Weather’s cooling down, kitchen’s warming up! I love this chili. For the feint at heart, omit the jalapeno peppers (the chipolte peppers still add plenty of heat).
1 pound ground beef (or ground pork)
2 1/2 pounds chuck roast or boneless sirloin or chuck tender steak, cut into tiny cubes
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large jalapeno peppers – stemmed, seeded, and chopped extra fine
2 poblano peppers – roasted, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
Small can chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
1 12-oz bottle Shiner Bock beer, or equivalent
2 oz tequila
1 cup coffee
2 cups beef broth (use one broth cube + water)
2 cans chili beans in mild/medium chili sauce
1/4 cup cornmeal
Sour cream/mexican cream to garnish
Shredded cheese (such as cheddar or jack) to garnish
In a large pot, over medium-high heat cook the ground beef and cut steak until the meat is no longer pink. Add the onions, peppers, garlic, and chili powder and cook while stirring until the onions are wilted. Add the cumin, oregano, thyme, salt, green pepper, poblano and jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, beer, and tequila. Stir to deglaze the pan. Continue cooking adding the chipoltes and adobo sauce, coffee, and beef stock. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until the meat is very tender (90 minutes to 2 hours). Add water if the chili becomes dry or too thick. Once the chili has cooked until the meat is tender, add the two cans of beans and then add the cornmeal gradually to the chili as you stir, to thicken the sauce. Stop adding the cornmeal when you have reached the desired consistency.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream (Mexican cream) and shredded cheese on top.