Mike’s “10” Chili – Chili
(1st Place – Judge’s Prize - Chicago’s Glenwood Chili Cook-Off)
Ingredients
Olive Oil (Extra Virgin)
2-3 pounds beef (cut into 1/2-inch cubes) – Tri-Tip, Chuck or Stew Beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large red onion, finely diced
½ each green pepper, red pepper, yellow or orange pepper, pablano pepper
1 each jalapeno and habanero pepper (vein, seed pod and seeds removed)
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon each pasilla, New Mexico and cascabel chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 bottle dark beer (preferably Madero Negro)
1-2 cups “homemade” beef stock
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained and pureed
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (2-ounce) can tomato paste
3 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
2 tablespoon honey
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Directions
Cube meat and marinate 2-24 hours in ¼ cup of Olive Oil, 4 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped, I tablespoon of Ancho Chili Powder, 2 tablespoons of Fresh Lime Juice and sea salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste.
Heat 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil in a large Dutch (6 qt) oven over high heat; sauté marinated beef until browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate and remove all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.
Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the dark beer and cook until nearly completely reduced. Add the tomatoes (drained), tomato sauce and tomato paste. Add the ancho, pasilla, New Mexico and cascabel powder(s), and cumin. Add the finely chopped fresh peppers. Return the beef to the pot, add the beef stock, chipotle puree, and honey, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the beans and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice, and adjust seasonings.
Serve with a dollop of Toasted Cumin Crema and Avocado Relish. Chihuahua Cheese optional.
I use dried Ancho, Pasilla, Cascabel and New Mexico Chilis (generally found in Spanish markets); removing the stem, de-seeding and then finely chopping them in a food processor until nearly a powder… Store bought dried chili spices generally contain too much salt and do not absorb the additional liquid in the overall chili…
Toasted Cumin Crema
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 cup Mexican Crema (Sour Cream) or crème fraiche
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the cumin in a small saute pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden brown. Place in a small bowl. Stir in the Crema and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Avocado Relish
2 – 4 semi ripe to ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno chile, finely diced
Lime juice
Chopped cilantro leaves
1 Tsp of Cumin
Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
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