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1
Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown the venison or beef in the bottom of an 8 quart stock pot.
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2
Drain off any excess fat but retain enough to saute the onions and garlic in the next step.
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3
If you use venison you may not need to drain.
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4
Push all of the meat to one side of the pot and place the onions and garlic in the open side.
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5
Stir just the onions and garlic until the onions start to appear opaque.
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6
Add the chili powder and the 2 cups of water and stir.
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7
The water will deglaze the pan and add the flavor to the mixture.
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8
Add all the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the cilantro, to the pot.
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9
I use the tomato sauce can to measure my tomato juice.
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10
Bring to a rolling boil for 5 minutes.
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11
Remove pot from heat and stir in the cilantro after the boiling has subsided.
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12
Cover and return to a low heat and simmer for at least 2 hours.
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13
I stir the pot every half hour, or as needed.
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14
After 1 hour, taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and hot sauce to your liking.
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15
But, remember that this soup is designed to be eaten with saltine crackers added to the bowl or on the side, so keep the salt in the pot on the light side if you also plan to use crackers too.
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16
Serve in a large bowl with finely shredded cheddar or a Mexican three cheese blend.
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17
In my opinion saltines are a must with this soup, because I grew up eating that way.
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18
But it goes equally well with toasted cheese sandwiches.
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19
This recipe makes 12, 2 cup servings at 263 calories per serving if made with venison.
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20
The cheese and crackers add calories but you will need to calculate that based on how much, or many, you add.
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21
This soup freezes and keeps very well in an airtight container.
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22
I always save the leftovers that way if they cant be eaten in a timely fashion.
