Smoked Chili con Carne

Craig Stephen

Freshly toasted chile’s make all the difference.

ingredients

Main Ingredients

2 T Peanut Oil
4-4.5 lbs of Chuck, trimmed of fat and silver skin and cut in bite-sized pieces
1 Medium Onion, diced
5 Garlic Cloves, minced
3-4 Canned Chipotle Chili’s, chopped plus 1 T of the Adobo sauce they’re packed in.
1 14 oz Tin Diced Tomatoes
1 C Beer
1 T Tomato Paste
3 T Cornstarch

Chili Seasoning

2 T Cumin
2 Dried California Chile’s (sweet)
3 Dried Ancho Chile’s (earthy)
2 tsp dried oregano

Optional Ingredients (add at end, off heat)

1/2 Cup Frozen Corn
Zest and juice of one Lime
1/4 cup Cilantro
1-2 tsp liquid smoke

directions

Preparing Chilie Seasoning

1
Toast dried chilies in a 350 degree oven for about 6-10 minutes. Remove from oven, seed and tear up into smaller pieces to grind.
2
Toast cumin seeds in dry skillet over medium heat for about 4 minutes until they are fragrant and begin to pop.
3
Using a blade coffee grinder or blender, grind Chile’s, cumin, oregano and smoked paprika into a powder.

Directions

1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2
Toss meat a bowl with oil and salt and set aside.
3
Heat a heavy dutch oven over medium heat
4
Browning meat in batches in the Dutch Oven, transferring each batch as it finishes to a bowl and set aside.
5
Add onion and saute until soft. Ddd the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add beer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste and chili powder. Stir to combine until smooth.
6
Return meat to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to oven. Cook until the meat becomes tender, about 2 hours. Take out of the oven.
7
Mix cornstarch with 3 T of water to form a paste. Stir into chili to thicken.
8
Optional: Add lime juice, cilantro and 1 tsp of the liquid smoke. Stir and let sit for about 10 minutes for the flavors to bloom. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Optional Service Garnishes

Chopped cilantro, sour cream, black beans, rice, shredded Cheddar, the sky’s the limit.

notes

Most of the flavor comes from the earthy, spiciness of the various chili's. Lime and Cilantro add freshness to the final dish. You can use crushed white corn chips (made from masa flour) instead of cornstarch to thicken and add flavor.

Source: Craig Stephen