I woke up this morning with football on my mind.  More specifically, I had FOOTBALL FOOD on my mind.  After searching through the freezer and cupboards, I realized my best option for football food (without having to go to the store) was chili.  However, I didn't have any beans, diced tomatoes, or ground beef.  But I did have plenty of venison steak in the freezer, which I'd been trying to figure out a way to cook for quite some time.

Awhile ago someone recommended to me that I try cooking the venison steak in coke - that it added some sweetness and took away the gamey flavor responsible for its lack of popularity at our house.  It sounded like a good idea, but maybe not quite enough.  I wasn't sure if it would be good with the venison, but I know that its good with coke (and on its own) - and decided to marinate the venison in Red Stag Bourbon (its a cherry-flavored bourbon by Jim Beam, recommended by my brother) to add some extra flavor.  To add deeper flavor to the sauce, I borrowed the caramelizing idea from French Onion soup.  It seems like there are a lot of steps to this chili - but in reality it goes pretty quickly and doesn't require much actual effort.

The resulting chili was terrific - the flavor was great, and the meat was tender without being gamey.  I'll definitely make this one again.

Print it: Venison Red Stag Cola Chili