Ship the SF Chili Cookoff Grand Champion and Best Presentation imo. Thats the 100% Pewter Grand Champ belt buckle in my hand, tyvm.
Chili de los Muertos
4 lbs chuck steak - 1 inch cubes
1 lb short ribs
1 lb niman ranch applewood smoked bacon
2 1/2 large yellow/sweet onions
2 large anaheim peppers
4-5 medium sized ancho/pasilla peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped garlic
1 7oz can of chipotle in adobo sauce
1 16oz can of crushed marzano tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
3 shots of wild turkey/bourbon
3 Tbsp Chili Powder
3 Tbsp Cumin
3 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
3 Tbsp Garlic Powder
3 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Cayenne Powder
10 pinches of smoked sea salt** to taste
2-3 squares of bittersweet chocolate***to taste
1/4 cup of molasses**to taste
1.5 Tbsp cinnamon
Good chocolate stout or porter
In a two gallon heavy bottom pot Heat enough oil to coat the bottom, wait till its almost smoking, then add your diced beef. The trick here is to get a nice brown sear, Very hot oil and the meat should never release any liquid, if you have to do the meat in Batches so be it. Once all the meat is golden brown, using a slotted spoon, pull the meat out and let drain. Now, with the heat still rolling, dont try to clean the pan, and dont drain anything from the pan. Add the bacon and begin rendering. Once the bacon is fully cooked, add all the spices and stir constantly until the smell of the spices starts to take your breath away. . Cook for no more than 4 min, be careful not to burn the spices. They do that pretty quick so be careful. Now add all the vegetables except the tomato products. For the pasillas we basically turned them into paste, seeds and all in the food processor. Mix thoroughly to be sure to get all the pockets of spices that could potentially burn. Scrape the bottom of the pan very well. Cook this mixture for about 10-15 min, or until almost mushy, add the tomato paste and let cook for another five min still on high. Now add your chipotles, Tomatoes and the seared beef. YOu can add a tiny bit of beer and the bourbon now to get some liquid. Lower to a slow simmer and cover. Let cook for about 4 hours, check moisture content often. If all this is done correctly, the beef and the tomatoes should release enough juices to make the CHili perfect.
Test the meat, it should fall apart in your mouth, if not keep cooking till it does. Smoosh the short ribs and rest of meat with spatula. Remove short ribs and make sure meat is off bone after about 4 hours.
season to taste with the chocolate, molasses and salt.
* we actually used mexican chocolate, which has cinnamon instead of adding cinnamon powder. So , this is obviously a modified version of that epicurean recipe posted earlier. My old technique and flavor was very similar but I like this version.