This may be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do…my Chocolate Beer Chili recipe is being exposed to the world. I literally covet this recipe. I keep it in a lock box under my bed and take it out to say a prayer for it each morning…well, maybe not, but I am super proud and protective of this recipe. I mean, it has CHOCOLATE, and BEER, and it is CHILI. Does it get any better?
Then I started to think – maybe only I think this chili is so amazing, can it really be as good as I think it is? So I started making it for my friends. They SAID it was as good as I thought. I gave the recipe to my dad and his wife for them to make it in their cafe. The chili became their #1 seller. So maybe it is as good as I think. I decided to add “enter a chili contest” to my 101 list.
Well, the time has come for you to judge, for the world to judge, for the Today Show to judge! The Today Show announced they are having a chili recipe contest a couple of weeks ago…my chance has come! I made my pilgrimage to Russo’s, Whole Foods, and Trade Joe’s, and it was time, time to blog my Chocolate Beer Chili recipe…via con dios….
Chocolate Beer Chili Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/4 lb Bacon (chopped )
- 1.5 lb Sirloin tips (chopped into bite sized pieces)
- 1 – poblano pepper (seeded and chopped)
- 1 – fresh Fresno pepper (seeded and chopped) Feel free to sub your favorite pepper
- 1 – large onion (chopped)
- 28 ounce Crushed tomatoes
- 28 ounce Diced Tomatoes
- 2- 14.5 oz of your choice beans such as cannelloni, kidney beans, black beans, etc…
- 1/4 cup chili powder (I recommend Penzey’s or Whole Foods)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1- 12 ounce bottle dark beer (I use any of Dogfish Head varieties, but prefer the Indian Brown Ale or Chicory Stout)
- 1 ounce of unsweetened bakers chocolate chopped finely
- Salt to taste
Directions:
- Brown the diced bacon in a large pot
- Once bacon is crispy, remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel covered plate
- Add meat to the bacon drippings and brown well.
- You may need to drain the meat in the middle of browning.
- Once the meat is brown, remove it from the pan and set aside.
- Add the peppers to the pot and cook until they start to brown, approximately 3 minutes.
- Add onions to the peppers and continue to brown until the onions just start to become translucent.
- Add the meat and bacon to the onions and peppers and brown for an additional 5 – 8 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes to the mixture and stir well.
- Over medium-high cook until the mixture just starts to boil.
- Add the beans to the pot and cook until it just starts to boil again.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and cook, again, until it just starts to boil.
- Add the beer to the pot, mix well, and bring to a boil, allow to boil for 30 seconds
- Stir in the chili powder and brown sugar.
- When the mixture JUST starts to boil again, stir in shaved chocolate
- Bring to a slow boil and salt to taste. Make sure not to over-salt, as flavors will develop as the chili simmers.
- The thickness of your chili depends on your ingredients, if your chili is too thin, add a teaspoon of tomato paste, stir, test thickness and repeat if needed.
- Reduce heat to simmer, cover and let simmer (stirring occasionally) for approximately 2 hours.
- Ladle chili into a bowl and sprinkle with your favorite toppings such as diced onions, shredded cheese, or sour cream
Eat.Live.Blog. 
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