Recipe of the Week: All Beef Chili

Chili is one of those dishes that people are passionate about. For example, I have a friend who swears that making it with ground beef is a sin, and that it should be made with stewing blade meat, stewed with spices for hours. I don’t disagree, however that style isn’t as easy to spoon over a hot dog as ours is.

All-Beef Chili
adapted from Cooking Meat

Makes enough for 6 healthy servings

Ingredients

2 lbs                     ground beef, preferably from the blade
3 Tbsp                  vegetable oil (divided)
1                            medium onion, peeled and finely diced
2 Tbsp                  minced garlic
½                           red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1                            celery stalk, 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 to taste
1 can (500 mL)   plum tomatoes
1 Tbsp                  chipotle in adobo sauce
1 cup                    canned red kidney beans, drained
1 cup                    Beef Stock
1 cup                    canned black beans, drained
3 Tbsp                  chopped cilantro
1 tsp                     brown sugar
1 Tbsp                  lime juice

Method

1. In a large pot over medium heat, brown the beef in 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Once brown, drain off the excess oil, transfer the beef to a plate, and set aside.

2. Return the pot to the heat and add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and sweat for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and sweat for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the bell peppers and celery and continue cooking and stirring for another few minutes.

3. Turn down the heat to low, stir in the dried spices, and cook for 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Finally, add the tomato paste and water, stir well to creating a loose paste, and simmer for 10 minutes. Season your chili base with salt and pepper.

4. Pass the tomatoes and the chipotle peppers through a food mill or food ricer. (If you don’t have one, use a food processor but the seeds may leave a bitter taste in your chili.) Add the puréed tomato mixture, cooked beef, kidney beans, and beef 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.

5. 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 for 15 minutes more, or until the beef is tender.

6. To serve, pour the chili into a large serving bowl and pass the bowls. Or spoon it over a freshly grilled and “bunned” hot dog.