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a bowl of elk chili in a bowl
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4.94 from 59 votes

Ground Elk Chili Recipe

A delicious elk chili recipe featuring roasted veggies, chorizo, bacon, beer, and an unexpected flavor bomb!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: dinner, entree, lunch
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 Servings
Calories: 390kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs tomatoes
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 3 dried ancho chiles
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 6 ounces chorizo
  • lbs ground elk meat
  • 2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 2 tablespoon chili pepper
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 can beef broth
  • 1 can beer (ale)
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 can refried beans

Instructions

  • Core tomatoes then peel, and roughly chop onions. Add tomatoes, onions, and chiles to a sheet pan. Remove cloves from around the garlic bulb until you have 5 cloves left in the center. Slice the tip off then wrap the bulb in foil. Drizzle garlic and veggies with avocado oil.
  • Broil veggies for 5-8 minutes on high. Remove chiles after a few minutes, so they don't burn. Flip the veggies as needed. Remove the garlic when it begins to char. Once everything is charred, remove pan from the oven and allow veggies to cool. Peel tomatoes and add to a food processor with the other veggies, and puree.
  • Meanwhile, add chopped bacon to a Dutch oven and saute for a few minutes using medium heat. Add chorizo and cook for a few minutes more. Finally, add ground elk and saute until cooked through. 
  • Add spices and saute for a minute until aromatic. Stir tomato paste into the meat and cook for a minute longer. Add pureed veggies, balsamic vinegar, broth, and beer. Mix the chili then add black beans, kidney beans, and refried beans. Break up the refried beans until they dissolve into the chili.
  • Simmer chili, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Notes

  • I've added balsamic vinegar to the chili as a flavor bomb. You can also try cinnamon, coffee, cola, or honey. It all depends on how adventurous you want to be!
  • I did not cover the pot to allow the chili to reduce and thicken. If you don't want it thicker, you can simmer the chili with the lid in place.
  • Store leftover elk chili in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
  • To freeze leftover chili, add the chili to a large ziplock bag or quart-sized freezer bags for individual servings. Mark the contents and date before freezing the chili for up to 3 months.
  • Leftover chili can also be repurposed to make amazing chili nachos, chili dogs, and Cincinnati chili!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 1400mg | Potassium: 1266mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2193IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 6mg