The Ultimate Chili Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground venison
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can cream-style ale
• 3 large beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups no-salt-added chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 bay leaves

Step 1

Heat some vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground venison and cook it until it’s nicely browned, which should take about 5 to 7 minutes. Toss in the chopped bell peppers, carrots, and onion, and cook everything together until the onion turns translucent, around 3 minutes. Then, stir in the garlic and let it cook just until you can smell its aroma, about 30 seconds.

Step 2

Sprinkle in the chili powder, salt, paprika, cumin, oregano, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir everything well and let the spices cook for a minute or two to bring out their flavors. Add the tomato paste and keep stirring for about 2 minutes so it doesn’t stick.

Step 3

Pour in the ale and cook it with the mixture for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add the tomatoes and cook until you see their juices starting to bubble up, roughly 3 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, water, and molasses, giving everything a good stir to combine. Add the beans and toss in the bay leaves.

Step 4

Bring the chili up to a gentle simmer, stirring now and then to keep everything from sticking. Lower the heat to medium-low and let it cook slowly for about 30 to 45 minutes, allowing all the flavors to meld together. Before serving, taste and adjust the seasonings if needed, then fish out and discard the bay leaves.