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Prep Time: 60 Minutes Cook Time: 60 Minutes |
Ready In: 120 Minutes Servings: 24 |
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This is the recipe I make every year for the Super Bowl, for my boyfriend and two dozen or so of his closest beer-drinking, football-watching friends. The problem with trying to find a good chili recipe is that what makes a good chili is a personal opinion; my idea of a great chili may be very different from yours. My chili is heavy on the meat, garlic and spice; rather rich-tasting, hearty, thick, fiery, and smoky. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, I'm also going to include plenty of advice on how to adjust it to meet your tastes. Enjoy. Notes: To cut down on fat, lean, turkey/chicken Italian sausage can be used, without affecting the flavour or texture of the final meal. Extra-lean beef can also be used. Ingredients:
2 lbs dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight, rinsed, and cooked until tender |
3 lbs italian sausage (raw, *not* the smoked kind, hot or mild, to your taste) |
3 lbs ground beef (as lean as you like it) |
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, if necessary |
3 lbs onions, chopped |
1/4 cup garlic, minced (or to taste) |
1/4 cup chili powder (hot or mild as per your tastes) |
1/4 cup cocoa |
1 tablespoon cumin |
7 ounces chipotle chiles in adobo (1 small can) |
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses |
6 ounces tomato paste |
3 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes |
2 cups good-quality beef stock, divided |
salt, to taste |
liquid smoke, to taste |
2 lbs velveeta cheese (do not use store brand as it does not work as well) (optional) |
2 cups additional beef stock |
1 cup potato flakes (mashed potato mix) |
fresh minced cilantro |
crumbled cooked bacon |
sliced green onion |
shredded cheddar cheese |
tortilla chips |
sour cream |
Directions:
1. Warning: this makes a LOT of chili. I suggest using a 12-quart stock pot.
2. In stockpot over medium heat, brown sausage or beef, stirring and breaking it up as it browns. Depending on how lean your meat and sausage are, add olive oil if the meat begins to stick.
3. When meat is browned, add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add chili powder, cocoa, and cumin. Stir well to incorporate and cook for an additional minute.
4. Transfer chipotles to blender or food processor and puree until smooth, adding some water if necessary.
5. (Warning: if you aren't familiar with chipotles and aren't a fan of very spicy food, they are VERY HOT. If you aren't sure how much of this you would like in your chili - reserve it for now, proceed with the rest of the recipe, and then incorporate the chipotles, one teaspoon at a time, until your desired hotness level is reached).
6. Add (chipotles if you are confident you want all of them in there), molasses, tomato paste, ONE can of crushed tomatoes, and ONE cup of the beef stock. Bring to boil, stirrng well to prevent from sticking to bottom of pot.
7. Taste your chili so far. Add salt and liquid smoke to taste - it's a big pot, so you may need to add what seems like a LOT of salt to get it to taste right. A little goes a long way with the liquid smoke.
8. Depending on how soupy or tomatoey you like your chili - you may or may not wish to add more stock or more tomatoes.
9. The Velveeta may seem like an odd ingredient to add to chili - but it adds a creaminess that makes it all come together. If you're not sure you'll enjoy it - remove about a cup of chili to a much smaller pot, add an ounce of Velveeta and cook, stirring, to melt. Taste it - and compare it to the big pot to see which you like better.
10. If you like it - cube the Velveeta and add, stirring well to melt and incorporate into the chili.
11. If you have left the chipotles aside until now, and want to add a bit of zing - add them, one teaspoon or so at a time, stirring well to incorporate after each addition.
12. If you overshoot and it's spicier than you wanted - the potato flakes can soak up a lot of the spice, and you can add them a little at a time.
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