Instant Pot Elk Chili. A bowl of chili inspired by Yellowstone National Park. Ground elk and beans in a smoky chipotle broth, ready in under an hour thanks to pressure cooking.
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Years ago, on a trip out west, we visited Yellowstone National Park. It's an amazing range of landscapes, from geysers to canyons to mountain ranges, all within the park. And, of course, the impressive wildlife. Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, pronghorn antelope, wolves, and of course, American bison (aka buffalo). Just remember that buffalo are wild animals, tanks with hooves and a bad attitude.
I also enjoyed eating my way across the park. Hey, I had to keep up my energy for all the hiking, right?
Why ground Elk?
Because I had a great bowl of elk chili at one of the lodges in Yellowstone. Elk is less gamy than other game meats like venison - or so I've been told; in chili, I don't notice much of a difference. Elk is a very lean meat - pure ground elk has 3% to 5% fat, but store-bought ground elk usually has some fat mixed in. If I'm doing the math right from the nutrition label, the store-bought ground elk I used has 91/9 lean to fat percentage. (10g of fat in a 112g serving).
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
- Elk substitutes: Any game meat or lean ground meat will work here. Buffalo matches the Yellowstone theme. Venison and wild boar are great. Or, use grass-fed beef or lean (85/15 or leaner) ground beef.
- Bean substitutes: I use dry black beans in this recipe, but pinto beans, small red beans, and navy beans will cook the same - use the same technique and timing. Dry kidney beans take a little more time - increase the pressure cooking time to 25 minutes at high pressure.
- Canned beans: Canned beans will also work - replace the dry beans with 2 15-ounce cans of beans, drained. Cut the pressure cooking time back to 15 minutes at high pressure to avoid over-cooking the beans.
- Heat level: The heat in this recipe comes from the chipotle en adobo and the chili powder you use. If you want to increase the heat, add an extra chipotle en adobo. If you want to cut the heat, skip the chipotle, and use a mild chili powder (most store-bought chili powders are mild, unless they say otherwise on the label.)
- Beef broth: Beef broth pairs better with the elk, but chicken broth is fine, and I use it if I don't have beef broth in my freezer.
- Beer: The alcohol in beer helps bring out the flavors in the chili powder and tomatoes. I like a beer on the sweeter side for my chili, like a brown ale. (It doesn't hurt that I like brown ale, and get to drink the rest of the bottle.) But, beer is not necessary - substitute more beef broth or water for the beer.
- Fire roasted crushed tomatoes: Fire roasted crushed tomatoes are getting easier to find - Muir Glen used to be the only brand that made them, but now most of the tomato brands in my local grocery stores have a fire-roasted crushed option. If you can't find fire roasted crushed tomatoes, regular crushed tomatoes are fine (try to avoid crushed tomatoes with basil), or fire roasted diced tomatoes will also work.
How to make Instant Pot Elk Chili in pictures
Sort, Rinse, and Soak the Beans
Sort the beans, removing any dirt, stones, or broken beans. Rinse the beans, then soak overnight in 4 cups of water and 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt. Drain the beans before using.
Sauté the Aromatics and Toast the Spices
Sauté the onion, jalapeno, and garlic until the onion softens. Add the spices and toast for a minute, then stir into the onions.
Break Up the Elk, Then Add Everything in the Pot
Pour in the beer, then cook the elk until it is no longer pink and broken up. Add everything else to the pot.
Pressure Cook for 20 Minutes With a Quick Release
Pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, then quick release the pressure. Serve and enjoy!
Sorting Beans
Beans are an agricultural product, and stuff tends to creep in when they are processed. Beans should always be sorted and rinsed before using, to get rid of any twigs, stones, clumps of dirt, or broken beans.
To sort the beans, I pour them out on one side of a rimmed baking sheet (a half-sheet pan), to keep the beans from escaping. Then I slowly run my fingers through the pile of beans, pulling them towards me on the sheet. I watch the beans as they move, looking for anything that doesn't seem right. If I see something, I poke around in the beans until I find what caught my eye, and discard it. I repeat this a couple of times, until I'm satisfied everything is out of the beans.
Then I dump the beans into a fine mesh strainer and rinse them under cold running water, to wash off any dirt or dust still on the beans.
Now the beans are sorted, rinsed, and ready for soaking or cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use un-soaked beans? If, like me, you forget to soak your beans, here's how to use un-soaked dry beans in this recipe. Sort and rinse the dry black beans, then continue with the "sauté" step. Add the beans when the recipe tells you to. Increase the beef broth to 4 cups, and increase the cooking time to 35 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release.
