This was an experiment recipe that turned out amazingly. There's nothing like a good Texas red over some crispy Fritos.
Meat Choice:
There are SOOOOO many kinds of beef you can pick for this, but you really need one with a good fat content, so eliminate filet from this list. Pretty much any other red meat will work beyond that though, it's all mainly your preference. For me and my family, the best "bang for the buck" was to use chuck roast (english roast, pot roast, etc.). It's easy to track down in large quantities for relatively cheap.
Ingredients:
- Cooking oil (can use canola or olive oil as well)
- Chuck Roast | 6 - 8 pounds
- trimmed and diced into 1" pieces
- White Onions | 2 - 3 large | chopped
- Garlic | 3 - 4 cloves | chopped
- Chili Powder | 5 - 7 tablespoons
- Cumin | 5 tablespoons
- Oregano | 4 tablespoons
- Crushed Red Pepper | 2 - 4 tablespoons
- this will bring a bit of heat, so tread lightly if you are sensitive)
- San Marzano Tomatoes | 2 x 28 oz cans | pureed in blender to desired consistency
- Tomato Paste | 6 ounce can
- Beef Stock | 1.5 quart
- Beer | 1 bottle
- Sugar | 2 tablespoons | optional
- Salt | 1 tablespoon | to taste
- Pepper | 2 tablespoons
Making the Chili:
Start off with a big pot as you are going to need it. Heat a few teaspoons of the oil over medium and add in the onions and garlic. Sautee till the onions are transparent and soft and add in all the dry seasonings. Stir till they are all "wet", then remove the majority of the mixture to a bowl leaving a small amount/residue on the bottom.
Add in a little more oil and start adding the beef in batches. You want to cook it until it has a nice sear on it. Some of the seasoning/onion mixture should season it nicely and give a good color. As the batches of meet cook to your liking, remove to a different bowl, leaving the drippings in the main pot.
Once the beef is all browned, pour in the beer to "de-glaze" the pan and then add back in the beef, spice & onion mixture, pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, sugar, salt and pepper and mix very well.
Let simmer for approximately 3 hours. Longer is fine, and while less will work, the longer you cook it the better it tastes.
As for toppings, your favorite chili-fixins all work here. I personally like cheddar cheese, green onions (scalions), a few pickled jalapeños and some corn chips.
Stores exceptionally well.
