Chili (Beef), ½ Alarm – Lutz

Chili Sauce:

• 4 C chicken stock
• ½ onion (chopped)
• 8 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 LG bell pepper (chopped) (optional)
• 8 dried cascabel chili peppers (seeded & rinsed – save the seeds)
• 8 dried ancho chili peppers (seeded & rinsed – save the seeds)

Chili Sauce Optional Additional Peppers (choose one):

• 4 dried japones chili peppers (seeded & rinsed – save the seeds) (commonly used in Chinese dishes)
• 4 jalapeño chili peppers – fresh or dried (whole, seeds and all)

Chili:

• 1 TBS oil
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 8-10 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 LB cubed stew meat (or 1 LB cubed + 1 LB ground)
• 1-2 QT chicken or beef stock
• ¼ TSP ground cumin
• 16 OZ diced tomatoes (if using canned, get the “no sodium added” variety)
• 32 OZ cooked kidney/pinto/whatever beans (optional)
• Salt & pepper (to taste)

Chili Sauce:

1. Sauté the onions, garlic and bell pepper (if using) for the Chili Sauce.
2. Combine the remaining Chili Sauce and Optional Additional Pepper ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and simmer until the chilies become tender (approximately 30 to 45 minutes).
3. Transfer to a blender or Cuisinart, or use a stick blender, and puree until smooth and saucy.
4. Strain to get the pepper skin pieces out.
5. Set aside.
6. Yields ~3¼ C of sauce.

Chili:

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until clear.
2. Add the meat and brown, adding a pinch of salt and pepper during cooking.
3. Add stock, enough to just cover the meat.
4. Add the cumin.
5. Cook until the meat is tender, maintaining the stock level to just above – approximately 1 to 1½ hours depending on the cut of meat you use.
6. Once the meat is tender add the Chili Sauce, drained beans (if using), and diced tomatoes.
7. Add stock to desired consistency (~1½ C). Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and simmer.
8. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper as desired (~½ TSP of each).
9. If you want to add more pepper spice, add the saved seeds to taste. These will add heat quickly, so add a little at a time, boil for 10 minutes and taste again, repeating as necessary (start with 3 big pinches of seeds).
10. Check the consistency of the chili, it should be slightly thinner than what you are aiming for, add broth as necessary.
11. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 30 minutes. The chili will be ready to serve at this point, however the longer and slower you cook it, the better it will become. Reduce heat to very low and cook this for several hours, stirring frequently. 6 hours of slow cooking makes a thick, hearty, flavorful chili.

Yields 3 – 3½ quarts.

NOTES:

• Good chili is a slow process – don’t rush it, the ingredients will build upon each other. Let it simmer low and slow all day, and you’ll be glad you did.
• Beans are optional, if not using beans you’ll use more water or broth, and you’ll want to substitute more meat in place of the beans. Pre-cook pinto or kidney beans (or used canned) and go sparingly on the salt and other seasonings – less is more in this case, usually salt, pepper and onions. Cook till tender. If using canned beans, drain and rinse.
• If you know approximately how hot you want the chili to be, you can add the appropriate amount of chili seeds into the Chili Sauce at the start of cooking so they can be blended and strained later to eliminate whole seeds from the final chili mix.
• The amount of stock added to the chili will depend greatly on how long you intend to simmer it. The volume above (1½ C) is based on a 5 – 6 hour simmer.