💡Tips and Tricks
- Simmer to thicken: If you have the time, and want thicker chili, simmer the chili for 15 minutes after pressure cooking. I set my Instant Pot to Sauté mode adjusted to low, set the timer to 15 minutes, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the chili isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
Instant Pot Elk Chili Recipe
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Ingredients
Soaking Beans
- 8 ounces dry black beans, sorted and rinsed
- 4 cups water
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
Chili
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 chipotle en adobo with sauce, minced (or 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder)
- 2 pounds ground elk
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup beer (to deglaze pan)
- 2 cups beef broth (preferably homemade beef broth or low-sodium beef broth, or water)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade beef broth)
- 28 ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Sort and rinse the beans: Spread the beans out on a rimmed baking sheet and discard any stones, dirt, or broken beans. Rinse the beans, then do an overnight or a quick soak.
- Overnight soak: Cover the beans with the 4 cups of water and add the 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Leave the beans to soak at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain the beans and discard the soaking liquid.
OR: Pressure Quick Soak for 1 minute with a 30 minute rest: Put the beans, 4 cups of water, and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Pressure cook at high pressure for 1 minute ("Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot), then let the pressure come down naturally for a full 30 minutes. (Quick release any pressure remaining after 30 minutes, but let the beans rest for the full 30 minutes, even if the pressure releases itself earlier.) Drain the beans and discard the soaking liquid. - Sauté the aromatics and spices: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode adjusted to high (medium-high heat in a stovetop PC). Add the vegetable oil and heat until shimmering, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion, jalapeno, and garlic, and sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Make a hole in the center of the onions and add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, and chipotle en adobo. Toast for 1 minute, then stir the spices into the onions.
- Start the elk, then everything in the pot: Pour in the beer and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking. Add the ground elk to the pot and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Cook, breaking up the elk and scraping the bottom of the pot, until the elk loses its pink color, about 5 minutes. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot one last time to loosen any browned elk, onions, or spices. Stir the drained beans, 2 cups of beef broth, 1 teaspoon of salt (if using homemade broth), and can of crushed tomatoes into the pot.
- Pressure Cook for 20 minutes with a Quick Release: Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 20 minutes (Use "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot), or for 18 minutes if using a stovetop pressure cooker. Quick release the pressure.
- Serve: Carefully remove the lid - tilt it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Stir in the fresh ground black pepper. Ladle the chili into bowls and serve with your favorite chili toppings. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 301
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 869.2 mg
- Fat: 11.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.3 g
- Fiber: 8.3 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 59.9 mg
What to serve with Elk Chili
I love Chili with lots of add-on toppings. Some of my favorites:
- Diced onion
- Sliced scallions
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sliced jalapeños or pickled jalapenos
- Diced avocado
- Sour Cream
- Tortilla Chips or Fritos
- Hot Sauce
(Don't panic - you don't need all of these, just pick and choose the ones you prefer, or add your own favorites.)
What to do with leftover Elk Chili
Chili makes great leftovers; it may even taste better the next day, after the flavors mingle overnight. It will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, or for months in the freezer. (I freeze it in 2-cup containers for easy leftover lunches).
Chili is also great for a second meal. Some ways I use it:
- Chili Spaghetti: My kids always loved my take on Cincinnati Chili, using whatever leftover chili I had on hand, serving it on spaghetti noodles, and topping it with diced onions, finely shredded cheddar, and passing hot sauce at the table.
- Frito pie: Cover the bottom of a bowl with Fritos, top it with chili, and top the chili with shredded cheddar and sour cream. Or, use tortilla chips and call it Chili Nachos.
- Taco night: Use the chili like a sloppy ground-meat taco filling, with all your favorite taco toppings.
Related Posts
If you're looking for a different kind of game meat chili, try my Instant Pot Ground Buffalo Chili . For other chilis made with dry beans, try my Instant Pot Turkey Chili with Small Red Beans or Instant Pot Chorizo Chili (with Pinto Beans). For a big pot of beans, check out Instant Pot 8-Quart Pot of Ground Beef and Bean Chili. For the easiest possible chili, try my Instant Pot 5 Ingredient Chili. Or, for something more exotic, try my all-meat Easy Texas Red Chili (Pressure Cooker), or Instant Pot Cactus Chili.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.
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