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With the temperatures dropping, there’s nothing quite like coming inside on a cold Fall day to dig into a big bowl of thick, meaty chili con carne and a side of straight-from-the-oven cornbread. This is a recipe that is sure to please- it’s deep, flavourful, and has just the right blend of heat and meat. But let me give credit where credit is due- this chili recipe is a combination of the fantastic steak chili recipe posted at Gen X Finance a few months back and my own constantly evolving recipe. Call it a “creative re-imagining”, if you will. You’ll note that I took out the beans because, frankly, beans don’t belong in chili. I also prefer to cook my chili in a slow cooker and let it simmer in the crock pot all day, although you could easily do this recipe in a large pot or dutch oven as well.
Kick Ass Chili
Ingredients:
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage, removed from casing
- 3 lb stewing beef, cut into small cubes
- 1 large onion (sweet or Vidalia)
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 poblano pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (and seeds removed, if desired)
- 1 head garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained)
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 4 T Worcestershire sauce
- 2 T liquid smoke
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 oz bittersweet baker’s chocolate, chopped
- 3 T Chili powder
- 1 T Cumin
- 1 T Kosher salt
- 1 t Cayenne pepper
- 1 t Coriander
- 1 t Black pepper
- Frank’s Red Hot, to taste
Method:
- Cut the beef into small cubes and remove sausage from its casing. Chop the onion, peppers, and garlic and everything together in a large bowl. Add Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke and mix everything together very well. Refrigerate and let marinate for at least a few hours.
- Take your meat and veggie mixture and brown it in batches over a medium-high heat. Don’t overcrowd your pan! Even with my BFS (Big F*@(in’ Skillet), it took 3 batches. Add each batch to your slow cooker when browned.
- Add crushed and diced tomatoes to the slow cooker and mix well. At this point you can adjust the consistency a little- add the crushed tomatoes slowly until you reach the thickness you like. If you want to make it a little less thick, slowly add more crushed tomatoes or another liquid like a dark beer or beef stock.
- Add all spices, the bay leaf, and chocolate and mix well. Taste and adjust as necessary, but keep in mind the flavours will intensify as the chili simmers. Add a few dashes of Frank’s for a bit more kick.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. For even better results, cook for at least 4 hours on low, refrigerate overnight, and then reheat on low for another 4 hours the next day prior to serving.
I like to serve chili with a sprinkling of cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
Equally Kick Ass Cornbread
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup oil
Method:
- Mix the cornmeal and milk in a small bowl so the cornmeal can soak while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder and sugar.
- Mix the egg and oil together well and stir into the cornmeal and milk mixture.
- Add the cornmeal mixture to the flour mixture and stir until moistened and blended.
- Pour batter into a lightly greased 9-inch square pan. Bake for ~25 minutes at 400F, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Serve warm.
Photo by Nathan Wells.
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MGL - I’m sure yours is fine but everyone knows that the best cornbread has to be made south of the Mason-Dixon line!