I first shared this recipe back in 2011 on a fly fishing blog called Chi Wulff; from that post –
Traditions are a funny thing.
Though admittedly our clan has a fair number of traditions that we more or less cling to with stogged fidelity, some traditions can begin to reek of routine.
And routine has crushed the heart and soul of many a fine man and woman.
So it was with a dumbstruck stare that She Who Must Be Obeyed eyed me after I announced several days ago I thought we should break from tradition this year and serve tamales and chili for Christmas dinner.
As a bit of background, we’re once again entertaining what could be shaping up to be a bizarrely diverse group of friends and fishers who couldn’t be with their own families for the holiday.
SWMBO was probably envisioning a meal of a traditional (there’s the ‘t’ word again) ham with all the trimmings, eaten at a beautifully set and decorated table, complete with fresh flowers, two expertly chosen wines, ruthlessly efficient wait staff and classical music playing softly in the background.
I deftly countered with the fact that this has been a brazenly non-traditional year for us, and that traditions, which are often just dull routines dressed up in their Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes, are simply meant to be broken now and again.
Her response…”Bazinga…”
…For a high-brow company meal, have your butcher grind a nice cut (sirloin or tri-tip for us) into a large chili grind and pick up some fresh-made, well-spiced bulk sausage too. This recipe works incredibly well with brisket diced small.
This recipe, at first glance, looks like it uses almost an obscene amount of chili powder – it does call for a fair amount, though most chili powder doesn’t really provide heat – it provides flavor (use a really good, really fresh chili powder). Try it once as the recipe is written and you’ll see what we mean. Just don’t spill any of this deep red treasure on anything white. The touch of brown sugar also softens the bite of the red chile just enough to work a little magic (without breaking the carb budget).
3 lb. London broil, tri-tip, chuck or sirloin ground into rough chili grind or cubed
8 ounces bulk sausage (spicy) 1 large sweet onion, chopped fine
2 tbs avocado oil or EVOO 2-4 cups beef broth
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce (Hunt’s by tradition)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 bottle robust beer
11 tbsp commercial chili powder (Spices Etc or Gebhardt’s)
2 tsp garlic powder
1-3 tbsp Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp ground cumin
Kosher salt to taste
Optional: 1-2 tbsp brown sugar
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and then brown the beef (will probably need to do in two batches); then add to your favorite chili pot. Now brown the sausage, breaking it up as you go, then add the onions when about halfway browned; cook until just soft and the sausage is brown. Add to the chili pot.
Now add two cups of the beef broth, bring to a slow simmer. Add the tomato sauce, Rotel tomatoes, beer, 6 tbs of the chili powder, garlic powder, 1 tbs of the brown sugar if using and 1 tbs of Tabasco. Simmer uncovered for an hour and half, stirring occasionally and adding more broth as needed to keep it fairly soupy.
Now add the rest of the chili powder (yep, another five tablespoons), a tsp of salt and the cumin. Taste for sweetness – we like to have just the tiniest smidgen of sweetness as an undercurrent to the heat and other flavors – we almost always end up using 2 tbsp of brown sugar. Keep simmering for at least another 30 minutes.
Now it’s time to fine tune the flavors. Taste for chili flavor, heat, and salt. If your chili powder is wimpy you might end up adding even a bit more chili powder, adjust the hot sauce and salt as well. Reduce or thin to desired consistency.
Serve it up as you see fit; we can’t imagine this without a bit of grated cheese, chopped onion and cilantro, maybe a pepper or two, and a dollop of sour cream.
Enjoy.
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