Healthy, Tasty Beer Chili Con Carne with Beans

Ingredients

• 1.25 lb. of lean diced stew meat or coarse ground sirloin (chuck will do, but is not as healthy)
• 5-8 large dried mild chilies (anchos work well)
  
• 1 large white onion
• 12 oz of dark beer (e.g. Negra Modelo)
• 30 oz of cooked dry pinto beans (or 2 cans undrained)  
• 3-4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ of a medium-sized jalapeno pepper (incl. seeds) OR, a whole jalapeno without seeds, diced
• ½ to 1 tsp ground cumin seed (I like a hint, while some prefer a stronger cumin flavor)
  
• ½ tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• 3 oz tomato paste
• 2 tbs chili paste (made as described below) or 1½ tbs good ground chili powder (mild, without added spices)
• 1 tbs corn flour (maza harina)
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 2 tbs olive oil for browning meat, and frying vegetables

Instructions:

Simmer chilies in a small amount of water for 1 hour until soft.  Drain and retain juice.  Remove stems and attached seed pods.  Puree chilies with a small amount of the juice make a paste.  You will need 2 tbs. of the paste, pre-measure and freeze the remaining in sandwich bags for future batches of chili.

Brown the meat in a large skillet and drain some of the fat over medium heat.  Add tomato and chili pastes and stir until paste heats up.   Add beer and simmer at a low boil for a few minutes.  Add spices and continue simmer for a few more minutes. 

Caramelize the onions in another frying pan over a medium high heat, stirring enough to keep them from overcooking.  Add the jalapenos, and garlic near at the tail end of the cook, just to get the flavors mingling.  Remove from heat to keep from over cooking.  If you have room, you can dump it into the meat/beer mix.  Don’t overcook or the jalapenos will begin to emit fumes, burning your throat and eyes.  I like that, but your pets and family may revolt as the house becomes a gas chamber.

While the meat/beer mix is simmering, put beans and vegetables in a large pot or slow cooker and begin heating.  Add the meat and beer mix and stir.  Simmer covered on low heat for 3-4 hours, adding warm beer or water to insure a thick, yet soupy consistency.  Garnish with diced raw onion and shredded jack cheese.  Serve with fried cornbread or soft tortillas.

If you get the jalapenos right, you should have a heat that is unnoticeable at first bite, but builds during the meal.  You can add heat to taste with a good table sauce - but careful, don’t overdo it and ruin the subtle flavors.  The baking soda and brown sugar will reduce the acid from the pastes.

I don’t like overly-spicy chili powders.  It is better to control the heat with the jalapenos or a small amount of cayenne pepper.  This keeps the flavors (like the beer) clear and savory.  Better to add heat to taste at the table with a good pepper sauce (not tobasco sauce).  I like to use ancho chilies for the paste, or ancho chili powder.  You may like another type.  Here’s a good site for powder if your grocer does not carry the good stuff:  http://www.madeinnewmexico.com/chile-chili-pods-powders-seeds.html.

A word about beans:  You can substitute half the beans with black or red beans for a little added flair.  Cooked dried beans are more flavorful, but save some of the water after cooking to make the chili the right consistency since you won’t have the starch from the can.  If you use canned beans and drain them, omitting the starch, you’ll have to add a little beer or water to replace the moisture.  Don't use the starch from canned black beans.  Rinse the drained black beans before adding to the pot.

The flour will thicken the chili as it cooks.  It will thicken more if the pot or cooker has a loose lid.  Stir the chili every ½ hour or 45 minutes and check the consistency.  Adding warm beer or warm water is better than adding cold stuff out of the fridge or tap.

Chili takes practice.  I’ve tried to make this as simple as possible to achieve a great result.  You may want to add or delete some ingredients.  Chili always gets better after cooling in the fridge for a day or two.  Baking the recipe in the oven in a casserole dish at 350* instead of the slow simmer can accelerate the “left over” taste.  I don’t know why, but it works.  Possibly because of the heat distribution.

I’ve experimented with adding pork (e.g. a few slices of bacon or some salt pork) to the recipe, but while adding an interesting flavor, this makes it less healthy.  Besides, I like it better without pork.  Now venison is another story.  Replacing the beef with venison is a wonderful adjustment.  Elk or bison is best, but deer meat will do just fine.  Just don’t overbrown the venison, or the beef for that matter.  You want the flavor to enhance the stew, not just the texture.

Enjoy this recipe, it is the product of decades of experimentation and refinement, sometimes at the expense of my family’s taste buds and stomach linings.

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