Bison Chili Recipe
This hearty bison chili recipe is a cold-weather favorite. A combination of ancho, chipotle chilies and a little cocoa powder bring a beautiful robust quality to this recipe. It's delicious served with chopped fresh onions and cilantro, with a squeeze of lime.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the beans
- 1 cup dried black beans
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
For the chili
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
- 3 medium garlic cloves (coarsely chopped)
- 1 pound ground bison
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons chipotle chilies in adobo (minced)
- 1 (14.5-oz can) diced tomatoes
- 1 (14.5-oz can) tomato sauce
- 2 cups beef bone broth
Instructions
To prepare the beans
- Dump the black beans in a medium mixing bowl, and then cover them with hot water by 2 inches. Stir in the baking soda, cover the bowl, and allow the beans to soak at least 8 and up to 12 hours. Drain the beans and rinse them well, then transfer them to a large pot. Stir in the sea salt and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Immediately turn down the heat to medium and simmer until cooked through and tender, about 40 minutes. Drain the beans, and then set them aside.
- Alternatively, you can place the beans in the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 8 minutes, allowing the pressure to release naturally before draining the beans.
To make the chili
- Heat the oven to 275 F.
- Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Toss in the onion and garlic, and sauté it until fragrant and cooked through - about 6 minutes. Stir in the bison, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, so that it browns evenly - about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cumin, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, ancho chili powder, chipotle chili powder, cocoa powder, smoked paprika, and ground coriander. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Then, stir in the chipotle chilies in adobo, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, reserved beans, and beef stock. Stir well, and then cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook for 90 minutes to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Serve warm, and store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
