Chunky Sweet and Tangy Chili
Supplies
- 1 Large Stew Pot or Crock Pot (able to hold 6 quarts)
- Long Handled Stirring Spoon
- Measuring Spoon Set
- Cutting Board
- Chef’s Knife
- Onion Dicer (optional)
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray or 1 teaspoon butter
- Sautee Pan
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds of ground bison, beef, elk or turkey
- 2 Tomatoes or 1 16 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3 Bell Peppers or Anaheim peppers or Poblano Peppers
- 2 Chayote Squash
- 1 Large Onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 6oz. Cans of Tomato Paste
- 16 ounces of beer or 3 cans or two bottles
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of ground red pepper
- 1/8 cup chili sauce or chili paste
Don’t let the amount peppers in this recipe scare you away, since we are using tomato paste and beer this will mellow out the heat and sweeten the chili. If you are worried about alcohol content, all alcohol is cooked away during the cooking process.
A note on selecting your beer. The type of beer you use is important as it will affect the flavor of the chili. Try to stay away from hoppy beers, like IPAs as they will make the chili bitter. The wheat beers or hefeweizen beers will make the chili less sweet, but not bitter, and more amber beers or pilsner beers will make it the sweetest. Stay away from extremely malty beers, like stouts, as they will throw the flavor off. If you are using cans or bottles make sure you use the same beers for this recipe and don’t mix the types up. If you skip adding beer the chili will be much hotter than the recipe has planned for.
A note on chili sauce versus chili paste. Chili paste will usually be hotter than the chili sauces. Sauces are usually mixed with vinegar or other ingredients for flavor, this has the side effect of cutting the heat. Make sure you read the ingredient list because the more oils in the sauce then the easier the capsaicin will stick to your tongue and throat. This will feel hotter and be more difficult to drink or eat away. The type of chili pepper used also makes a significant difference. Here is a link to the Scoville scale, the method we use to rate how hot a pepper feels.
A note on the onion. The onion type you choose is up to you, since this is sweet AND tangy either sweet onions or harsher onions are appropriate. There are two ways we can prepare the onions for this dish, introduce them to the stock raw or sauté them before adding to the stock. Choose your method before we continue.
Preparation
Step 1: Empty your three cans of tomato paste into your stew or crock pot. Fill each can with water and scrape out as much tomato paste as you can into the pot. Fill up each can three to four times, each time emptying the can into the stew pot. Add the ground peppers and chili sauce or paste now.
Step 2: Ground Beef. Spray your frying pan with your non-stick cooking spray so that the surface is evenly coated and place over a medium heat. Alternatively you could use one teaspoon of unsalted butter to sauté in. If using butter wait until it has fully melted and take care not to burn the butter while sauteeing. Once the meat is browned, empty the meat into the cooking pot containing the tomato paste mixture. If sauteeing the onions then return the pan to the burner.
Step 3: Tomatoes. Turn the heat on the cooking pot to low or warm. Make sure the meat is mixed thoroughly in. Dice your fresh tomatoes and add to the pot. If unable to get fresh tomatoes then add the canned, diced tomatoes, if they are no salt added then add the liquid, if salt was added then add to taste or discard liquid.
Step 4: Onion. Peel the “paper” off the onion. I usually cut the tip and root ends then pull the first layer off as well as the “paper”.
- If putting the onion directly into the stock then we will dice the onion and put into the pot containing the tomato mixture.
- If cooking the onion first then I recommend slicing the onion thinly instead of dicing. Thin slices usually cook faster than diced chunks. Since we are reusing the pan we browned the meat in check to see if it needs more butter or spray. It probably won’t but if it does need more add 1/2 teaspoon of butter, or a light spray. Make sure the pan is over low heat. Add the onions. Cook until the aromatics are released, usually about two to three minutes (2-3 minutes). Once the onions are cooked add to the cooking pot containing the tomato mixture.
Step 5: Peppers. Take your peppers of choice and remove the stems and discard. Remove the seeds from the peppers. Bell peppers have the seeds attatched in a cluster under the stem, Anaheim and Poblano peppers have their seeds spread out a little. If using a Bell pepper I recommend removing the seeds with the stem by getting a small knife and cutting the stem out. If using Anaheim or Poblano then I recommend de-steming and then slicing your pepper in half. Scoop out the seeds. If you want a hotter chili add the seeds to your cooking pot containing the tomato mixture. If you want a milder chili then discard (or save for planting if you garden). Now that the peppers are de-seeded we can cut them up. Since this is a chunky chili, we are going to dice them into good sized pieces, about 1/2 inch square or so. Add them to the pot. Make sure it is still set to low.
Step 6: Chayote. This squash does not taste like yellow or summer squash, don’t be afraid of it! Its flavor is mild and it is important to make this a chunky chili. The seed is soft and edible and the rind is also edible. Wash this thoroughly to remove dirt and other things we don’t want in our chili. Dice the chayote into 1/2 inch cubes. When finished add to the chili base.
Step 7: Beer. Add the beer and stir chili until thoroughly mixed. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 2 hours. Check about every 15 to 30 minutes and stir to keep the food from sticking to the bottom. If using a crock pot you can cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours.
