OK, here's my chili recipe. It isn't as complicated as it sounds, and it's forgiving of variations. It takes more time now than it used to because I only make it with smoked, shredded chuck, which is a time-consuming extra step, but way worth it.
Smoke a chuck roast. The size depends on you - for the chili proportions below, I do a 3 to 3-1/2 pounder and use about half of it (the rest gets eaten other ways).
1. Season chuck roast with McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning and put bare in smoker at 180 for two hours.
2. Remove from smoker and put in double-layer foil boat. Cover with as many crushed or minced garlic cloves as it takes to cover the whole top of the roast.
3. Slice a medium onion and put in and around the roast. If you plan to eat any of it as roast, throw in potatoes, carrots and whatever else you want.
4. Pour in about 2-4 oz of beer - enough to stand an eighth to a quarter inch in the bottom of the boat. Take care not to pour on top of the roast, or you'll wash off the garlic.
5. Loosely seal the boat and put it back in the smoker at 300, cooking until IT of about 205 or so. When it comes out, shred and chop the meat, and reserve as much of it as you want for the chili. Reserve as many of the onions as you want for the chili as well.
Make the chili. Ingredients:
1 Tblspn vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
(3) 14-oz cans light red kidney beans, drained
(3) 14-oz cans dark red kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
12 oz full-flavored beer
28 oz canned tomatoes, undrained, rough chop (we use kitchen shears to cut whole canned tomatoes as they go in the pot)
6 oz tomato paste
8 oz salsa verde
8 oz green taco sauce (we prefer LaVictoria, but Tack Bell works in a pinch)
1.5 Tblspn dried oregano
1 Tblspn ground Mexican oregano (if you can find it)
2 Tblspn ground cumin
.25 tspn cayenne pepper
.75 tspn allspice
1 Tblspn sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large dutch oven, sautee the onions and garlic.
2. Add dried oregano and cumin.
3. Add beans, beer, tomatoes, tomato paste, salsa verde, taco sauce. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often.
4. Add ground oregano, cayenne, bell pepper and allspice. Add smoked chuck and smoked onions as soon as they're available.
5. Simmer, uncovered, for two hours minimum, stirring frequently. Adjust seasonings as needed.
6. Shortly before serving, add sugar. Stir to avoid burning.
That's it. Serve it the way you like. The longer it cooks, the better, and it benefits from standing overnight and reheating.
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