Cinnamon and Venison Chili: Who Knew?

Served with a cornbread muffin, a little cheese
and a dollop of sour cream

My favorite chili recipe – particularly for venison but I’m sure it’d be great with beef, as well – is this one: Award Winning Chili Recipe

It's one of my favorite things to make in general, especially since we have several pounds of venison remaining in our freezer in the garage. I double the recipe, freeze a bunch and we eat the rest over separate days.

The past few times I've made the chili, I have added cinnamon, and I really think it makes the dish. Others may have known about this all along, but for me it's a new discovery. I love it!

I've made it many many times now, and while I follow the recipe pretty closely for the main ingredients, I make a few tweaks:

• 1 lb. venison (or beef) - reduce gaminess of ground venison by making sure you drain the meat well after cooking it
• 1 big onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1/2 jalapeno - I think it can stand more. I usually do 1 jalapeno for a double portion, but could easily add another 1/2, depending on taste or desire for hotness
• 2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
• 1 can Rotel Mexican-style tomatoes
• 1 can Muir Glen diced tomatoes, fire-roasted with green chiles
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• Up to a 1 can of corn, drained
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 TBSP cumin - or a little more. Cumin is important to the recipe.
• 2 TBSP chili powder - or a little more.
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• Garlic powder - I eyeball it. But I love garlic in my chili, and this recipe doesn't call for it otherwise.
• 1/2 TBSP cinnamon - I also eyeball this.
• Salt to taste

Chili, I've also learned should be tweaked to personal taste - this is just how I do chili, and I find it quite tasty.