RECIPE: SVO TRIPLE THREAT CHILI

So let me just start by saying this is not your average chili recipe. There is a bit of time and sweat equity that goes into this. The recipe, as written, is sweet, spicy, and smoky.  This is my go-to recipe for chili cookoffs or potlucks at work.  It has a unique flavor that is a bit different than your typical chili because its blends sweet, spicy, and smoky.  This is not your typical 30 minute chili.  

You can adjust flavor and spiciness by increasing/decreasing your smoke time and spices.  You can use substitutes where applicable, which I outline farther down in this article.  Feel free to play around with it to make it your own.  That's what I did when I found this recipe 5 or 6 years ago and am now excited to share my version of it with you!

Estimated Time To Prepare/Cook: 

4 hours

Ingredients

MEAT

• 1 lb ground venison

• 6 pieces of bacon 

• 1 lb ground spicy Italian sausage (If you can’t find it ground, just buy it in bratwurst form, and remove the casings.

SPICES/PRODUCE

• 1 - 15oz can Black beans

• 1 - 15oz can Bush's beans, Vegetarian Baked

• 2 Garlic cloves

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 small onion

•  29oz can tomato sauce

• 1 heaping tbsp brown sugar

• 3 tbsp chili powder

• 1 tsp paprika, smoked

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1 Salt and pepper

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more or less)

• 1 cup of beef broth

OTHER

• Applewood or Cherrywood wood pellets for smoking

• Electric Smoker ( I personally use a Traeger Pellet Smoker, but there are many great smokers out there)
  
  
  

Directions

1. Set your smoker to 225 degrees.

2. Spread out your venison burger and ground spicy italian sausage on a cookie sheet.  Season your venison burger with whatever spices you like. Also place 6-8 pieces of bacon on a separate cookie sheet.

3. Place both cookie sheets on the smoker, and cook at 225 degrees for 45 minutes.  

4. In your dutch oven/pot, add all the remaining ingredients.  Dice your onion and add it along with garlic.  Also add 1 cup of beef broth.  Mix together and set aside.

5. At 45 minutes, flip the bacon, burger, and spicy italian sausage, and cook for another 45 minutes.

6. Once the second 45 minutes is up (Total 90 minutes), break up the venison burger and spicy italian sausage and add directly to your dutch oven/pot.  Mix together and place the dutch over/pot to the smoker without the lid, next to the bacon.  Raise the temp on the smoker to 300 degrees and cook for another 20 minutes.

7. Remove the bacon, and cut into pieces.  Add bacon to the dutch oven/pot, and mix together.  Set your time for 2 hours, and continue to simmer the chili in the dutch oven/pot with the lid off. Stir every 20 minutes.

8. Once the 2 hours is up, remove from the smoker and serve with your favorite condiments.  Sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeno, crackers, etc.  Make it how you like it!  

Variations

• Try cubing sweet potato, and smoking that with the meats and adding to the chili.  You could also add corn or green peppers for additional sweet vegetables.

• If you don’t like spicy, use regular ground sausage and eliminate the cayenne pepper.  I prefer breakfast sausage with sage, or a good lean turkey sausage if I am not going spicy.

• Play with the amount of spices used.  I like a chili that has a lot of cumin in it.  Others like more chili powder.  Maybe you up the brown sugar to increase the sweetness.  Play around with it to customize it the way you like it.

• This entire chili can be cooked on the stove, instead of using the smoker.  If you do that, and still want that smoky flavor, try adding some liquid smoke.

• Honestly, I prefer a meatless chili.  When I make this without beans, I add another meat, like smoked brisket, pulled pork, or cubed venison/beef steak.