Elk & Venison Chili

closeup of elk and venison chili in brown bowl

1-2 cups water (The water determines the amount of juice in the chili. If you don’t want any juice, don’t add water.)
1 pound ground elk (venison, moose and beef work well, too)
1 pound elk steaks, cut small
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
4 green chiles or 2 (4 ounce) cans of green chiles
1 teaspoon chicken base
4 cans (15-16 ounces) chili beans, with juice
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
salt and pepper, to taste

For Crockpot
Place all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

For Stovetop
Cook the meat with the onions and garlic. As the meat cooks, I usually open up all of the cans and add the spices to the top of them, so I can easily dump everything in to the pot. If you’re using fresh green chiles remove the skin, tops, and seeds. Chop small. Throw everything into the pot after the meat is done cooking and cook a minimum of 1 hour. It’s much better to cook it at least 2 hours.
Recipe provided by mountaingirl.camp