Chili

I’ve been making versions of this chili for as long as I’ve cooked, and I’ve varied the recipe over the years (though it almost always turns out the same, which is not a bad thing). For me it’s a real comfort food and reminds me of the canned chili we used to eat when I was growing up. Depending on preferences, you can make it spicier or milder. The one I’m posting today is the mild version, but you could easily turn up the heat by adding any kind of hot peppers or using diced jalapeños and/or hot sauce when serving. I often make it in late summer, when the tomatoes are really coming on, or when I’m trying to use up frozen tomato sauce and/or the last of the venison to make space for the coming summer’s harvest and fall hunting season. I like to use ground venison, but the recipe works just as well with ground beef, and pork could also be substituted. In this recipe I use a 2:1 mix of venison and beef. I’ve also made vegetarian versions with eggplant and zucchini. It freezes well, and it’s great to find in the freezer when you don’t know what to make for dinner. I serve it with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green or white onions, hot sauce, and sometimes sour cream. For the side: saltine crackers with butter–part of my childhood comfort memory. Tortilla chips are also good.

Note that if you use dry beans, you’ll need to start this recipe the day before. Canned beans can be used as well. When I do cook dried beans, I often cook more than I need, and freeze some for use in recipes like this one.

Makes 6-7 quarts of chili; freezes well. The recipe multiplies easily to feed a crowd.

Ingredients

2 pounds beans (chili, red, kidney, black–any of these, or even a mixture, work well)
1 1/2 pounds ground meat (venison/beef 2:1 mixture)
3-4 large onions (white or yellow), finely diced
2 red or anaheim peppers (optional), finely diced
8-10 cloves of garlic, finely minced
6-8 dried chilis (new mexico, pasilla, ancho, or mix) or 1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 quarts tomato sauce/frozen tomatoes or equivalent in canned tomatoes/tomato sauce and 2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 quarts water or stock (beef, chicken, vegetarian)

Recipe
1) Prepare beans: wash and sort beans and place in large bowl or pot and cover with cold water, add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and let soak overnight. The next day, drain and rinse beans, and place in large stock pot, add water to cover by 2-3 inches, bring to a boil, and then put on medium simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1.5-2 hours or until the beans are very soft. Set aside.

2) Sauté the onions and peppers if using in oil for 2 minutes or so, then add the salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin, and cook spices until incorporated into the onions. Here you can add chili powder if using or look to step 6 for how to use dried whole peppers.

3) Add the ground meat, and cook at medium high heat, stirring, until meat is browned and almost cooked. Add garlic and sauté another minute.

4) Add tomatoes and stock, stir to combine, and bring to a medium simmer.

5) Add prepared or canned beans. A note on beans: I’ll sometimes use the cooking liquid or the liquid in the cans (unless the label specifies to drain and rinse them) and will sometimes strain them out before adding. If you do drain out liquid, add more stock, tomatoes, or water to the chili.

6) When using dried peppers, cut peppers in half (scissors work well) and remove seeds and stems. Toast on medium high heat on cast iron skillet until soft and starting to smoke, 1-2 minutes. Watch the peppers carefully, turning occasionally, as they’re easy to burn. Let cool and add to blender with 2 cups of stock or tomatoes. I’ll sometimes add an onion or two as well, to add a layer of flavor. Purée and add to stock. I use a Vitamix blender, which purées very finely; if using a standard kitchen blender, you could strain the mixture before adding to chili.

7) Simmer chili for 1-2 hours on low heat, stirring occasionally. This is a good time to start tasting the chili, adjusting the seasoning as necessary. I’ll often find that I need to add more chili powder at this point. (Cooking note: since there is a lot of volume and weight to the ingredients in the chili, they can settle and if cooked at higher temperature, can easily burn. If you do notice that the layer on the bottom may be burnt or close to it, transfer chili to a clean pot, taking care not to scrape the bottom of the pan. If you do leave it in the pan, as it cools, the bottom will soak off, and will combine with the rest of the chili.)

8) Serve with condiments (such as shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green or white onions, hot sauce, and sour cream) and saltine crackers or tortilla chips.

Variations
For a vegetarian version, cut zucchini and eggplants into cubes, and brown in a small amount of olive oil on cast iron on high heat. Add to pot when adding beans. This recipe won’t need to cook as long–30 to 45 minutes on a low simmer.
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