Cooking Wild Game - Moose Chili
Written By: Sarah Reish
What is more Wyoming than cooking wild game - like moose? Not much, if we are honest. The first time I had moose I made burgers and they turned out delicious. Steve’s cousin Evan hooked us up with some ground moose and we couldn’t be more grateful. It is delicious.
What does moose taste like?
Moose, like any wild game, can be game-y, but what we have is not game-y at all. It had a rich flavor that was savory and not at all tough. In short, it is delicious and I would entirely switch to this over beef any day.
Why make moose chili?
I chose to make moose chili because it is one of my favorite foods. I would most likely chose chili as my last meal. The recipe I chose to share with you hasn’t ever been formally written out. It has evolved since I was in high school and began experimenting and create the recipe with my dad. After leaving home my version evolved and his version evolved. With that said we compare notes and occasionally check in on what is new and exciting with the recipe.
What ingredient is most important in chili?
This is a hard question. Obviously you need chili spice to create the chili flavor. But some ingredients like the meat, garlic, tomatoes, and beans are just as important. I don’t think one can be more important than the other. I have made it many times without beans and even been offered, and I declined, vegetarian chili with absolutely no meat. With that in mind, while you need all the ingredients for a good chili, the meat is probably one of the most important parts of a good chili. Get high quality good meat. Cheap meat can have a greasy or weird texture and not offer much flavor, which you need when making a good chili.
What ingredients can you substitute?
You can obviously substitute the protein. Ground venison, bison, elk, and of course beef. Rather than stewed tomatoes I prefer fire roasted and diced tomatoes. You can sub the bean type as well, I like pinto and kidney beans (one can each), but you can exclude beans entirely or choose your favorite.
The best chili garnish
Obviously the garnish is entirely customizable and purely based on preferences. Over the years I stepped away from my standard hot sauce, sour cream, and cheese. While I still use those garnishes I have moved towards a more varied array of ingredients to enjoy with my chili.
Here are my top garnish picks for chili
Hot sauce - all chili is not created equal, however for those who like their chili a bit spicier a good hot sauce is a must. For flavor preferences both a green and red hot sauce is recommended.
Cheese - sharp cheddar is standard, but you can step it up with an extra sharp white cheddar if you are feeling fancy.
Sour cream - because its a staple
Cilantro - the tiniest bit of green added to a good chili makes this dish pop that much more.
Chives - because an extra kick of onion never hurt anyone
Red Onion - ditto the afore mentioned chives
Diced and blacked jalapeño - in a dry (no oil added skillet) sauté and blister the diced jalapeños
How long does it take to make?
Plan on a minimum of 30-45 minutes to make the chili and allow for a minimum of 1-2 hours for the chili to simmer. The flavors need time to come together. I like to prep before beginning to cook. I chop, open cans, pre-measure the spices and other ingredients. Then, when it comes time to cook I can do so without needing to stop and chop an onion or garlic.
Let’s hit the kitchen
Reminder, this is the first time I am writing out this recipe. A lot of it depends on my mood and making judgement calls. Sometimes I am adding new ingredients or experimenting with spices. Taste as you go and don’t stress. Chili is versatile and a meal that is really hard to mess up and if you happen to “mess up” it is super easy to fix.
Ingredients
1 lb of bacon chopped into pieces (1/2” to 1” pieces)
3 lbs of ground moose (or other ground meat)
One white onion chopped/diced
5 cloves of garlic minced
1-3 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce minced (these come in cans, but do not use the entire can. You only need just one or two peppers, they can be spicy, but add a lot of depth to the flavor)
1-2 spoonfuls of adobo sauce from the above listed chipotle pepper can. (Optional. If spice isn’t your thing do not add more than one spoonful)
1 can Pinto beans - rinsed
1 can Kidney beans - rinsed
2 cups of frozen corn
4 cans of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (eyeball this, use your judgement. I’ve needed up to 4)
2-3 packets of Chugwater Chili seasoning.
1 T crushed red pepper
1-2 T Penzey’s Chili 9000
1/4 - 1/3 cup of brown sugar (trust the process, this removes the acidity from the tomatoes and provides an underlying sweet to the savory spiciness of the other ingredients)
Salt & pepper to taste
Red & green tobacco (optional) to taste
Tools
Cutting board
Knife
Wooden spoon
Dutch oven (or large pot)
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Can openers
Steps
Begin by browning the bacon at medium to medium high heat in the dutch oven or pot. Stir occasionally to ensure all sides brown evenly without burning. Once the bacon has crisped remove excess oil.
Add onion and allow to soften for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and chipotle pepper with about a spoonful of the sauce. Stir to combine ingredients.
After about a minute add the ground beef, mixing to combine ingredient, salt and pepper the meat and then place the lid on the dutch oven or pot. Allow meat to cook through stirring occasionally and breaking the meat apart.
After the meat has cooked, remove the lid and add all seasoning, spices, brown sugar, and mix all ingredients.
Immediately add the fire roasted diced tomatoes, beans and frozen corn. Stir everything until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste. Add tobacco to taste.
Bring the chili to a boil then taste. Adjust seasoning to taste. Ie the spoonful of adobo sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper, brown sugar, and Penzey’s chili 9000. Once the flavoring is to your liking, turn the heat to medium low and allow the chili to simmer a minimum of an hour.
