When the weather finally cools off, there is one comfort food dish I have on my mind…chili! And not just any keto chili recipe…rich, spicy, slow simmered, thick keto venison chili! I love making this Texas chili with venison but you can use beef or even turkey…just make it!
This slow simmered Texas Chili recipe is a top ten Ranch favorite! I have secretly been craving it for weeks, but this cold weather dish does not happen in this house when the temperature outside is above 80…I’m so ready for a cold snap so I can get my chili fix again! I love mine loaded up with all the toppings…cheese, onion, sour cream…so freakin’ delish!
The weather here in Texas is always a topic of conversation. It’s been an super hot Summer, and we are just now getting a taste of Fall weather…perfect for keto chili. Cool mornings, mild afternoons…its one of my favorite times of the year. I have to admit…I love fall and winter, not for the cool weather but because of all the yummy comfort foods on the menu that time of year….I mean, no one wants a big hearty bowl of chicken and dumplings or venison chili on a 100 degree summer day…well I don’t anyway!
Fall and winter brings weather that welcomes soup, stews, hearty casseroles and more…all that scrumptious comfort food that just warms you from the inside out….like Vension Chili! Come on cold weather…we’re ready for you!
Looking for keto comfort food recipes?
I have a super quick and easy Weeknight Turkey Chili in my book, The Southern Keto Cookbook! Full of keto comfort food recipes, this book is a must have…grab a copy!
Did you say venison?
Yep…we are lucky enough to be able to harvest most of the meat that we eat, and I prefer it that way. I know exactly where our meat comes from, what it ate, how it was treated and processed and there are no antibiotics, hormones, fillers, saline solutions or any other crazy business going on with it. We tend to have various cuts of venison, pork, and other game on hand so I use what I have but I prefer venison in my chili.
If you don’t have venison, you can use whatever ground meat you have on hand. For this keto chili recipe, we sometimes use a coarser grind than hamburger called a “chili grind”. It gives you larger chunks and more meaty texture…but if all you have is ground meat, use it! We use both on the Ranch…and believe me both versions are inhaled just the same!
If you are using a ground beef with a significant amount of fat like 80/20 or 73/27, you can eliminate the addition of fat or lard. Venison is super lean and needs the addition of extra fat.
Ok…I know that the topic of chili itself can be controversial. Bottom line…I don’t like beans in my venison chili. They aren’t keto or low carb and they tend to upset my tummy so I leave them out. In Texas, we don’t do beans in the chili, beans are a separate dish all together! To keep this Texas chili low carb and keto, I stick to the original!
This keto chili recipe requires no thickener and will reduce and thicken more while it simmers uncovered. If you like a thinner chili, just leave the cover on. I typically let this keto chili sit on the stove on a low simmer all afternoon. The longer it simmers the more tender, rich and decadent it gets.
Keep in mind that if you are using ground beef, turkey, pork or even venison, it won’t take as long for the meat to get tender than if you use a chili or coarse grind meat.
Adding beer to keto chili
I love the flavor that beer gives to this Texas chili. There are a ton of great low carb beers on the market. If you are gluten intolerant or sensitive, be sure to use a gluten free beer. There are beers out there that are low carb and gluten free…Check out Omission Brewing Co. Ultimate Light. If you can’t find low carb, gluten free beer or your don’t like the taste of beer you can substitute with beef broth or even water.
Feel free to make any additions you’d like, but this keto venison chili is absolutely delish just as it is. Eat it plain or pile on the toppings, I promise it will leave you longing for winter weather! Great for game day or cozy entertaining…serve it with a topping bar!
And don’t forget the cornbread!! My Jalapeno Cheddar Keto Cornbread is the perfect addition to this yummy venison chili!
Looking for more keto venison recipes? Check these out!
- Keto Venison Parmesan
- Keto Italian Style Venison Meatballs
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos with Venison
- Cornbread Casserole with Ground Venison – Low Carb & Keto Friendly
Texas Style Keto Venison Chili
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons lard or bacon fat
- 2 lbs ground venison or beef
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 poblano pepper seeded and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomato
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 12 oz bottle low carb beer and gluten free if needed!
- 11/2 cups of water
Instructions
- In a large pot add lard, fat or oil and ground meat. Season meat with 1 Tbsp kosher salt, 1/2 Tbsp pepper and 2 tsp garlic powder. Cook ground meat on medium high to high heat until brown and caramelized. This will give amazing depth of flavor to the chili so don’t rush this step!
- Turn heat down to medium high and add onion, peppers and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes or until veggies start to soften. The veggies will help pick up all the browned meat bits and help deglaze the pan.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, water, and remaining seasonings.
- Cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and simmer for another hour or more, until meat is tender and the chili is your desired consistency. The chili will reduce and thicken while it simmers uncovered. If you like a thinner chili, just leave the cover on. The longer the chili simmers the more tender and decadent it gets…I have let is sit on the stove on a low simmer all afternoon!
- Serve up loaded with topping and along side your favorite low carb corn bread!
Notes
- This recipe easily serves 6-8 people depending on the size. The nutrition facts are calculated using 6 servings.
- If using 80-20 or 73-27, beef you do not need the additional fat.
- I use gluten free, low carb beer in this chili to keep the carbs low. If you are not gluten sensitive intolerant, there are a number of low carb beers on the market to choose from. For gluten free, low carb beer check out Omission Brewing Co. Ultimate Light Beer. You can also use water or beef broth in place of the beer…just remember to adjust the seasoning if needed!
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are approximate and will vary depending on the ingredients used. Carbs from sugar alcohols have been excluded since they have shown to have no impact on blood sugar.
Really great flavor, but a little salty so will reduce that. Adapted to my Insta Pot and pressure cooked it to make sure the venison was tender. Very tender and yummy! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Glad you liked it!
I understand the reason why ads pop up while reading the post. However, it’s disappointing that they are still there when trying to print out the recipe. Even if you “close” the ad, it still shows the closed banner when you print the recipe and that banner sometimes covers an important past of the recipe. Can this be fixed?
I’m trying to figure out why this is happening…when I go the the printed recipe there are no ads. Thanks for letting me know…trying to get this fixed!
I just do not like beer in chili at all. I was subjected to that little surprise a few months ago at BF’s Dad’s place. The “secret ingredient,” they called it. YUCK! And it wasn’t gluten-free beer, either–it was a really cheap one. Glad I had plenty of Tums.
That being said, I’m glad you posted this, because we do have some ground venison in the freezer. In the event we only have one pound, could I add a pound of regular ground beef to make up the difference?
Hope to make this real soon, sans any beer. 😉
I completely understand! Sometimes I make this and leave the beer out if I don’t have any…just sub stock or even water. Making up the difference with beef would be just fine! All my best!
This is a wonderful recipe., easy and not too spicy. We aren’t hunters but allow our neighbors to hunt on our land and they shared the venison with us. last year. This was the very first Venison recipe I made and I have made it many times since. When I ran out of Venison I used beef and it was also delicious. It won’t be long before we will have more Venison and I will be making this again. Thank you for a great recipe.