Not long ago I found myself in possession of over ten pounds of farm-raised New Zealand elk meat that I needed to use up rather quickly. My focus quickly fell on dishes that I could make in bulk, potentially to freeze for later use. One of my first ideas was to cook up a big pot of chili, since it freezes and reheats well. But since this was a rather special cut of meat, I didn’t want to use the same basic chili recipe that I might use for a couple of pounds of ground chuck I could pick up at Jewel down the street.
I wasn’t thinking this way simply because I thought a basic “tomatoes, onions, and beans” sort of chili was unworthy of this meat (although I will confess I did want it to be memorable). Ground beef (or even ground turkey) has a significant fat content, and that fat is responsible for a lot of the flavor in a traditional ground meat chili. Elk, on the other hand, is exceptionally lean. In fact, that cut I had didn’t have speck of fat anywhere to be found. Aside from a three-inch piece of ligament, it was a solid ten-pounds of red muscle. While I knew it would be plenty tender and tasty on its own, not having that extra fat to kick up the flavor of the sauce risked leaving me with a bland, watery chili. The other ingredients would need to step up their game.
For starters, I knew I didn’t want a tomato-sauce base. Tomatoes are an important part of any “brown” chili, but I learned long ago that I detest chili made with tomato sauce. It’s like eating a bowl of Bolognese with cumin and chili peppers thrown in it. It’s gross, is what I’m saying (sorry/not sorry if you disagree. I have strong opinions on proper use of tomato sauce. Don’t get me started on clam chowder!). So… diced tomatoes it was. I did want to make sure I would have a nice, thick base at the end, though, so a few ideas came to mind. I had a variety of dried peppers on hand left over from other recipes, so I decided to employ a technique I had learned from some Mexican soup recipes I had tried previously. I selected some dried pasilla and guajillo chiles, simmered them until soft, then pureed them into a paste. This not only served to help thicken the liquid part of my chili, but would also serve as the foundation of my seasonings. To further ensure I would get the consistency I was after, I borrowed a bit from the Louisiana Cajun playbook and added some gumbo file (powdered sassafras). This unique herb adds a subtle bit of flavor, but more importantly acts as a thickener. A little bit of beef broth and the liquid from the tomatoes would provide the rest of the moisture.
Since I was using my chili paste as a base, it didn’t make sense to use a chili powder blend for seasoning. Besides, I prefer to blend my own spices when I can, anyway: cumin, coriander, salt, and black pepper. I also added some chipotle flakes for a little smokiness, and fresh jalapenos for added heat and flavor, bringing me up to four chili pepper varieties. The rest was pretty standard: onion, garlic, beans, bell pepper (which you could argue makes this a five-pepper elk chili, but I’m only counting hot peppers). The one non-standard addition was a healthy dose of dried wild bergamot leaves that I foraged locally and have become one of my go-to seasonings for meat dishes. From there it was a slow-and-low cook time to meld it all together. I opted to put it into the oven since it takes the guesswork out of things and doesn’t require as much attention as simmering it on the stove.
My first batch disappeared very quickly, despite not being able to share it with Chele since it was a bit spicier than she could handle. Further batches were made, using up a significant portion of that mass of elk. None of it ever made it to the freezer, though. I ate it all too fast!
4-Pepper Elk Chili
Ingredients
- 2 dried pasilla chiles
- 2 dried guajillo chiles
- 1 cup water
- 1 lb elk meat diced
- 2 Tbs oil
- 1 white onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bell pepper, any color seeded and diced
- 2 jalapenos finely diced (remove seeds and white membrane for less heat, or leave in for spicier chili)
- 1 15.5 oz can pink beans
- 1 15.5 oz can black beans
- ½ tsp chipotle flakes
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes do not drain
- 1 tbs ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander seed
- 1 tsp gumbo file (powdered sassafras)
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbs dried wild bergamot leaves, crushed (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Remove stems from dried chilies, then cut or tear into pieces. Add to a small saucepan with 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce heat to maintain simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Puree until smooth, and set aside.
- Dice elk into very small pieces. Season well with salt and pepper, if desired. Heat 1 tbs oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown meat in batches, then set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, braising dish, or similar lidded pot that can go from the stove top to the oven, heat the remaining 1 tbs of oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute or two, until it becomes fragrant. Add diced bell pepper and jalapenos and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes more.
- Add meat to the pan, along with both types of beans, diced tomatoes, seasonings, and the reserved chili pepper paste. Stir in the beef broth and bring to a simmer.
- Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook at 350°F for 1½ to 2 hours, or until meat is extremely tender and liquid has thickened.
Notes
- Elk is extremely lean and tender by nature, and is very similar to venison. Farm-raised elk is becoming increasingly available through specialty meat vendors, and it has a milder, less gamey flavor than wild-harvested elk. Of course, if you are a hunter and prefer to use game you’ve brought home yourself, that will work every bit as well in this recipe.
- Dried guajillo and pasilla chiles are available in most Mexican markets, online, or in many mainstream supermarkets that carry a large selection of Hispanic foods.
- Don’t confuse fresh green poblano peppers, sometimes sold as “pasilla” in some parts of the US, with dried brown pasilla chiles. True pasilla chiles are almost never available fresh in the US. Poblanos will not work as intended in making the chili paste for this recipe, so don’t try to substitute them in.
- This recipe yields a medium to medium-hot chili. If you want less heat, remove the seeds and white membranes from the jalepeno and the dried chiles. If you like things hotter, try adding some dried arbol or japones chiles along with the other dried peppers when making your paste. Or dice in whatever fresh hot peppers you think you can handle.
- Gumbo file (powdered sassafras) is a traditional ingredient in gumbo and other Cajun and Creole dishes, and helps to thicken the final product in addition to adding a unique flavor of its own. It can be an uncommon find further away from Louisiana, so check dedicated spice shops for it, or purchase online if it is unavailable in your area.
- Wild bergamot, also called bee balm, is a wildflower in the mint family that is found throughout much of North America. It hasn’t caught on very widely as a culinary plant yet, so you will probably need to forage for it yourself if you want to use it. I highly recommend acquiring some for this recipe (and to have in your pantry in general) if you can. Otherwise, oregano makes an acceptable substitute.
