Chili

[Pat Garaffa]

Great for Superbowl Sunday

"Sleep with no blankets in the dead of winter chili"

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. coarsely ground, extra lean sirloin
2 lb. sirloin steak, trimmed of fat, cubed 1/4"
   (Or substitute the above 2 sirloins with 3 lbs lean chopped beef)
1 large Bermuda onion, diced 1/4"
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce
1 28-oz. can of whole tomatoes, sliced and include all juices
2 14-oz. cans of crushed tomatoes, Mexican style with jalapeno peppers
1 12-oz. can of beer, any kind
2 beef bouillon cubes or 1 tsp. of bouillon crystals
4 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cilantro (dried)
1 small jar of green chilies
2 dashes of cayenne pepper
2 dashes of Louisiana Hot Sauce
3 16-oz cans of dark red kidney beans (use all liquid)

Heat Index: As is, will barely warm your toes. For more of a "get to know yourself" experience, add 3 dried red peppers to float around during simmering process (tie them in a cheesecloth piece with string), but make sure you remove before serving, or your mind will be altered, abruptly. These 3 peppers add enough heat to warm the spirit and clear the sinuses. Add or delete to your liking.

Kick it up a few notches by substituting Habanero peppers in place of the red chili peppers. Be sure to remove from chili before serving. Best to wrap in small cheesecloth pouch for easy removal. Do not touch eyes after handling, or you will give new meaning to "a burning glare."

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add sirloin, onion, and garlic; brown meat. Drain fat (shouldn't be any if lean meat was used). Place meat mixture in Dutch Oven or large heavy pot (my wife uses a crock pot) and add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beer. Stir in all other ingredients except beans. Cook over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours. Twenty minutes before serving, add beans and simmer. Let it sit overnight. The acid from the tomatoes tenderizes the meat even more, and lets the flavors meld together. Just reheat and serve. Top with chopped onion, grated sharp cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, chopped green onion, or sour cream, and/or corn chips and of course - plenty of frosty, cold beer.  

Remember, what goes in hot, comes out smokin’

[Jody_Branin]

Looks great  8-) but Holy Cow - looks to be enough for a small Army!    Exactly what size crock pot(s) do you use?   :-?

[Pat Garaffa]

I was curious.  I checked it out and it was a 5 quart crockpot.  The recipe calls for 3 pounds but we have increased the amount to 4 pounds and that's when we start to hit the 5 quart limit.  

Don't kid yourself about the small army.  The chili is pretty good and it always goes with rarely any leftovers.  She made 3 pounds yesterday for a SuperBowl party of 8 adults and 9 little kids.  It was gone pretty quickly.  I doubt the kids ate much and it was mostly the adults.

My wife often substitues the beans because the kids think they are icky.  Instead, she'll toss in 2- 15oz cans of corn.  Adds some color and tastes great too and then the kids have less to complain about.  

The crock pot makes it easy if you are cooking it at home and then taking it to another place.