Venison Butternut Squash Chili

2 tablespoons lard or ghee
1 pound venison stew meat, cut into 2" cubes
1 medium onion, diced
1 large poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
2 large jalapeno chiles, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups beef stock, preferably homemade
6 ounces tomato paste
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups cubed butternut squash

Heat the lard or ghee in a large, enameled Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the venison to the pan and brown the meat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the onion, poblano and jalapenos; continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until the onion and peppers begin to soften.
    
Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, chili powders, cumin, cinnamon, paprika and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes fragrant, about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in the beef stock and taste. Season as needed with salt and pepper, then stir in the butternut squash.
    
Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the venison is just about fork tender. Remove the lid and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 20 minutes more. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if necessary, and serve.  4 servings

**This is a good base, but found the jalapeno to overpower the butternut flavor some.  Also, there was too much sauce for the amount of meat and other items that create texture.  Try increasing the amount of venison and adding something that creates texture like beans do in normal chili.
    
Nutrition (per serving): 317 calories, 10.7g total fat, 26.5mg cholesterol, 568.7mg sodium, 1318.5mg potassium, 26.6g carbohydrates, 5.6g fiber, 10.5g sugar, 33g protein