This is one of my all time favorite dishes. I first tried it at a convenience store from a crock pot in Sausalito California when I worked in the area. They put the stew in a large burrito wrapped and it was to die for. I found a great recipe for this dish online and have been perfecting my version of it for a few years now. I hope you can find the ingredients(dried peppers) at your store because without those, it won't be nearly as good. It's a long recipe but don't let it scare you. Double the recipe and make some to freeze back to make it even more worth the time.


Step 1. season and brown the meat

Ingredients
4 lbs. venison shoulder or hind leg (elk or moose would be best if you have it)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbs flour
vegetable or coconut oil

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients into paper sack and mix well.
2. Prepare your venison by cutting it into 1 1/2 inch cubes and removing any silverskin, hair or bone.
3. Preheat a cast iron skillet or dutch oven on high heat. Add enough frying oil to your skillet to just cover the bottom.
4. Toss 1/2 of the meat into your seasoning sack to coat well.
5. Sear your meat well on all sides. Don't overcrowd your pan. You should only have just enough meat to cover the bottom. When finished searing each batch, transfer it to a stew pot.
6. Add some water or chicken stock to your frying pan and deglaze. Poor the glaze into your stewing pot. (this is the flavor)
7. Add enough water to just cover the meat in the stewing pot then bring to boil and reduce to simmer and cover for 1 hour.

Step 2. make the Colorado Chili Sauce

Ingredients:
22oz. dry pasillo-ancho chilis (dry pablanos)
1 1/2oz. dry guajillo-entero chilis (dry Anaheim chilis)
1 green bell pepper
1 fresh Anaheim chili
1-2 jalapeno peppers or serrano peppers (use serrano if you want it hotter)
1 large white or yellow onion not the sweet kind
6-8 cloves fresh garlic (that's cloves not bunches)
3 1/2 cups filtered water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry Mexican oregano
1 teas. chili powder
1/2 teas. cumin powder

1. Stem and seed the dry chilis and add them to a large bowl. Cover with 3 1/2 cups hot water to soften for 20 minutes.
2. Chop onions, the Anaheim chili, green the pepper and jalapenos the after removing the seeds and stems.
3. Put the reconstituted chilis, the fresh veggies and the “chili water” in a blender and blend until smooth. Do in batches if it doesn't all fit.
4. Put your sauce in a large sauce pot then add the seasonings and simmer covered for about 30 to 40 minutes stirring occasionally.

Step 3. combine and simmer
1. Take 2-3 cups Colorado sauce and add it to your stew pot with the venison (freeze the extra sauce)
2. Cover and simmer for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Step 4. plate it up
Serve your stew on top of mexican rice or white rice with refried beans and choppped cilantro, onion and fresh jalapeno slices for garnish. Cook some fresh tortillas or heat up some store bought and serve on the side. You should also add a side of grilled corn or sauteed vegetables. Like most stews, it will taste best the next day.