This is the recipe for the Chili Cook off in my department. I beat out 4 other fantastic chilis with it. It is a complex recipe. I used my own Chocolate Mole Porter.
(All measurements are approximate)
1 pound each of Lamb, pork and stewing beef, cut into small cubes. (or 3 pounds of any one meat or any other combination. Venison, buffalo or any other game could work as well.
About 10 ounces of ground mexican chorizo. Meijer stores carry "El Popular" Brand. It looks like sausages in casings, but it is actually ground packed into plastic "casings" just cut it open, and squeeze. Mexican chorizo is different from Spanish Variety which is actually a harder sausage.
3 tbs cooking oil
Coarse salt
3 tablespoons Sofrito (Goya brand) Sofrito is the cooking base used in most Hispanic/Mexican/Latin American cooking. What sofrito does is add freshness, herbal notes and zing to dishes. It is a combination of onion, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro and tomato cooked down for a long time, then run through a food processor, blended with olive oil, and stored in jars til needed. Goya brand is available and many grocery stores, and is in the Ethnic Grocery aisle at Meijer.
1 1/2 tbs chili powder (I used homemade, mine is a blend of dried chipotle, Ancho, Pasillo, cascabel, arbol chiles, and whole cumin seeds dry roasted and then ground in a spice mill or food processor.)
2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tbs oregano, 1tsp paprika & 1 tsp garlic powder (added to chili powder.)
18 ounces of beer, (1 1/2 bottles) I used my chocolate mole porter, but any ale would do. (A chocolate porter or stout or chili pepper beer would be preferable. Rogue Brewery has 3 that would each work perfectly, and are readily available and better beer stores- Chocolate Stout, Chipotle Ale, and Double Chocolate Porter. Even more easily available at nearly every store is Young's Double Chocolate stout, which comes in Nitrogen cans. )
2-4 cups of stock, I boiled lamb bones in my homemade chicken stock, removed fat and strained it. (any stock or bouillon would do...beef, veal, chicken, veggie.)
1 chipotle pepper with about 2 tbs of adobe sauce, mushed fine (use more if you want the chili hotter)
2-3 tbs tomato paste.
1 can Hunt's Fire Roasted Diced tomatoes.
1 jar mild (or whatever heat) salsa (this takes place of extra garlic onions and spices.)
Approx 1 round of Abuelita Mexican hot chocolate cut into wedges.
1 bay leaf.
Several handfuls of crushed tortilla chips (This becomes a thickene, instead of masa harina)
(optional) 1-2 cans of kidney beans or others, drained and rinsed of syrup.
Extra ground cumin, chili powder, salt, or oregano to taste.
1) Cube the beef, lamb and pork into even sized pieces. In a bowl toss with 3 tbs oil and about 2 tsp coarse salt.
2) In a cast iron dutch oven or other pot brown meat in batches over medium-high heat, when each batch is brown transfer it to bowl. Do this to avoid over crowding the meat.
3) When last of meat is browned add chorizo to pan and fry til browned, remove and carefully lift pan and attempt to drain any excess fat without disturbing the brown crust that has formed on the bottom of the pan.
4) Return pan to heat and deglaze with stock and 1 bottle of beer. Scrape bottom of ban to dissolve all the brown bits back into the liquid. Let it return to boil.
5) Stir in Sofrito, and remainder of ingredients up to, but not including the tortilla chips. Allow to return to boil.
6) Crush 2-3 handfuls of tortilla chips and stir in.
7) Add meat to pot and return to boil.
When combined, everything will appear thick, so dilute with remaining beer, and/or water or stock- since you will be slow cooking this you don't want it to be too thick to begin with, you want it really wet and it will reduce down, becoming more flavorful as everything condenses and the meat breaks down.
Allow to boil for 10-15 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer.
For this contest I simmered for an hour, then transferred it to a slow cooker on low, over night. You could put oven on low to medium, and stick dutch oven in there for 4-6 hours on low.
If you like beans with your chili (some don't) add it within the last hour or two of the cooking time.
The finished product, brick red full of flavor.
