You can skip toasting the chili’s and cumin but there will be less flavor in the final dish.
Main Ingredients
1-2 T Peanut Oil
3-3.5 lbs of Chuck, trimmed and cut in bite-sized pieces
½ lb bacon, chopped
1 Medium Onion, diced
5 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Canned Chipotle Chili’s, chopped plus 1 T of the Adobo sauce they’re packed in.
2 Jalapeno’s seeded and minced
1 Small Tin Crushed Tomatoes (I prefer Red Gold or Glen Muir)
4-5 Cups of Stock(beef, chicken or veg)
1 tsp salt
3 T Cornstarch
Chili Seasoning
2 tsp Cumin
¾ oz Dried New Mexico/California Chili’s (about 2-3)
½ oz Dried Ancho Chili’s (about 3-5)
2 tsp dried oregano
tsp smoked paprika
Added at the End (Optional)
½ Cup Frozen Corn
Zest and juice of one Lime
¼ cup Cilantro
1-2 tsp liquid smoke
Preparing Chilie Seasoning
Toast dried chilies in a 350 degree oven for about 6 minutes. Remove from oven, cut open with kitchen shears, seed and cut up into smaller pieces to grind.
Toast cumin seeds in dry skillet over medium heat for about 4 minutes until they are fragrant and begin to pop.
Using either a blender, coffee grinder (blade type) or mortar and pestle, grind chili’s, cumin, oregano and smoked paprika into a powder.
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Mix chili powder with about ½ cup of water to form a paste. Set aside.
Toss meat a bowl with salt and peanut oil and set aside.
Heat a heavy dutch oven over medium heat, add bacon and fry until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and save. Pour out the bacon fat, reserving about 3 Tablespoons.
Begin browning meat in batches in the Dutch Oven, transferring each batch to a bowl as you finish and set aside.
Add onion and saute until soft. If there’s not enough fat, add up to 3 T of the reserved bacon fat. After the onion has softened, add the garlic, jalapenos, chipotles, adobo sauce and chili paste. Saute until fragrant, about another minute. Add Canned tomatoes and tomato paste and stir to combine.
Return the meat to the pot along with the 4 cups of stock and stir. Bring dish to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat becomes tender, about 2 hours. Take out of the oven. There’ll be plenty of heat for the last step.
Mix cornstarch with 3 T of water to form a paste. Stir into chili along with the lime juice, zest, 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.
Why toast?
Toasting brings out the flavors of spices and adds complexity. However, take care not to over toast. That just brings out the flavor of ash.
Optional Garnishes
Basically you serve this with w/e you desire. Chopped cilantro, sour cream, black beans, rice, shredded Cheddar, the sky’s the limit.
