Instructions: In a large stockpot over medium heat, add linguica and cook until lightly browned. Add venison and brown evenly. Add next 4 ingredients and cook for a few minutes. Add diced tomato and next 5 ingredients and simmer until venison is tender. It will take 2 to 3 hours. Add additional salsa or tomato if necessary to keep meat moist while cooking.

When meat is just tender, add beans, 2 tablespoons of the tomato paste and cilantro. Heat to warm beans. If you want to thicken the chili, add additional tomato paste as necessary. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco.

This recipe yields 8 to 10 servings.

Comments: Silver Sage Caterers, founded by Greg Cornell and me, receives more requests for the chili recipe than any other item we prepare. Leftovers have been auctioned off at dinners weve catered for sporting groups such as California Waterfowl Association.

For our signature beans, we use chunks of sirloin and linguica sausage. We substitute cubed venison shoulder for beef for this version. If you cant find linguica, use andouille or any good-quality smoked medium-hot sausage. If your sausage does not release a good bit of oil when cooked, you should add some vegetable oil to help brown the venison.

I like to serve this with warm flour tortillas. It is important to stew the venison until tender. To do so, you may need to add some more diced tomato or salsa so that there is sufficient liquid to keep the meat moist while cooking.

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