Chili Verde

• 2 pounds lean pork
• 1 large onion -- coarsely chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper -- coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
• 2 jalapenos sliced
• 4 medium tomatillos
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried red chili peppers
• 2 teaspoons sage
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• black pepper
• 1/2 cup beer
• salt and pepper -- to taste

Coarsely chop and saute the onion and green pepper in olive oil with the garlic. Add to the crockpot along with the green chilis and tomatillos.

Trim off excess fat from the pork, cut into cubes, and brown in the pan that you sauteed the onion, etc. in. Add to crock. Add seasonings and beer. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.

serves/makes 6

Thanks to CDKitchen

Bob’s Chili Con Carne

Bob’s Chili Con Carne with Habanero and Beans
version 10

Makes around six bowls of chili.

In addition to the usual kitchen hardware you will need:

• a crockpot, slow cooker or simmering element. A regular stove boiler element is generally too hot.

You will need the following ingredients:

• 800 mg of lean (but not extra lean) ground beef (about 28 ounces)
• 800 ml of crushed tomatoes (about 28 fl oz.)
• 540 ml tin of mixed beans (20 fl oz.) If you are in Canada, you won’t go wrong with the Unico version of this. In a pinch, a tin of kidney beans will do
• 1 medium sized onion (I like red, but any onion will do)
• 3 tbsp of bacon fat recovered from salt-reduced bacon
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp garlic powder (or half a bulb of very finely chopped garlic)
• 3 tbsp of New Mexican chilli powder (regular American style works OK too)
• 1 tbsp (or so) of dry oregano. I’ve never measured out oregano in my life, prefering instead to throw it in by the pinch. But this is around the amount I’m using
• 1 tsp cayenne powder
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper. About eight full grinds of the pepper mill ought to do it
• 2 big habanero peppers. Scotch bonnets can be used instead for their heat, but won’t impart the flavour we’re after.
• 125 ml of water (about 1/2 of a cup)

Now I know what you are thinking, “¿dos habaneros? ¿está él loco?“* Keep reading and you’ll find out how we control the heat from the habanero.

Traditional chili recipes call for suet, but the bacon fat adds a most interesting flavour. Besides, you’ll get to eat a bunch of bacon sometime before this — ain’t nothing wrong with that! Bacon fat will keep for months in the fridge, so don’t feel as if you have to cook it the night before. The easiest way to get it is to cook a quarter kilo of bacon in a frypan until it is brown, not black, then pour off the excess fat into a ramekin. Cover the ramekin and put it in the fridge. Any chunks will settle to the bottom, leaving clean white bacon fat at the top. Use only the top two thirds of the fat — chuck the rest. It is important to use salt-reduced bacon, not just because it’s better for you, but to control the amount of salt. Crushed tomatoes have salt, the beans have salt, and the beef has salt. Add to this some regular bacon fat, and you will have a chili that tends to be too salty. You can add more salt if you like, but you can never take salt away, so we err on the side of caution here.

This recipe should fill your average crockpot maybe three quarters of the way up. Set your slow cooker to “Auto” or your stove to low. Chili has to be carefully simmered or it will burn and taste funny. If you see little bubbles at the sides of the pot (slow cooker) or a few in the middle every second (stove top), this is good. If the top is vigorously bubbling like a young pasta sauce — too hot. Cook the beef and put it, along with any fat it yields, into the slow cooker along with the bacon fat, and the tomatoes. Chop up the onion and throw it in there too. Most brands of crushed tomatoes don’t have enough water in them so add some or all of the water until the chili thins out to the consistency of a smoother pasta sauce — thick enough to draw a shape in, but not thick enough to form big mounds. What I like to do is add the water to the empty can of tomatoes and swish it about to get leftover tomato off the sides. Stir all of it up well and then leave it alone for about an hour or so. This will bring it up to temperature and melt the bacon fat.

Now throw in the rest of the ingredients except for the habaneros and the beans. Stew for around 4-5 hours, stirring once an hour, or whenever you feel like it. Get the stirring done fast so as to not lose too much heat.

