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Sunday, October 20, 2013

Football Weekend Chili

Every man should have a chili recipe that can be pulled out for those cold rainy weekends, especially during football season. Nothing warms the soul like a warm bowl of delicious chili.

Weekend Chili - A few updated photos




Research:

This recipe has evolved over the years for me. It started as a much spicier version, but as the years have rolled along, both me and my recipe have mellowed a bit. While still a little spicy, I have come to appreciate a milder variety.

Much of the migration in my recipe can be attributed to none other than Souper Jenny, a local soup and sandwich shop located in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, GA. I really like the flavor that the brown sugar adds, and the use of multicolored beans makes it more interesting.

Plan:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups red onion
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1 medium green bell pepper
2 lbs of ground beef (whatever is on sale is fine)
1 can black beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 can chili beans
1 can northern beans
6 cans of diced tomatoes (usually use a chili-seasoned version)
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup light brown sugar Updated from 1/2 cup because it seemed too sweet
1 tablespoon salt Updated from 2 tablespoons because it seemed too salty
1 tbsp pepper Updated from 2 tbsp
0.5 tsp red pepper (a little less for medium and a little more for hot) - Julie likes a little less...

We are going to brown the onion and beef and then simply add the other ingredients and let it cook for about an hour to give everything time to soften. Plan on a bread to go with it, it could be chips, toast, saltines or my favorite - homemade corn bread.

This makes about 10 servings, so freeze a few servings for warming up later.

Execution:





Dice and brown the red onion in the olive oil.



Add in the ground beef and brown it as well.  After the beef has browned,
you could drain the oil off for a slightly lighter version if you wish.  
But, hey, this is chili.



Gather the remaining ingredients and add them in no particular order.

Note that I left the bell peppers out of this preparation because Julie doesn't care for them. It doesn't seem to make a huge difference to me, but if you add them, you would chop them up 
and add them with the other stuff here.



Add the tomatoes...




...and the beans.

We do drain and rinse the beans before add them to the pot.




Stir the pot and get everything mixed up after you add the remaining ingredients.



After about hour, you have a wonderfully hearty and tasty pot of chili.




Just in time for kickoff!


Verdict:

A great recipe for game day. The red pepper controls the heat, and as I mentioned earlier, we are using a little less than 1/2 tsp these days, and it delivers the perfect amount of heat for us.

Probably would have been better to dice the meat up more. Also, for a premium version, swap out the ground beef for a chopped steak, or for a lighter version, you could use ground turkey breast.

Please help support our site, buy something you like on Amazon. Simply click through the links below and though you can pick anything, I suggest the thermometer and knives below:


So apparently Thermoworks doesn't sell through Amazon anymore. You must buy direct. Still the thermometer to have. Go here and order direct. 

Aaron Franklin's Favorite trimming knife:

Dexter-Russell (S131F-6PCP) - 6" Boning Knife - Sani-Safe Series

Aaron Franklin's Favorite Brisket cutting/serving knife:

Sani-Safe S140-12SC-PCP 12" Scalloped Roast Slicer

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