4-Pepper Elk Chili
Extra-tender diced elk stars in this spicy chili. Making a chili paste from dried guajillo and pasilla peppers creates a rich, spicy base for your sauce, while chipotle and fresh jalepeno add further heat and flavor. Cooked slow and low in the oven, this chili will turn out perfect every time!This recipe is gluten and dairy free.
Servings: 6 servings
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.