I imagine you are wondering about the habanero… so tasty… but so hot! How do we control the heat? If we chopped them up fine and threw them in at the beginning, we would extract all of the capsaicin from them and the chili would be too hot for most. So we’re not going to do that. Instead, we are going to use the pepper itself as a kind of bouquet garnee. About halfway through that 4 to 5 hours, take the habaneros and cut through them twice, about three quarters of the way up along their length, leaving the top intact. This allows flavour to flow out of the pepper, but leaves them big enough to find later. Drop them in. Getting flavour from a habanero this way takes at least an hour, so on the next stir, break out your spoon and give your chili a taste. There should be a delightful floral-like smell and a slight fruit flavour as well as some heat. If it is hot enough for you, fish out the habaneros, gently shake the chili off of them, and throw them away. If you are like me and like lots of heat, leave them in until the end. If one of your habaneros is missing a quarter, don’t freak out, all you have to do is get most of it out to control the heat.

In the last hour or so, drain and stir in the beans. Tinned beans are already soaked and slightly mushy, so all you have to do is get them in there to absorb some flavour. Don’t drain the beans completely, in fact, adding a a tablespoon or so of the bean juice is often not a bad idea, as the slow cooker may have lost too much moisture over the last few hours. Nearing the end of the cooking we are expecting the chili to get stiffer, but no too stiff. When hot you should be able to pull a decent rounded spoonful from your bowl, but not ice cream sized chunks.

And that’s it. Spoon it into a bowl and enjoy!

Thanks to cobolhacker

Chili a la olio

• 3 tablespoons oil
• ½ pound sirloin, cubed (I buy stir-fry beef then cut the strips into small cubes with kitchen scissors)
• 2 tablespoons McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning
• ¾ box button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• ¾ box cremini mushrooms (aka baby portobello), coarsely chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped (use some of the leafy tops, too)
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic (6 if they’re small), finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped (you can remove
• some/all of the seeds if you prefer milder chili)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 bottle beer (any lager)
• 1 16-ounce can black beans (don’t drain)
• 1 16-ounce can crushed tomatoes (don’t drain)
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Garnish (optional):

• ½ cup mild yellow cheese (Gouda is a good choice), grated
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped

Heat a large, deep skillet over high heat.

Add 2 tablespoons oil, the meat, and the grill seasoning.

Sear the meat for 2-3 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and push meat to one side.

On the “clean” side of the skillet, add another tablespoon of oil, then the mushrooms. When the mushrooms begin to brown and shrink (about 2-3 minutes), stir them once quickly then push them off to the side with the meat.

Add the remaining vegetables (onion, celery, red pepper, and garlic) to the clean side of the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes, then mix the meat, mushrooms, and vegetables together.

Add the Worcestershire, chipotle, and cumin. Stir quickly to mix, then add the beer.

Stir/scrape the bottom of the skillet well to deglaze. Simmer until the beer has reduced by half (about 2 minutes).

Taste, and if you want it spicier, you can add a little more (¼ teaspoon or so) adobo sauce from the can of peppers.

Add the beans, tomatoes, beef stock, and thyme and simmer for 10 minutes.

This dish only takes about 30 minutes to make.

Thanks to Lee at Olio

Beer Cheese Soup, Ghetto Gourmet Style

312 Beer Cheese Soup w/ Brie, Chorizo and Manchego

• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 fennel bulbs, chopped
• 2 cups of thinly sliced celery
• 6 pack of 312 Beer (2 bottles for the soup and the other 4 for you!)
• 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of ground coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 1 pound of cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 pound of brie cheese, sliced (leave the rind on)
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 8 cups water or stock
• Mexican-style chorizo, cooked and drained very well (or Soyrizo)
• Shredded manchego cheese

Heat oil and butter in a large stock pot. Add the onion, celery, fennel, cumin, coriander and crushed red pepper. Sautee on medium heat and stir frequently until everything is caramelized, which should take about 10-15 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2 more minutes while stirring constantly. Add the beer! Stir and scrape the bottom of the stockpot to deglaze the pan (all that stuck-on stuff is really flavorful and you want in the soup, not stuck to the pan). Add the water/stock and bring everything to a light boil. Add the cheddar and brie cheese and stir to combine. Lower the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Cook the soup for one to two hours on low heat and stir occasionally to blend the melted cheese into the broth.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a bit of chorizo and shredded manchego cheese.

Thanks to Gaper's Block

Red Beer Chili

• 1 kg braising steak, cut into 4cm chunks
• 1 bottle of beer
• 4 ancho chillies, stemmed and deseeded
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 400g tins whole, peeled plum tomatoes
• 75 ml cider vinegar
• 60 g brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Spanish paprika (preferably pimenton)
• 1 tbsp mild chilli powder
• 3 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 400 g tin kidney, borlotti or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the beef in a medium bowl, pour the beer over and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid and pat the beef dry with kitchen paper.

