Chili!

I’m always on the search for a new and exciting chili… don’t get me wrong, Virginia makes a very good, traditional chili. But every once in a while, it’s fun to try something new.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP Vegetable Oil
• 1LB Extra Lean ground beef (93/7 or better)
• 1LB Beef Sirloin, cut into cubes
• 2 Sweet Onions, Chopped
• 5-6 Cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 – 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, not drained
• 12oz of dark beer
• 1 Cup strong brewed coffee
• 12oz tomato paste
• 14oz Beef Broth
• 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
• 3-1/2 TBSP Chili Power
• 1 TBSP Cumin
• 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 TSP Oregano
• 1 TSP Cayenne Pepper
• 1 TSP ground coriander
• 1 TSP Salt
• 3 x 15 oz cans kidney beans (dark and light red)
• 4 hot peppers…. some may be seeded to cut down on heat

 

That looks like a lot of stuff… but… it’s not too horrible. I had most of it on hand, except I never seem to keep beef broth on hand…. and I didn’t have any dark beer…

Here are all of your canned goods.

Your “vegetables” …

Step 1: Prep stuff.  Cut onions and garlic, cut up sirloin into small pieces.

Put your ground beef, cubed sirloin, onions and garlic with your oil into a big ol stock pot. Cook on medium heat until your onions are translucent, and your beef is browned.

In the meantime, you can get everything else ready….

Here’s what all of the spices look like in one place:

I used 4 Jalapenos for the peppers… I pulled the seeds out of 3 of them in an effort to keep the spiciness reasonable for Virginia.

I got my beer ready… and brewed some fresh coffee….

Then I got my cans ready… now, once your meat is browned, you’re going to add 2 cans of beans, the can of tomatoes, and your can(s) of tomato paste. (and peppers and spices)

I like to drain and then rinse my beans to get rid of that weird syrupy stuff that they get packaged in.

BAM! Now, just stir everything together… then drop the heat to let it simmer for 1-1/2 hours.

 

So after an hour and a half, a lot of the liquid will have cooked off and it’ll be nice and thick. Now, add your last can of beans, and let it simmer for another half hour.

 

Let’s talk beans for a minute. I typically don’t like a ton of beans in my chili. this recipe actually called for 4 cans.. but I can’t bring myself to do that. At no point should the amount of beans exceed the amount of meat. Other people working from the same recipe were commenting about using multiple kinds of beans.. black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans… shit. Whatever. They’re beans. They’re all about the same. Slightly stiff skin, mushy grey stuff inside. So, if you want to be all high and mighty about your beans…. go ahead. Use whatever kind of beans you want. Hell, you could use lima beans for all I care. I used 2 cans of light red kidney beans, and 1 can of dark red.

After your latest addition of beans has cooked for a half hour, it’s time to polish up your best eatin’ spoon and get down one of your special clean bowls.

Not knowing exactly what to expect, I went with just a little bit of cheese in my first bowl.

Now… let me just say. …. This is some awesome chili. But, don’t expect it to be your regular, traditional, run of the mill chili. This is a good bit on the sweeter side, and it has a certain bit of flowery properties from the coriander, and a pretty amazing depth from the brown sugar, coffee, and beer.

My second bowl, I didn’t put anything on it, and it was, I think, better than the first bowl.

Now, as always, there are a few things that I would change in retrospect….

• Virginia actually said she’s like more meat in it… I think Chorizo would be a good addition to what it’s already got going on… but, Chorizo is remarkably greasy… so, you’ll have to take a bit of extra time to cook it separately and then allow it to drain for a while on a paper towel to get rid of the grease… even then, you still might get a little extra grease on the top of your bowl.
• I’d have liked to have it a little spicier. I gutted 3 Jalapenos when I was making this, in an effort to keep it mild for VA… but, it was a little too mild. Given the choice of too mild, or too hot, too mild is always safer, because I could always add some more fresh peppers, or hot sauce, or whatever.
• I felt like it needed a little crunch. Maybe some fresh onions… or a bed of Fritos… either way.

 

In any case, this is a recipe that you all should try. If you’re afraid of the sweetness from the brown sugar, you can cut it down to 1/4 cup, and you should be just fine.

Other reviews online were saying that this chili is really better on day 2… so, I can’t wait until tomorrow.