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CHILLI, TEXAS STYLE

Slow cooking, and rich chilli peppers create a tender meat, full bodied chilli, perfect for a cold day.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 3 dried ancho , or guajillo chilis, seeds removed
  • 2 tbsp chipotles in adobo sauce (about 1/3 of a 7 oz can) chopped, don't get rid of any of the sauce, use it!
  • Boiling water
  • 1 1/2 lbs of beef chuck , cubed
  • kosher salt and cracked pepper
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 large onion , diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic , minced
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 32 oz can chopped tomatoes (I used Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes- for the added oomph of flavour they would bring!)
  • 1 16 oz can tomato sauce (I only used a small jar, and added beef stock to make up the difference)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 16 oz can cranberry beans , rinsed and drained (I left these out, with no complaints. But this would be just as good if you want to use the beans!)

Instructions

  1. Place the ancho chiles and the chipotles (and accompanying sauce) in a blender and add enough boiling water to cover them completely. Allow them to soften in the water for 15 minutes. Then puree till smooth.
  2. Pat the meat dry. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
  3. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Add the meat and sear until browned, 3-5 minutes.
  4. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and sauté over medium low heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the oregano, cumin and coriander and sauté for an additional minute.
  6. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef stock (if using) and chili puree, and sugar.
  7. Simmer the chilli, partially covered, over medium heat for 3-4 hours, until the meat is fork tender. Add the beans (if using) and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to re-season as you'd like, depending on your heat tolerance. You can always add some chilli powder or even a touch of cayenne pepper. But don't go nuts, there is a roundness to this recipe that will be lost if you take it too far to the hot side!

Adapted from Sunday Suppers by Karen Mordechai