Toast the chillies for 30 seconds in a dry saute pan then pour boiling water over and soak for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain and put in a food processor with the beer. Puree until fine and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat two tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the meat and sear in batches until evenly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining olive oil and saute the onions and garlic for five minutes. Put the meat back in the pan and pour the chilli mixture over.
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Puree the tomatoes in the food processor and add to the pan. Add the cider vinegar, brown sugar, paprika, chilli powder and cumin and season.

Cook partially covered with a lid, for one hour over low heat or until the meat is very tender. Add the beans in the last five minutes of cooking to warm through. Serve in small bowls with a choice of accompaniments: cooked rice, chopped red onion, coriander crackers.

Serves 4-6

Thanks to Gazette & Herald

Beer Barbecue Sauce

• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
• 1 medium banana pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp capers
• 5 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1/3 c wine vinegar
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 1/3 c soy sauce
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp Tabasco
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp horseradish
• 2 Tbsp oregano
• 2 Tbsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• Dash of ground clove
• 12 ounces amber ale or porter

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and boil for 10 minutes. Lower heat and simmer about 4 hours until thickened. Cool and refrigerate for 24 hours so the flavors can meld. Then baste everything but the dog with it.

Thanks to Lunar Babe

White Chicken Chili

• 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
• 2 cans Great northern beans
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 med. onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, Minced
• 8 oz. Salsa Verde
• 2 tsp or more ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 5 cups canned chicken broth
• 1 can beer
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• salt to taste
• 3 cups grated monterey jack cheese
• Sour cream and salsa

Place chicken in large sauce pan. Add cold water to cover and bring to simmer. Cool until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool, cut into small pieces.

In large pot saute onions in oil until translucent. Stir in garlic, salsa verde, and seasonings and saute a couple of minutes.

Add beans, broth, and beer. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken meat and 1 cup of cheese, stir until the cheese is melted and the chicken warmed through.

Season with salt to taste. Serve with remaining cheese, sour cream and salsa.

Thanks to WhiplashGirlchild

Peruvian Lamb Stew

• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp. anatto
• 3 lbs. lamb chops
• 1 lb. lamb ribs
• 3 tsp. coarse mustard
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 bottle Mexican pilsner
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 1 tomato
• 1 onion
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 can chicken or beef stock or broth
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 1/2 pound yucca root

First, you will need to marinate your lamb meat. Slice lamb into about 4 ounce size pieces, place the bones aside, but do not dispose of them. Lay lamb chunks flat in a flat bottom bowl or pie dish. Mix together 2 cloves diced garlic, 1 tsp. annatto, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 cup of the beer and 2 tsp. of the mustard. Pour evenly over your lamb. Spread the last tsp. of mustard over the top of the lamb meat. Let stand for 2-4 hours.
Place in blender 1/2 tomato, the onion coarsely chopped, the cilantro, parsley, 1 tsp. of the cumin and 1/4 cup of broth/stock. Mix until well blended.
Peel yucca root and slice into 1 inch cubes. Place cubes in a pot full of water and bring to a boil. Boil until yucca is easily penetrated with a fork, then set aside.
Once the meat is marinated, place oil in pan and heat. When oil is warm, add the lamb meat without the marinade. Sear the outside evenly and place aside. Now add the vegetable blend to the pan and fry for about 1 minute. Add the meat back in, stir and cook for another 5 minutes over medium high heat. Add the marinade left over, the bones you set aside before and the rest of the broth/stock. When stew comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium, add the rest of the chopped tomato and leave to simmer for about 1 hour or until meat is very tender. Stir occasionally. At this time, add the rest of the cumin, annato, pepper and beer. Bring heat back up to med-high and bring to a boil. Leave boiling for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Add yucca root and stir. Let sit for 5 more minutes, then remove from heat.
Serve with spiced rice.

Thanks to LiveJournal

Ski Slope Chili

• 1/2 lb ground meat (I usually use buffalo, venison, or elk)
• 12oz Beer (I prefer a dark ale)
• 24oz chunky tomato sauce
• 2 green, red, or yellow peppers (diced)
• 1 small chili pepper (finely chopped)
• 1 Large carrot (diced)
• 1 onion (diced)
• 2-3 stalks of celery (diced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 C beans cooked or canned
• 1T ground cumin
• 1t chili powder or even cayenne powder
• salt to taste
• water or broth to use if a thinner consistency is desired

Brown the meat in a large pan. For a little extra flavour sprinkle some cumin, salt, and even garlic powder in the meat while cooking it. If using a very low-fat meat a little olive oil helps it to cook nicely. Remove the meat and set aside (refrigerator)

Add all the vegetables and spices (not the beans) to the pot. Add the beer. Simmer until the vegetables begin to soften, 30 minutes or so. Then add the tomato sauce and simmer awhile longer. If needed add some water or broth.

When the flavor and texture are near the desired result add the beans and meat. Perfect hearty chili for cold winter nights.

Thanks to burdockboy

MJ’s ‘Up North’ Chili

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground sirloin (or beef chuck, trimmed, if you prefer)
• 6 to 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 small can of green chili’s
• 6 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 tablespoons ground cumin
• 4 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 - 8 dashes cayenne pepper, more if desired
• 2 (12 ounce) cans beer
• 1 cup strong black coffee
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with puree
• 1 large tomato - coarsely chopped
• 3 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• Sour cream, for garnish
• Shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish
• Red onions, chopped, for garnish
• Limes, wedged, for garnish
• Oyster crackers or sliced baguette, for garnish

In a 5 quart pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the meat, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the meat. Add the garlic and onion, cook until soft. Return the meat to the pot. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne, 1 can of beer (use rule #486; one for the pot, one for me…), green chili’s, crushed tomatoes and coffee. Simmer uncovered at a low temperature for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir occassionally. Don’t let it dry out, add beer as necessary (see rule #486). Add chopped tomato, kidney beans and second can of beer. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, squeeze of lime, or chopped red onions. Or all of the above.

Thanks to Common Place Book

Smoked Turkey Chili

• 4 smoked turkey legs
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large yellow or white onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 large can of puréed tomatoes (28 ounces)
• 1 small can of tomato sauce (14 ounces)
• 2 cans of kidney beans (15 ounces)
• 1/2 of a beer or 3/4 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons of honey or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Hungarian paprika
• 2 tablespoons of chili powder

The problem with just substituting ground turkey for ground beef in most chili recipes is that turkey doesn't have the same rich flavor that beef does. Which means that the chili just ends up a bit bland. By substituting meat from smoked turkey legs (which you can either smoke yourself or find at the grocery already smoked) you add back some hearty flavor while still cutting down on fat content. The addition of more spices and herbs will also help carry the flavor over to this healthier version of chili.

Remove the skin from the turkey and discard (while it is flavorful, it is high in fat). Chop the meat and discard any bits of bone or cartilage. Place a dutch oven or large skillet over medium high heat and add the bell pepper, onion and olive oil. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the bell pepper is soft. Add the garlic to the skillet and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes, or just until you can start to smell it. If you plan on cooking this in your slow cooker, you can now turn your cooker on and add the contents of your skillet. If you're cooking this in the dutch oven on your stovetop, lower the heat to medium low.

Add the tomato products and stir. Open the cans of kidney beans and drain and rinse them. Add them and all the other ingredients in the cooking vessel. Stir to combine, cover and let cook. If cooking in the slow-cooker, your chili will be done in about 2 hours if cooked on high, or 4 hours if cooked on low. If cooking on the stove, it will be done in 1 1/2 hours over medium low or 2 1/2 hours over low.

It's even better to make the chili the day before and store it in the friedge to be warmed up the next day. To cool it quickly, place ice from several trays in your sink. Fill your storage container or containers with chili, then nestle them into the ice and then add water until at least 1/2 but no more than 3/4 of the dishes are underwater. Let them rest until the ice melts and stir the chili occasionally to cool it evenly. Once it's cool to the touch you can cover them and place them in your refrigerator. The next day, pour the chili back into your slow-cooker or dutch oven and cook on low for 30 minutes to an hour or until it's steaming and warmed through. The flavor will be significantly better, and you'll be able to taste it to determine if you need to adjust the spices or add salt or sugar.
Serves 8-12.

Thanks to Gapers Block

Pressure Cooker Chili

• 3 pounds stew meat (beef, pork, and/or lamb)
  
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer, preferably a medium ale
  
• 1 (16-ounce) container salsa
  
• 30 tortilla chips
  
• 2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
  
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
  
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt. Set aside.

Heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pressure cooker over high heat until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl.

Once all of the meat is browned, add the beer to the cooker to deglaze the pot.
Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back to the pressure cooker along with the salsa, tortilla chips, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and ground cumin and stir to combine. Lock the lid in place according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the steam begins to hiss out of the cooker, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a very weak whistle. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully release the steam. Serve immediately with grated cheese and sour cream.

Thanks to Robin's Random Recipes