Tuesday, March 04, 2008


Really Good Chili - No Beans

Alton Brown had a great chili recipe a while back and I tested it on my SO who actually liked it! Yay! I had been sticking to a concoction for years and usually added beans to be healthy but this had no beans, did have chipotle and homemade chili powder. The first time I made it I included the lamb the recipe called for. Didn't care for the flavor with everything else. Left it out on the second round.

Here's the way I actually made the chili:
3 pounds stew meat (beef, and pork)
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer, preferably a medium ale
1 (16-ounce) container salsa
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
1 tablespoon chili powder (see homemade recipe below)
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt. Set aside.
Heat a slow cooker on high until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches to a large skillet and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl. Once all of the meat is browned, add the beer to the skillet to deglaze it. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back to cooker along with the salsa, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, chili powder, and ground cumin and stir to combine. Put on the lid and watch until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 3-4 hours. Remove from the heat and carefully release the steam. Serve immediately.


AB's Chili Powder
3 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced
3 cascabel chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced
3 dried arbol chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced
2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
Place all of the chiles and the cumin into a medium nonstick saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, moving the pan around constantly, until you begin to smell the cumin toasting, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside and cool completely.
Once cool, place the chiles and cumin into the carafe of a blender along with the garlic powder, oregano, and paprika. Process until a fine powder is formed. Allow the powder to settle for at least a minute before removing the lid of the carafe. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

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