The Good Chili

I'm not much of a sports person, but what I do love is inviting people over and eating snacks. Lucky, or maybe unluckily, for me, the two are sometimes synonymous. Recently a friend was very stressed out about their team winning (or losing) and graciously invited me over for moral support. To show I cared, I brought the good chili, not to be mistaken for the ground beef variety. No, the good chili is made by slow-simmering chunks of marbled beef with lots of chipotles in adobo, black beans and cumin. Best enjoyed with all the fixings: corn chips, sour cream, pickled peppers, aged cheddar, cilantro and lime. It's so good that my friend forgave me for being "bad luck" after a devastating loss. Maybe I should call it friendship-saving chili?

Equipment

Here's everything you need to make the good chili at home:

1. Dutch oven or large, thick-bottomed pot
2. chef's knife
3. cutting board
4. box grater

Get the full ingredients list and instructions below!

The Good Chili

also known as the best chili or the friendship-saving chili

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Servings: 6

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 lbs cubed stewing beef
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 186mL can chipotle peppers in adobo
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds or 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ½ tablespoon paprika
• ½ tablespoon cayenne
• 1 433mL can beer like a light lager
• 3 cups passata or crushed tomatoes
• 1 540mL can black beans
• 2 dried bay leaves
• salt I'm using Diamond Crystal Kosher
• neutral oil like canola or avocado

Toppings

• corn chips
• sour cream or Greek yogurt
• pickled jalapeños
• aged chedder grated
• cilantro
• lime

Method

 

1. Season 2 lbs cubed stewing beef with 3 teaspoon salt all over. Place in the fridge uncovered overnight, or as long as you have (ideally at least 30 minutes). Meanwhile, dice 1 yellow onion, 3 garlic cloves and the peppers from 1 can of chipotles in adobo.
2. Lightly coat the bottom of a Dutch oven, or thick-bottomed pot, in neutral oil and heat on medium-high. Pat the beef dry using a paper towel, then sear until golden brown on at least 2 sides. Remove and set aside.
3. Back in the pot, reduce to medium and add diced onion. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Using your spoon, create an opening in the bottom of the pot, add 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, ½ tablespoon paprika and ½ tablespoon cayenne, giving it a stir and allowing it to toast briefly in the oil. Stir to incorporate throughout, then add in diced chipotle peppers and cook until the adobo starts to caramelize on the bottom of the pot, about 3 minutes. Deglaze with 1 433mL can beer, scraping up any fond as you go. Simmer on high until the alcohol smell is gone, about 2 minutes.
4. Add 3 cups tomato passata, 5 cups water, 2 bay leaves and the seared beef. Bring to a gentle simmer, then place the lid on the pot, leaving 25% of the pot uncovered. Simmer on low like this for 3.5 hours, or until the liquid has reduced by ⅓ and the beef is tender enough to easily break with a fork.
5. Serve warm with corn chips, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, grated cheddar cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Notes

Make Ahead: Chili can be made 1-2 days in advance. Simmer until tender, then set aside to cool completely, before covering and storing in the fridge until ready to serve. Warm the chili on the stove top, by bringing it to a simmer, covering and letting cook until warmed-through. Or, by heating in a 300°F oven until wam, about 30 minutes.