We've made chili for years, each of us trying various mixes of ingredients.
Our secret ingredient the last few years has been cinnamon. Friends of ours swear by coffee.
Yesterday I was browsing various recipes and came up with this winning combination. The key ingredient was the dark beer.
For the meat you can use any combination you'd like or have on hand.
For the meat you can use any combination you'd like or have on hand.
We served it with pretzel rolls that we made for the first time.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds Andouille, or other spicy, smoked link sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces OR ground beef, pork, veal, turkey, chicken
Salt
Black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions
Green peppers
Several chopped garlic cloves
2 tablespoons chili powder
Cinnamon
Paprika
Cayenne
Oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer - optional
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed, and their juices OR any tomato sauce that you like AND tomato sauce preferably POMI
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, garnish OPTIONAL
1 cup finely chopped green onions, garnish OPTIONAL
Directions
In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat, salt and pepper and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, spices and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 4 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and continue to stir.
Deglaze the pan with the beer and cook until the foam subsides, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and kidney beans to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds Andouille, or other spicy, smoked link sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces OR ground beef, pork, veal, turkey, chicken
Salt
Black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions
Green peppers
Several chopped garlic cloves
2 tablespoons chili powder
Cinnamon
Paprika
Cayenne
Oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer - optional
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed, and their juices OR any tomato sauce that you like AND tomato sauce preferably POMI
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, garnish OPTIONAL
1 cup finely chopped green onions, garnish OPTIONAL
Directions
In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat, salt and pepper and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, spices and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 4 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and continue to stir.
Deglaze the pan with the beer and cook until the foam subsides, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and kidney beans to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
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