Serves 2 with lots of leftovers (which is a good thing) or 6-8 to polish off a batch all at once.
Cook Time:
30-45 Minutes Prep
4-8 Hours Cook
Overnight or 24 Hours Aging
Ingredients:
2lbs Ground Meat (I recommend turkey, though beef or chicken is good too)
1 Large yellow onion
2.5-3 Cans tomato sauce (15oz cans)
4-8oz Beer (cheap lagers or ales work best)
4-8oz Beef or chicken broth
1 Can Rotel tomatoes and chilies
1–3 Canned chipotle peppers, chopped finely
1 Square of a dark chocolate bar (65%+ cacao), broken up
Fresh jalepeno or cayenne peppers to taste
Spices
2Tbsp Sugar
2tsp Salt (I recommend garlic salt)
2tsp Chili Powder
1/2tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2tsp Cayenne Powder
2tsp Cumin
4 bay leaves
Dried red chilies to taste
Oregano, thyme and ground black pepper to taste
Chili Pepper Roasting Procedure:
You can roast them in your broiler, or on a grill.
For the broiler:
Move your top oven rack to near the top of the oven, maybe the 2nd slot down, if it is an electric oven. Do whatever you’re supposed to do to get the rack close to the heat if you have a gas oven–I don’t know how that works. Fire up the broiler on high.
Wash and dry your chilies and snip off the stems. Place them on a foil-lined cookie sheet and spray them down generously, on both sides, with Pam or whatever spray you like to use. Place them under the broiler and don’t get distracted. Trust your nose first and eyes second to tell you when they need to be flipped over–they should be blackened and blistered thoroughly but not burned.
Oiled up before roasting
For the grill:
Get the grill as hot as you can. Wash and dry your chilies and snip off the stems. Put them in a big Zip-Loc bag with a drizzle of vegetable or canola oil, shake to coat them evenly, then remove from the bag. When the grill is hot, place the chilies directly on the grate. Stay close and check often as you roast them until they are blackened and blistered on both sides, turning as necessary.
To finish, for either method:
After the chilies are roasted, put them in a paper bag and roll it up tightly. Be careful what you put it on, as oil may soak through the bottom, but put it somewhere for 5 minutes or so. The steam will separate the skins and make them easier to peel. Take the chilies out of the bag, put them on a cutting board, and with a very thin and sharp knife, cut off the tops, trying to get as much of the internal membrane and seeds out as you can. Slit the chilies down one side to flatten them out, and peel off the skins. Scrape off the seeds and membranes from the other side and cut them into thin strips or squares. Set aside for adding to the chili.
Directions:
You can do this a couple of different ways, but my preference is to cook the onions and meat in a skillet and use the crock pot for the chili. You could also use a Dutch oven for everything.
Loosely chop the onion and caramelize in a skillet or cast iron pan, or if you prefer, simply sautee over medium heat until onions turn translucent. Bacon fat is good for this but a little butter works too. Put them in the chili pot.
This is close to being done.
Brown the meat in the same pan and drain the fat. Add that to the chili pot too. If you are using a Dutch oven for everything, go ahead and brown the meat and cook the onion at the same time so you don’t have to separate them out and dirty up extra dishes.
Add the other ingredients to the meat and onions in this order:
Roasted chilies
Chipotle chilies
Crushed tomatoes
Rotel
1 can tomato sauce (reserve other can)
Beer
Brown sugar and spices
Add remaining tomato sauce as necessary, to achieve desired thickness
Add “optional, for heat” ingredients to taste, to achieve desired spiciness
Add everything together in the dutch oven (or crock pot) and stir until well blended. Turn heat to medium-low and stir occasionally for 4-8hrs. Remove bay leaves, cover and refrigerate for 12-24hrs before serving (trust me, it’s worth it). Re-heat on low on the stove or on medium power in the microwave. Do not burn. Top with shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream or crackers. Serve with cheese quesadillas or corn bread. Grated cheddar and sour cream make good toppings, especially if it’s a little too hot for someone.