The Best Damn Venison Chili Recipe and Petit Verdot Pairing

First, Our Love Letter to Petit Verdot:

Oh Petit Verdot, how we love you so. Your deep, dark blueberry flavors, full body, robust structure and satisfying chewy finish always have us at first sip. You are our standout choice when searching for that bold wine able to leave a lasting impression. It’s no wonder, we have dedicated this recipe just for you!

Recipe Inspiration:

The inspiration for this chili recipe came from a great cookbook, 50 Pies, 50 States. Yes, a book full of fifty uber delicious pie recipes dedicated to all fifty states! Doug was thrilled to receive this cookbook in his Christmas stocking last year and he’s been baking pies from it ever since.

This recipe is our own deconstructed version of the Wyoming pie that the author and baker, Stacey includes in her book. We also replaced the huckleberries with blueberries, a more locally sourced ingredient and perfect fruit choice when pairing with our Petit Verdot from Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have and enjoy it with a bottle of our award winning Petit Verdot!

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COOKING TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

YIELD: 6 servings

PAIRED WINES: Petit Verdot

INGREDIENTS

The Chili:

1 Tsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 Tsp bourbon (or wine)

1 lb ground venison 

1/2 lb venison steak, cut in 1/2” pieces

2 Tsp tomato paste

2 Tsp sugar

1.5 Tsp chili powder

1 Tsp garlic powder

1 Tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne

1.5 tsp kosher salt, plus more for taste

1 cup beef stock

1 cup black coffee

1 cup tomato sauce

2 Tsp maple syrup

1/4 cup tahini

1 tsp instant coffee

Demi-Glace:

2 cups beef broth

1 Tsp unsalted butter

1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tsp water

Blueberry (or Huckleberry) Sauce:

1 Tsp olive oil

2 cups mirepoix (equal amounts chopped celery, onion, carrot)

1 bottle Spicy Spiced Wine + 1 cup Spicy Petit Verdot 

2 cups blueberries or huckleberries (halved if large)

1 Tsp unsalted butter

1 Tsp dark chocolate chips

Pie Crust: Use your favorite double pie crust recipe. Roll out a flat sheet of crust, cut into squares and bake. Serve baked crust squares warm alongside chili.

DIRECTIONS

Filling:

1. In large dutch oven, heat olive oil and cook onions 5-6 minutes. 

2. Deglaze the pan with bourbon or wine and let alcohol cook off 2 mins. 

3. Add venison and cook 6-7 minutes. 

4. Stir in tomato paste, sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne and salt. Add beef stock, coffee and tomato sauce. Stir and bring to boil.

5. Add maple syrup, tahini and instant coffee. Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes.

Demi-Glace:

1. Simmer broth and butter in a mediums sauce pan over medium-low heat until reduced by half. Slowly add cornstarch mixture, whisking to combine. Simmer until smooth and rich; set aside until ready to make berry sauce.

Berry Sauce:

1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat olive oil over medim heat. Add mirepoix and sautee 8 minutes, until softened. 

2. Add demi-glace, port wine and 1 cup of berries. Simmer to reduce mixture by a third; about 20 mins. Strain through a sieve and return to clean saucepan. 

3. Just before serving, bring sauce to a simmer and add 1 cup of berries*, butter and chocolate.

   *If berries are large, cut in half.