Bison Chili from Scratch

Lean grass-fed bison, a bold spice blend, and slow-cooked goodness combine in this bison chili from scratch. An adaptation of a web recipe that approximates the little-brown-bag spice mix using all-natural ingredients.

Bison Chili From Scratch Ingredients

• pound dried red beans

• cup vegetable oil

• 1 large onion, diced

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1? pounds ground bison

• 8 medium tomatoes, finely chopped, with liquid

• 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes, or more to taste

• 4 teaspoons ground cumin

• 3 teaspoons dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 cup water

• 2 tablespoons masa flour, or more as needed

How to Make Bison Chili From Scratch

1. Rinse beans. Combine with 3 quarts of cold water in a large pot. Soak 8 hours to overnight.

2. Drain beans and return to the pot. Add 3 quarts fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until tender, 1 to 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a 4-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and stir until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, stir for a minute, then add bison and cook until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir tomatoes and liquid into stockpot.

4. Combine red pepper flakes, cumin, oregano, chili powder, sea salt, white pepper, and paprika in a small container and stir to mix. Add to the stockpot and stir through. Add 1 cup water and stir gently while bringing water to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

5. Taste bison mixture and adjust seasoning as desired. Add beans and mix through. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon masa flour on top and gently stir in to achieve a medium-thick consistency. Cover and simmer chili over low heat for 1 hour.

6. Uncover chili, stir, and add another tablespoon masa flour. Continue simmering, uncovered, over low heat to desired consistency, 60 to 90 minutes. Cover the pot or add a teaspoon of masa flour to control consistency.

Bison Chili From Scratch Nutritions

• Calories: 285.7 calories

• Carbohydrate: 28.3 g

• Cholesterol: 43.6 mg

• Fat: 9.5 g

• Fiber: 10.4 g

• Protein: 24 g

• SaturatedFat: 1.8 g

• ServingSize:

• Sodium: 271.3 mg

• Sugar: 5 g

• TransFat:

• UnsaturatedFat:

Bison Chili From Scratch Reviews

• We enjoyed this well enough. I knew from looking at the recipe beforehand that 2 tbsps of red pepper flakes would make this inedible--so only used 1 tsp and that was still plenty enough heat for us. I also made this in my pressure cooker to cut the time in half. I sauteed everything, added the ingredients, cooked it in the pressure cooker for about 30 minutes, then uncovered it, added in the masa harina, and simmered until thickened. I think its much faster, and more straight-forward that way. Its a great chili, and like most, tastes better the next day. I served it topped with some chopped green onions and some cheddar cheese. I would make it again. But my advice is to make sure to adjust the seasonings to your taste, and be aware of the heat-factor.

• Cook red bean separately. add to chili after cooking the rest in the instant pot. only a 1/4 t of red peeper flakes, added 2 carrots and 1 zucchini