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I made chili this weekend. It was nummilicious, but there is room for improvement. Though the original recipe calls for beef, I made it with turkey breast so that Katy’s mom could try some. I’ll try again with beef next time, and possibly add a bit more liquid and more heat. Even though the heat seemed quite fiery while it as cooking, once it was well reduced and had stood in the fridge overnight, it really mellowed out. I had also put some bacon off-cuts in the mix, but they were waaaay too salty for the end result.

Ingredients

2 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
3-4 Tbsp water

6 strips bacon
One 2 1/2 pound braising steak (aka chuck roast), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped

1 large tin plum tomatoes
2 1/2 cups veggie stock
1 tin dark beer
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp sugar

Grated cheddar cheese and chopped red onion for garnish

Method

1 In a small bowl mix the chili powder, chipotle chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, thyme, and ground coriander seeds. Mix in water so that chili forms a light paste. Set aside.

2 Cook the bacon in a large skillet on medium high heat until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan and set aside on a paper towel. Pour bacon fat from the pan into a separate container, reserve. When the bacon cools, crumble it into smaller pieces and set aside.

3 Increase heat to medium high, add back in 1 Tablespoon of bacon fat. Working in batches so that you don’t crowd the beef (crowding will steam cook the meat instead of browning it), brown the beef cubes on all sides, lightly salting as you cook the beef. Remove beef from pan, set aside.

4 Add another Tablespoon of bacon fat to the pan. Add the chopped onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeño, cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add the chili paste and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

5 Into a 6-quart thick-bottomed Dutch oven, put onion chili mixture, beef, bacon, tomatoes (break up the whole tomatoes with your fingers as you put them in the pot), water, lime juice and sugar. Heat the chili on medium high heat until it comes to a simmer. Then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Then uncover and cook for another half hour, keeping the temperature at a place where you can maintain a simmer.

6 Mix the cornstarch powder into a little water to dissolve the corn starch (otherwise you’ll have lumps to deal with) and add to the chili to thicken it. Add salt to taste. Adjust seasonings. Depending on the acidity of the tomatoes and lime juice you may need a little more sugar to bring the stew to balance. At this point you can also add a little more chili powder if you desire more heat.

Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and chopped red onion. Serve with cornbread, tortilla chips, and or rice.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I got the chili powders from Cool Chili. They rock.