Name: cade’s chili
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 yellow onions, chopped; 2 fresh poblano chilies, seeded and chopped; 2 fresh serrano chilies, seeded and chopped; 10 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced; 4 lbs beef chuck roast (you want a bit of fat); ¼ cup unbleached white flour; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 2 tsp dried oregano; 2 tsp sweet paprika; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp fine sea salt; ½ tsp ground black pepper; 1 whole dried chili; 6 cups homemade chicken stock or water or a combination; olive oil; salt & pepper to taste; cooked rice; limes; sour cream; chopped cilantro; shredded cheddar cheese

Make a beautiful beef gravy to satisfy the masses or your brother. Either way, if you can make chili, you’re prepared for a lot.

This Texas-style chili is not too spicy and leaves out the beans and tomatoes, otherwise it would be soup. Chuck roast has a little bit of fat to it and doesn’t cost a fortune, but gives the chili a really nice, meaty flavor. Substitute chipotle, hickory salt, or liquid smoke for the smoked paprika if you like, just remember to adjust the salt if you add more.

Use homemade chicken stock or buy it in a box. Both will be tasty, but only one will make your house smell amazing.

You will need to get all your vegetables chopped before you start cooking. Remember to slice round vegetables in half and place flat edges on the cutting board for stability, and for god’s sake, smash that garlic before you peel it or you’ll be there all day. You’ll also want to make sure the weapon in your hand is sharp (it’s safer, believe it or not), cut away from yourself, and watch your fingers! But have fun!

Yields4 Servings

ingredients

2 yellow onions, chopped

2 fresh poblano chilies, seeded and chopped

2 fresh serrano chilies, seeded and chopped

10 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced

4 lbs beef chuck roast (you want a bit of fat)

¼ cup unbleached white flour

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp sweet paprika

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

1 whole dried chili

6 cups homemade chicken stock or water or a combination

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

on the side

cooked rice

limes

sour cream

chopped cilantro

shredded cheddar cheese

Set the chuck roast on a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet to air dry for 20-30 minutes (or dry with paper towels).

Peel and chop the onions and add to a medium bowl. Seed and chop the fresh peppers and add to the bowl. Smash, peel, and mince the garlic, removing any hard ends, and add them to the bowl, too. Set aside.

Cut the roast into roughly 1 1/2″ cubes, removing any extra fat, and add the cubes to a large bowl.

Mix the flour, cumin, oregano, paprikas, salt, and pepper in a bowl or teacup and sprinkle over the beef. Stir to coat the beef relatively evenly.

In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmery. Dump the bowl of beef into the pot in one layer (cook in batches if necessary) and brown on all sides, stirring every 2-3 minutes. The beef pieces should have a bit of space around them and the pan should be just hot enough to sizzle the beef without steaming. Spoon the beef back into the large bowl when finished browning. Do not clean the pot!

Add 2 TBSP olive oil to the soup pot and return to medium-high heat. Stir in the chopped onions, peppers, and garlic. Cover the pot to let the vegetables steam for a minute. Remove the lid to stir and cook until lightly browned, scraping up the tasty cooked flour and spices (fond) from the bottom of the pot as you go.

Stir in the beef and any liquid in the bowl. Add in the dried pepper and the chicken stock, adding water to cover if you need it. Once the chili begins to bubble, cover and reduce heat to a low simmer for an hour or longer, stirring and adding water as necessary to cover the beef, until the meat begins to fall apart.

Serve over rice with sour cream, shredded cheddar, limes, and cilantro on top.

Ingredients