Chili that should come with a warning label....

So, the NFL opened on Thursday evening with five preseason games.  I don’t know what that means in your world but in my world, I’m always ready for some football!  With the whole lock-out mess and the true lack of football news to keep me on the edge of my seat, I was totally relieved when the madness ended and then, the madness began.  My Twitter feed was blowing up with all the news of trades and free agent acquisitions.  It was GREAT!  I had to write it all down so I could keep track and process it all at the end of the day.  Yes, I’m a nerd.

Anyway, the other exciting part about football season besides the whole football thing is the knowledge that cooler weather is on the way and with cooler weather brings a WIDE range of comfort food including chili.  Now, I’m well aware that Fall has not yet arrived and, in Florida, the humidity is laughing at me for thinking that nicer temps are around the corner.  That’s fine.  I’ve got a/c and I can cook chili if I want to!  So, that’s what I did!  It’s my “welcome back NFL” celebratory meal. (Yes, I know it’s Saturday and the first games were two days ago but really awesome chili takes time to cook and I don’t have that time during the week.  Yes, I could have done chili in the crockpot but I didn’t.  Quit being picky.  Moving on.) 

As I’ve mentioned before, I love cooking things that take time and make my house smell really good.  I’ve also mentioned that we love us some chili up in this house and, regardless of the heat index, we’ll gobble it up without complaint.  So, I knew I was safe even if I made one that had some heat of its own. J  Now, a good many people out there are what are known as “chili purists”.  We are not in that category.  BUT, if you are, be warned that this chili is made with ground chuck and contains beans.  I’m not sure what the big deal about beans is – can someone explain it to me?  I get why beans are off limits in a chili cook-off (so the judges just get the flavors of the meat and the seasonings) but I’m not in a contest here.  Whatever.  I think the beans add a nice textural difference to the dish and we like them so they’re in.

Oh, hey, I haven’t mentioned where this recipe comes from!  Sorry – this recipe for Beef Chili with Beans comes from the December 2006 issue of Food and Wine magazine.  That’s a pretty exotic name for this recipe, don’t you think?  Ha!  Honestly, I guess it is pretty straightforward.  It is what it is, after all.  Now, there are some differences in this chili than you’ll find in others.  First of all, it doesn’t call for your regular, run-of-the-mill chili powder.  Oh, no.  That’s what makes this recipe special.  You have to find not one different chile powder but two different ones!  I promise that you’ll be able to find the ancho chile powder since McCormick® makes it.  If I can find it down here in Podunk, Florida, you can find it at your local grocery store and/or Walmart.  The other one – well, I couldn’t find it so I used something else.  What you need is pure pasilla chile powder.  I have no clue what that is.  I did not find it in the Walmart.  No, I did not go on a search of grocery stores – I substituted hot Mexican chili powder that I happened to have in my pantry.  It works.  If, however, you have the time and the energy and, perhaps a Hispanic food market near you, then you can certainly search for pasilla chile powder.  You’ll have to let me know the different taste qualities in that chile powder compared with regular.

I definitely need to warn you again that this chili definitely has some heat to it.  This is not for the faint of heart.  Or my Grandma.  (Mom, don’t make this for her.  You can, however, make it for bridge group and have fun watching everyone run for the water and/or beer bottles! J)  It’s kind of “slap you in the face” chili but really, isn’t that what chili is supposed to be?  Feel free to top it with cheese, sour cream, onions or your favorite topper.  We choose cheese which had the nice effect of putting a little lid on the spiciness without taking it away.  It was delicious.  And my face turned all red and little beads of sweat popped out on my forehead.  Fabulous!  Again, here comes the warning label moment – THIS CHILI IS SPICY!  Okay, you’ve been warned.  Don’t come back to me and say “hey, I didn’t know this chili was spicy!”  I will not apologize.  Your own fault.  And I hope you enjoy it!  We certainly did!

You know the deal – recipe follows.  Happy cooking, eating, sweating and drinking!

a big bowl of spicy deliciousness

Beef Chili with Beans

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 pounds ground beef chuck

2 large onions, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons pure ancho chile powder

3 tablespoons pure pasilla chile powder

3 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons chopped thyme

2 teaspoons chopped oregano

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 15-ounce can pinto beans

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with the juices

5 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded and finely chopped

1 cup tomato sauce

¼ cup tomato paste

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

Salt

1.  In a large, heavy pot or a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil.  Add half the ground beef and cook over high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.  Brown the remaining ground beef.  Return the first batch of browned beef to the pot.

2.  Add the onions and bell pepper to the pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, ancho and pasilla chile powders, cumin, coriander, sugar, thyme, oregano, black pepper and cayenne.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

prepped and ready to go

now that's a big pile o' spices!

3.  Stir in the beef broth, pinto beans, tomatoes, chipotles, tomato sauce, tomato paste and the vinegar.  Simmer the chili over low heat for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.  Add the lime juice, season with salt and serve.

getting ready to simmer

dinner's done!

Make ahead:  The chili can be refrigerate for up to 3 days.