Colorado Chili

Everyone has that one recipe.  It’s the one thing your mom makes, and you never tire of it, and you could eat it over and over again.  For me, it is my mother’s chili.  She always makes a batch for my visits home to Colorado, even if it’s July and 100 degrees outside.  We have it at the holidays and we have it just because it’s Tuesday.

I have been eating this chili, which I call Colorado Chili, for as long as I can remember so that’s 30 plus years.  Naturally, having eaten something for so very long has led me to feel incredibly proprietary about it.   It’s the best chili ever, period.  There, I said it.   Want to know why?  No beans.  Big chunks of meat.  Thrilling complex mingling of flavors.  Lots of tomato goodness.  Wine, red wine!

Geesh, I can hear the grimacing already.  I said it’s the best.  That’s all you really need to know.    In fact, that’s the end of this discussion (that’s how my mom would end arguments when I was a child – very effective).  Would you just make it before you come back to tell me that it isn’t chili without ground meat or beans? 

All of this reminds me of when I worked for a big, huge, giant company headquartered in Cincinnati.  I worked in another city, and every time I called corporate I’d get a puzzled sigh on the other end, “Wait, where are you calling from?  I didn’t know we had an office there.  Are you sure?”  Um yes, I am sure, because the company logo is on my paycheck stub. 

Ok, well that story has nothing to do with chili.  However, I do remember the first time I went to Cincinnati on a business trip.  My colleagues in the home office wanted to take me out to lunch to someplace local and authentic.  They took me to Skyline Chili.  After my experience there, I have this to say:  my above story maybe non-germane to chili but so are spaghetti and cinnamon both of which can be found under and on Skyline chili.

This is not a quick recipe.  You want to begin making it in the mid afternoon if you plan to serve it the same day.

Normally, I don’t dedicate my recipes to anyone.  However, when I told my friend Tara my next post would be about chili, she replied, “Ugh.  (My husband) hates beans and it is such a pain in the ass!”  She perked right up when I told her my chili recipe has no beans.  So Tara, this is for you!


COLORADO CHILI
Yield:  ~ 3 ½ - 4 quarts

More photos of the chili making process are posted at the end of the recipe.  Salud!

1 lb.          beef stew meat, cut into one inch cubes
1 lb.          boneless pork chops, cut into one inch cubes
3 T           vegetable oil
1              large Spanish onion, diced
3-4           cloves garlic, minced
Beef broth
2              4-oz. cans diced green chiles
2             28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes (that are just tomatoes…no seasonings)
½ T          cumin
¼ - ½ t     cayenne pepper  (I like it hot, Brian does not)
1 t            oregano
½ - 1cup  dry red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon or shiraz (syrah)
                (or substitute low sodium beef broth)
Salt and pepper

Season the meat with salt and pepper.  Brown the meat in batches.  In a 5-quart stock pot, heat one tablespoon oil over medium high heat.  Once hot, add one-third of the meat.  Let brown on one side, and then stir occasionally and brown on all sides.  Remove meat from pot and set aside to keep warm.  Repeat until all meat has been browned. 

Remove final batch of meat from pot, lower the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic.  Stir so the onion absorbs the cooking juices from the meat and also so the garlic does not burn.  You can deglaze the pan with a little beef broth to intensify the flavor.  Cook just until the onions are translucent.

Add the chiles, tomatoes, and spices.  Return the meat to the pot, and stir to combine.  Add the red wine or beef broth.  Simmer for an hour. 

To Serve:
In bowls, big and fat, with big spoons.  You may augment and garnish with any of the following, based on your personal preferences:

Sour cream
Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Hot sauce (or an additional sprinkling of cayenne pepper)
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Avocado, diced, sprinkled with fresh lemon juice to prevent browning

You may also consider sides, such as:

Warm flour tortillas
Cheese quesadillas
Cornbread (we like this recipe and it halves nicely)

Like most soups and stews, this chili only improves with age and is even better the next day.

PHOTOS:

Some of the ingredients:

Pork, cubed:

Browning the meat:

Onions and garlic, cooking and soaking up all the wonderful meat juices: