Deerlicious! Venison Chili and Rise of Deer-Named Bands

I love deer. Living in Austin and the hill country, we are graced with their presence in our backyard and on the greenbelt. 

I love eating deer, too. Mmmm, tasty. There's nothing like some good Axis venison sausage or a backstrap steak from meat bestowed upon you by a friend from a recent hunt. It's a gift, twice over. Thanks Garrett and Katy for being awesome friends with a pretty fantastic Hill Country ranch with a healthy deer population.  

Additionally, it has recently dawned on me that I like bands with the word Deer in the name. (And many more with the word Dear, but that's another post.) 

A snippet of a recent conversation:

Jason: What are you listening to over there?

Me: Deerhoof

Jason: Deerhunter?

Me: No, Deerhoof

Jason: Deertick?

Me: No, Deerhoof

There are several Deer-monikered indie bands out there now, and I thought it would be fun if we had a good old fashioned Deer pickin, to decide our favorite. What, you don't know any Deer-named bands? Well, lucky for you, you came to the right place. Read below for Synopses on Deer music (and if you are just interested in the Chili Recipe, scroll down). 

Deer Tick - Definitely more towards the indie folk side. I like this genre, but too much of it starts to make me zone out. Excellent road trip music, though. A 5-piece from Providence, RI, Deer Tick also has been compared to bands like Bright Eyes and Modest Mouse. I can see a little of The Decemberists in there as well. 

Deer Hunter - Really great chill music. Melodic, songs vary from poppy/catchy to kinda dreamy California 60's rock. They describe themselves as Ambient Punk.  The lead singer is sort of scary skinny. Revelation: I should feed Deer Hunter my Deer Chili!

Deerhoof - So this band is interesting, disjointed beats, feedback-y guitar, a-la-Sleigh Bells. And they kinda sound like that Japanese pop band that was playing in Kill Bill. But is it authentic or forced? You judge:

I think the lead singer is adorable, and she gets the Asian points.

Covered the music, now for the Mouth...

5 Alarm Venison Chili (so spicy it will make your ears ring)

Feel free to tone down the spice in this recipe, or substitute the venison for ground beef, bison, turkey, or tofu, if that's how you like your chili. But it sure is mighty tasty with deer meat. Oh, and you should know there is a deer processor right on S. Congress where you can pick up some fresh deer meat: Hudson's Sausage Company. It's on S. Congress & Annie, next to Woodlawn. Yep, right there. 

This is also a great recipe to use up your farmer's market peppers. For a while there, I was buying a couple of all the varieties I could find. They are just gorgeous, I couldn't help myself. If this happens to you too, know that you can use your chile-abundance to infuse vodka for bloody marys :)

2 lbs. ground venison
3 small sweet peppers (feel free to use 1 large bell pepper), diced
3 small poblano peppers, fire roasted, then peeled and diced
4 small Banana, Anaheim or Hatch peppers, seeded and diced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can San Marzano Tomatoes
1 can of chipotle peppers (you'll use 1/2 - freeze the rest in a plastic baggie for later use)
1 Dark Beer (you know that one from the back of your fridge that your friend left over? Use that)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 Tbsp. of Cumin
1 Tsp. Paprika
1 Tsp. Onion Powder
1/4 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Put your oven to broil to roast the poblano peppers. On a cookie sheet, broil the peppers for about 4 minutes or so on each side, make sure you turn the peppers so they blister evenly. When the peppers are charred, remove from oven and place in a brown paper bag (or a plastic bag) for about 10 minutes or so. Once softened and warm enough to handle, peel the skins, they should slide right off. Now cut out the top and the seeds, dice the peppers into small strips. 

Heat a dutch oven or pot to medium heat and add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and heat. Saute together the onions, sweet peppers and banana peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until they start to get soft, and remove and set aside. In the same pot, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil and brown the venison. While venison is cooking, hand crush the San Marzano tomatoes with their juice. I recommend using a large, deep bowl because this could get messy. That's right, just pour the can contents in a bowl and get in there. Squeeze through your hands a few times until you have small chunks. 

When the venison is almost browned, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, paprika, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. (Oh, I think I put a little sprinkle of Chinese 5 Spice. It has awesome depth with cinnamon and cloves.) Stir that together for about 3 minutes, and add back in the sauteed peppers and onions, and cook for a few more minutes. Now open up the can of Chipotle peppers and separate half in a plastic bag and set aside. Scoop the chipotle juice from the can into the sauce, and dice the chipotle peppers and add to the pot. Cook together for a few more minutes, then add the crushed tomatoes and the roasted poblanos. Stir together for a few more moments and add the beer. I say to eye-ball it to determine how chunky you want your chili. I basically added 1/2 the beer first, cooked for about 30 minutes, then added another 1/4 of the beer with the black beans, cooked for an additional 15 minutes. Serve with cornbread, crackers, cheese, sour cream - whatever you like.  Be prepared for your ears to ring - it's that spicy. 

So now that we've had our chili and we're all warm and toasty inside, let me introduce you to our friend, Jam. Jam lives in NYC and plays guitar in a pretty rockin band, I Am The Heat. (Totally apropo for this post, don't you think?) They just filmed their first music video, and I want to tell the world - or my small but freakin phenomenal blog audience, at least - Jam + band, you rock.

Enjoy!

Listening to: I Am The Heat, Flash or Confess