World Championship Chili
- Makes
- Makes enough for a good Super Bowl party
Ingredients
Green amounts are scaled. Anything else is as written, so adjust it yourself.
Dried Chiles
Method
Amounts and times written inside the steps are for the original quantity.
- Use Instant Pot to hydrate beans (so fast!). If no Instant Pot then place beans, 6 tablespoons kosher salt (or 3 tablespoons table salt), and water in large container, pot or bowl. Allow to soak at room temperature at least , or overnight. Drain and rinse soaked beans. Using canned beans is your last option, they’ll work but the flavour isn’t as good.
- Cook beef in a cast iron pan or sauté pan. Do in appropriate size batches that allow you to get good browning by not stirring too frequently. Transfer each finished batch into a bowl. Allow beef to cool at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, add dried chiles to large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or stock pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until slightly darkened with intense, roasted aroma, . Do not allow to smoke. Remove chiles to small bowl and set aside.
- Return Dutch oven to medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup chicken broth. Reduce heat until chicken broth is at a bare simmer, add toasted chiles to liquid and cook until chiles have softened and liquid is reduced by half, . Transfer chiles and liquid to blender, add dried ground spices (cumin, coriander, star anise, cloves, Szechuan peppers), anchovy, soy sauce,, and chocolate, and blend at high speed, scraping down sides as necessary, adding more broth as necessary to get a completely smooth puree, about . Set chile puree aside.
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil (as well as any beef fat from the ground beef) in Instant Pot set to Saute or large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, . Add garlic, and Mexican oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about . Add chile puree and cook, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot until chile mixture begins to fry and leaves a coating on bottom of pan, . Add chicken stock and deglaze bottom of cooking vessel the add beer, ground beef, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, scraping bottom of pan to loosen browned bits. If using Instant Pot and you’ve already cooked the beans then set to slow cook (on high/more) and wait to let flavours incorporate. If not using Instant Pot, reduce heat to lowest possible setting, add beans, and cook, with cover slightly ajar, until beans are almost tender, about . Add crushed tomatoes and cider vinegar and cook with cover slightly ajar until beans and beef are fully tender and broth is rich and lightly thickened, longer, adding beer or water if necessary to keep beans and meat mostly submerged (a little protrusion is ok). If necessary, transfer all chilli to large Dutch oven to raise the temperature to a steady simmer to reduce liquid to the proper consistency before getting ready to serve.
- Using tongs, remove and discard bay leaves. Add bourbon and stir to combine. Season to taste with kosher salt, ground black pepper.
- Serve immediately, or for best flavor, allow to cool and refrigerate overnight, or up to 1 week in sealed container. Reheat, and serve with desired garnishes (cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, and of course, jalapeno corn bread).