Game Day Chili

It’s prettty much a requirement in my house to have chili during the super bowl. And this year I planned ahead making a heaping pot of chili during the week and let it hang out for 3 days, allowing all the flavors to meld together into utter chili bliss. That way when game day rolled around all I had to do was pull the pot out, plop it on the stove and heat the sucker up, making minor seasoning adjustments along the way. Easy and delicious.

A Girl and Her Kitchen’s Gamy Day Chili is one of those dishes with roughly 5 million ingredients. I am sure other people out there make simpler versions, but I think mine has a depth of flavor that you might not find with those other recipes. This is also a dish where I do a LOT of taste testing. So while I have made an effort here to put down specific amounts of the various ingredients, this is not a perfect science by any stretch of the imagination. Chili is a subjective and mysterious thing. So take bites along the way, using your taste buds and your gut to guide you to what you like adding more heat or smokey flavors as you see fit. Either way, this chili recipe always gets rave reviews from our friends on game day.

Game Day Chili
(A Girl and Her Kitchen)

Chili
4lbs lean ground beef (or half ground beef and half bison meat)
2 onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes with chilies (try MultiGlen)
1 bottle dark beer
1 cup coffee (strong)
1 cup good beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 cans kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 tbsp olive oil (or sub with bacon grease)
2 tsp brown sugar
3 ½ tbsp chili sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1-2 tbsp coca powder (unsweetened)
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp oregano
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp hot sauce
2-3 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp coriander
2 tbsp salt, divided (more to taste)
Black pepper to taste
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground chipotle chili powder
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 jalapeño pepper (optional)

Garnish
sharp cheddar (shredded)
sour cream
1 can sliced jalapeño peppers
scallions, sliced
hot sauce

Directions
In a very large heavy bottom pot (e.g. creuset oval french oven), sauté onions in olive oil (or bacon fat) on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, season with a 1 tbsp salt and some freshly cracked black pepper and sauté 3 more minutes. Note: bacon fat is a great item to have in your frige. It can add serious depth to most anything. When frying bacon, pour the grease off into a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and then pop it in the frige. Use heaping spoonfuls in any dish you like.

Add in the beef, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Brown the meat on medium high until mostly cooked through.

Add in the spices, 1 tbsp salt and stir well to combine. Then add the tomato paste, chili sauce, brown sugar, red wine, beer, coffee, beef broth, diced tomatoes with their juices, jalapeño pepper (if using) and beans. Mix well. Simmer on medium low for one hour. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Continue to simmer for at least another hour, though more would be better. In total should simmer on low for 2-5 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting along the way. About an hour before serving, stir in red wine vinegar, adjust seasoning as needed and continue to simmer on very low heat. If making ahead, add the red wine vinegar when reheating day of game. You may also need to add more cayenne and chipotle chili powder as those mellow over time.

Serve with shredded sharp cheddar, diced jalapeño peppers, hot sauce, scallions and sour cream for 'do it yourself' garnish. Yields 10-12 servings.