Joe’s Award-winning Chili
Joe won a prize for his chili this weekend in a Chili Cookoff. It’s fantastic!
2 lb. chuck or round steak (or top sirloin steak)
2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 oz) can of beer
¼ cup chopped white onion
5 garlic cloves minced, or pressed with garlic press
3 tbsp ground dried chili pepper
1¼ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cayenne, or to taste
½ tsp cumin seed
½ lb. Chihuahua Mexican cheese or goat cheese
In a skillet heat the oil with crushed red pepper flakes for a minute, then adding meat. Brown meat on both sides in the oil. Place the meat into a heavy stock pot with lid, adding tomato sauce and beer to meat. Then add onion, garlic, chili pepper, oregano, paprika, salt, ground cumin. Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally but leave the lid on as much as possible.
Add cumin seed, and if needed add a pinch more cayenne. Simmer 2 more hours, stirring often.
Add cheese, and stir often while poking apart the steak so it shreds. Cook another ½ hour.
Optional - serve with pinto beans, chopped onions, grated cheddar cheese, and sour cream on the side. Your ‘chili gourmet’ friends can customize it if they like. For your Midwest friends with stereotypical Scandinavian or Northern European ancestry they may need to add elbow macaroni or spaghetti as they might not have had anything other than ‘chili-mac’ in their lives!
Makes 6 - 8 big servings (12 - 16 servings if they’re little bird-like eaters!).
Nutrition information: Ugghhh, you don’t want to know!
