Nothing cures the winter blues like a bowl full of chili! Invite your friends and family over to your very own chili cookout! Warm your bellies and your kitchen with this slow cooked pot of simmered spicy beef. Heck, you could even make a bread bowl out of one of Blackbird’s Kensington White Sourdoughs and fill it up with this recipe – you’re the boss!
All Beef Chili
adapted from Cooking Meat
Serves 6-8
2 pounds ground beef
3 Tbsp vegetable oil (divided)
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 celery stalk, finely diced
½ red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp Spanish paprika
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
⅓ cup tomato paste
⅓ cup water
Salt and pepper
1 (16 ounces) can plum tomatoes|
1 Tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce
1 heaping cup canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup Beef Stock
1 heaping cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp lime juice
Method
- In a large pot over medium heat, brown the beef in 2 Tbsp of the oil. Once brown, drain off the excess oil, transfer the beef to a plate, and set aside.
- Return the pot to the heat and add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the celery and bell peppers and continue cooking and stirring for another few minutes.
- Turn down the heat to low, stir in the chili powder, paprika, coriander, and cumin, and cook for 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Finally, add the tomato paste and water, stir well and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pass the tomatoes and chipotle peppers through a food mill or food ricer. (If you don’t have one, use a food processor—but the seeds may add a bitter taste to your chili.) Add this puréed tomato mixture, the cooked beef, kidney beans, and stock to the pot and stir well to combine. Bring the chili to a simmer over low heat, cover, and simmer for 1¾ hours. Stir occasionally, to prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom.
- Add the black beans and cilantro, then stir in the sugar and lime juice. Season to taste: the chili should be tangy and spicy with a hint of sweetness. Cook until the beef is tender, about 15 minutes.
- To serve, pour the chili into a large serving bowl and pass the bowls.
Note: Chili, like people, improves with age. Make this recipe a day or two before serving and refrigerate to allow the flavor to develop.