1 Package Chili-O seasoning

1 28oz can Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes

2 cups Wegmans Organic Pasta Sauce

1 can Dark Red Kidney beans (organic)

1 can Chili beans (organic)
1/2 Red Onion (organic)
1/2 White onion (organic)
2 Peppers, One red, One green (organic)
1 Jalapeño pepper, small
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup (or less to taste) Brown Sugar
A few squirts of Franks Red Hot sauce
Sea Salt

Organic Yams
Potatoes

Preparation:
1. Brown Venison on the stove, following the instructions on the Chili-O packaging.
2. Dump Venison into crock pot with crushed tomatoes, pasta sauce and beans.
3. Dice the onions and peppers and mince the garlic. Stir into crockpot.
4. Cover and set Crock pot to low heat. Let sit at least 6 hours.
5. Add Sugar, hot sauce and sea salt to taste.
6. Right before eating, Wash yams and potatoes, cut into inch sized pieces and boil until tender (aprox. 15 minutes). Drain.
7. Serve Chili over the potatoes, or enjoy with crackers or bread instead.

Mmm. This is a great winter food.
Also, if you are a college student or a full time worker, get a crock pot if you don't have one.
You can't ruin anything in a crock pot and everything tastes good.
It takes 5 minutes to prepare and it's ready when you get home in the late afternoon/ evening.
Perfection.