IED Chili

Today was wet and chilly. I didn't feel like firing up the grill or smoker so I made a batch of my award winning IED Chili. Yes, I said award winning. This recipe won first place in a company chili cook-off. And yes, those are beans you see in there, three different kinds in fact. I don't want to hear anything from you no-bean chili purists. I cook for taste, not abstract ideals.

Start to finish it takes about five hours but it's worth every minute of it. And it gives me a chance to bring out my ginormous cast iron Dutch oven.

I start out with three pounds of pink slime, er, ground beef and brown it in the pot. Then I add in some chopped onion and peppers (usually jalapeno and serrano peppers) and cook them until they're soft. Then in goes my special chili spice mixture, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies,  a bottle of beer, and a few other things. Then I cover it and let it cook for three to four hours.

I add beans the last hour (in this case red kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans). I take the lid off for the last half hour or so to let it cook down a bit.

This chili is great hot out of the pot but it tastes even better the next day.