Cooking Therapy

After a long winter’s day of shoveling snow or after just lazing around the house while it is cold outside, I like to enjoy a nice, hearty bowl of chili. Chili, like many soups and stews, is a great dish for any cold day that can be tailored to the chef’s preference. For my chili, i used bison which is leaner than beef and gives the chili a game taste that takes it up a notch from your standard chili. This can be make “quickly” in a pressure cooker or dutch oven, or, if you are stuck at work and want to come home to a bowl of deliciousness, in a slow cooker so it can cook and be ready by the time you arrive home.

Bison Chili

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 pounds lean ground bison meat
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
• 1 cup celery chopped
• ½ can corn drained
• 1 can roasted tomatoes crushed by hand
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 can black beans drained
• 3 can red kidney beans drained
• Kosher salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 Turkish bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 ½ cups beef broth or water

Method

 

For the Slow Cooker

1. Add the oil to a pan and brown the bison over a low-medium heat.
2. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook until softened and onions become translucent
3. Drain the bison, onions, and garlic and transfer them to the slow cooker
4. Combine the rest of the ingredients
5. Cover and cook on low setting for at least 8-10 hours
6. For the Dutch Oven
7. Add the oil in a Dutch oven and cook the bison meat over a medium-high heat until brown
8. Transfer the bison meat onto a paper towel covered plate with a slotted spoon and let it drain the oil
9. Add jalapeno peppers, celery, and onions and cook until softened
10. Add the garlic and the spices, except the oregano, and cook until fragrant and the veggies begin to brown
11. Add the the crushed tomatoes and the tomato paste, mix and bring to a simmer
12. Add the bison, the beans, corn, and broth into the mixture and stir. Add the bay leaf. If you want your chili with a more stew-like consistency, add more broth or warm water to the Dutch oven
13. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until veggies and meat become tender. Add the oregano towards the end for added flavor
14. Add to bowl, garnish with cheddar cheese, sour cream and enjoy!

Notes

Cook time is about 1½ hours in a Dutch oven, or about 8½ hours in a slow cooker.