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© Copyright 1995-2023, Clay Irving <clay@panix.com>, Manhattan Beach, CA USA
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Recipe from: writer.dave
Servings: About 4 quarts
This recipe is my adaption of a recipe I found in the January - February 2005 issue of Wine Spectator, submitted by Sam Gugino. I have been making this chili since that date and I have adapted a few things for my own liking, perhaps you will like it too! As a note, this is totally about the setup. I recommend you prep all your cutting first...
2 pounds beef chuck
1 pound pork shoulder
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons dried chipotle powder
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon hot chili oil
2 medium onions
6 garlic cloves
4 cups beef broth
4 dried ancho chiles
4 dried New Mexico chiles
4 dried habanero chiles
4 dried jalapeño peppers
4 dried pasilla peppers
6 dried red chili peppers
1 ½ tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
4 fresh jalapeño peppers
2 (14 ounce) cans black beans
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350°F. I suggest the toaster oven because this is just to toast the dried peppers.
Toast all the peppers on a sheet of tin foil for about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, they burn easy! Once they are fragrant and puffed up, take them out of the oven and turn off. Using rubber gloves, break off the stems and pour out most of the seeds and discard. Place the remaining chili peppers in a bowl with a cover (glass or metal, non reactive) and pour about 2 cups of boiling water over them and set the peppers aside.
Purchase the meat cut for stew, not full sized fillets. I have a 3 step process for the meat: Put the meat on a large cutting board, and cover with wax paper and use a meat tenderizing hammer to pound the meat down a bit. Don't flatten it, just give it enough elbow grease to soften the meat. Use a fork and puncture all the meat thoroughly. Once done, cut all the meat into bite sized pieces. In a large bowl, place your flower, powdered cumin, cayenne and chipotle powder. feel free to substitute the powders if you can't find the exact ones I have listed right under the flower in the ingredients. Dredge all the bite sized pieces of flower through this mixture. I like to set it all aside in another bowl so that I don't drag a ton of the flour into the oil in the next step. Put the two oils into a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot and heat until it is around 350°F. (Or if you test with a piece of meat, it should be ready to sizzle before you add the meat). Cook, the meat in the oil, I suggest doing a batch at a time, just covering the bottom of the pot. Just don't pile it all in at once. Remove and set aside until you have cooked all the meat.
Once all the meat is cooked, and you have emptied the dutch oven, then pour off excess oil and flour. In the remaining oil, sauté the garlic and onions. Once the garlic and onions are translucent, add all the meat back in with the garlic and onions and add all the broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer gently for 45 minutes.
Once this is simmering, then on to the hot stuff! Take the cumin seeds and toast them in a dry pan until fragrant, again be careful to not burn. Once done, either use a processor or a pestle and grind them down to a powder. Add the oregano, salt, pepper, and sugar and then add to the chili. Take the chilies and put them into a blender with about half a cup of the water they soaked inches Blend until smooth. Add all of this mixture into the chili once done. Add the tomato sauce to the chili and then add the two cans of black beans with jalapeño mixture into the chili. (I use Ortega black beans with jalapeños, but you can use whatever version of beans you like.). Simmer for another hour or so.
Last step, add the 4 diced fresh jalapeño peppers and cook for another half hour or so. Enjoy!