During a discussion on a mailing list today it became clear to me that someone believed I was Wrong On The Internet. I wasn’t (of course), but I decided that instead of ending up in a pointless discussion, I’d go make chili. I even took pictures (OK, they were taken with the iPhone and aren’t that great, but I have some)! I named it SIWOTI chili.
- 1 pound grass fed ground beef
- 1 pound grass fed veal chorizo
- 1 pound cubed pork shoulder
- 2 diced onions
- 7 smashed garlic cloves
- 2 diced jalapeños
- 1 cup of dark beer (I used winterbock from Gordon Biersch)
- 1 can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 can fire roasted chopped tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons (ish) mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili arbol
- 3 dried chilis, crushed
- salt to taste
The first thing I did was fry the ground meats until they were a rich brown. No fat needed, there was more than enough in both the veal and the beef. I pulled off the meat leaving a lovely reddish oil in the pot.
Then I added the cubed pork shoulder to the pot. Again, I let it fry until it was deep mahogany. Then I pulled the pork out and set it aside.
After the pork, I added the onions, garlic and jalapeños to the pot, and let them cook until the onions were translucent. I deglazed the pot with the beer, scraping up all the yummy bits off the bottom. Then I added the meat back, the two cans of tomatoes and the spices.
I let it simmer for 4 hours (or so), then served with a little cheese on top and some cornbread.
It was a good chili. Full of deep flavor, a bit spicy and very satisfying. Steve even said that this was chili to invite people over for.
Plus! I didn’t get into another stupid internet argument with That Guy(tm). All in all, chili was a much better use of my time. Not only did I make us a good dinner for this evening, but I cleared three bits of meat out of the freezer and replaced them with ready to eat chili. Win-Win-Win.
