Five-Alarm Chili
From Cook's Country [1]
Notes
Ancho chiles can be found in the international aisle at the supermarket. Light-bodied American lagers, such as Budweiser, work best in this recipe. We like to serve the chili with lime, sour cream, scallions, and cornbread.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (4 to 6) dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
3/4 cup crushed corn tortilla chips
1/4 cup canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
Salt and pepper
2 pounds onions, chopped fine
2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeds reserved, and minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups beer
3 15-ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed
Directions
- Combine anchos and 1 1/2 cups water in bowl, and microwave until softened, about 3 minutes. Drain, and discard liquid. Process anchos, tomatoes, and their juice, 2 cups water, tortilla chips, and chipotle and adobo sauce in blender until smooth, about 1 minute; set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add beef, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up pieces with spoon, until all liquid has evaporated and meat begins to sizzle, 10 to 15 minutes. Let drain in colander; set aside.
- Heat remaining 4 teaspoons oil in now-empty pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and jalapeños and seeds, and cook until onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, coriander, sugar, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in beer, and bring to simmer. Stir in beans, reserved ancho-tomato mixture, and reserved cooked beef and bring to simmer. Cover; reduce heat to low; and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Season with salt to taste, and serve.
Information
- Category
- Main Dishes, Beef
- Cuisine
- North American
- Yield
- 8-10 servings