Beef Chili Like None Other
Whenever I think of chili, I laugh, thinking of my brother’s fiasco with a chili cook-off decades ago with his accounting firm’s off-site. As a newbie to his firm, my brother wanted to impress his colleagues, but as a true bachelor, he couldn’t find his way around the kitchen. So, he took a bunch of dry, unsoaked beans and threw them in a pot along with a few tomatoes and some raw onion. Adding some water, my brother brought it all to a boil, but he left it unattended to and burnt the bottom of the pan. Unabashed, he took his chili to the cook-off and needless to say, he didn’t win first prize. It must run in the family, as I, too, have had a rough go with my chili over time. My prior attempts were vegetarian, and while I aimed for a smoky flavor, I added too much molasses, making the chili sickly sweet. I finally gave in and tried a beef chili and hit the bull’s eye the first time! This is a soup that you can bring to any cook-off with pride!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef, 90-94% lean
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 green and 1 red bell pepper
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 t. cumin
- ½ t. coriander
- 2 T. olive oil
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 4 cups beef broth
- 8 oz. tomato sauce, I prefer Muir Glen’s
- 24 oz. chopped tomatoes
- 3 T. tomato paste
- 2 (15 oz) can kidney beans
- 2 (15 oz) can pinto beans
- 2 T. beer
- ¼ t. chipotle in adobo sauce, add more for more heat.
- 1-3 t. chili powder, depending on your heat tolerance—1 t. for mild, 2 t. for medium, and 3 t. for spicy.
- ½ t. maple syrup
- 2 T. freshly chopped oregano
- ¼ t. cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ t. black pepper
- Kosher salt to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Wash and scrub the carrots, peeling them if they’re non-organic. Next, cut off the carrots’ tops and bottoms, chopping them into ¼” or thicker rounds. Then, heat 2 T. of olive oil in a nonstick 10” skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until the oil is glistening. Sauté the carrots for 15 minutes or longer while prepping the veggies (see step 2) if you like to multi-task. Regardless, stir occasionally while cooking, so the carrots don’t stick but form a sear. Remove from heat when the carrots are done cooking.
- Step 2 Remove the outer skin of the onion and dice in a food processor or chop by hand, reserving in the first of mixing bowls. Then, measure out the cumin and coriander and mix in with the onion. Next, wash and remove the stems, pith, seeds, and bottoms of your jalapeño and bell peppers. Dice all the peppers in a food processor or chop by hand, adding to a second mixing bowl. Now, smash your garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife, removing the skin and mincing the garlic, adding to a third mixing bowl.
- Step 3 Heat a 12” nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the beef, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces, after which add the onion. After 2 minutes, add the peppers and continue to stir. Then, after 8 minutes, add the garlic and mix until the beef is cooked and the vegetables are tender, approximately 9-10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat.
- Step 4 Mix the ingredients together in a 6-7-quart stockpot, adding the beef/vegetable mixture, broth, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, 1 can of kidney and pinto beans (each), beer, chili powder, chipotle in adobo sauce, oregano, and maple syrup.
- Step 5 Heat the soup on high until it comes to a boil. This usually takes about 10 minutes. Once the chili is hot, season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust for heat by adding more adobo sauce or chili powder if you want a spicier chili. Also, if you want a thicker chili, purée a can of kidney beans with little liquid in a blender and add to the soup. If you want it still thicker still, repeat the process with the last can of pinto beans. Top everything off with a dash of cinnamon if you’d like. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Enjoy!
With this surprising twist of beer, adobo sauce, cinnamon, and jalapeño, this is truly a beef chili like none other. Here, the rich tomato base and spices complement the tender beef and protein-packed beans. It will have you and your guest coming back for more!
Nutritional Information: serving size: 553 g., servings per recipe: 7, calories: 428, total fat: 9.66 g., saturated fat: 3.3 g., cholesterol: 57 mg., sodium: 1919 mg., total carbohydrate: 52.5 g., dietary fiber: 13.9 g., total sugars: 14.2 g., protein: 33.9 g., calcium: 172 mg., iron: 6.6 mg., potassium: 1287 mg., magnesium: 100 mg., vitamin D: 1 IU, vitamin C: 54 mg., vitamin B-1: 0.3 mg., folate: 78 µg.