Make Ahead

Picante Chili sinĀ Frijoles

by:
February  2, 2012
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

I love bean chilis...but beans don't love me. I missed the texture beans give chili, and never really cared for a big bowl of chunks of beef. I made "Chili--As it Should Be!" from Paleo Comfort Foods and found that replacing beans with ground beef was just the textural ticket I needed. I have used the ground beef idea and came up with this chili.

The Penzey's spice gives it spicy punch, but it is great tempered with a big dollop of sour cream. I have also used only grass-fed beef, so do not call for draining any fat, because there isn't any. If you use corn-fed beef, then you will need to drain the excess fat.

The longer this cooks the better. I like to cook it all-day (up to 12 hours) in the slow cooker, but this can also be made on the stove. As with most soups and chilis, it's even better the next day. —JHuggins

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup bacon fat (or olive oil, not EVOO)
  • 3 pounds grass-fed chuck roast, cubed
  • 1 large onion, chopped (~2 cups)
  • 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 handful garlic cloves, peeled and rough chopped
  • 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons Penzey's Chili 9000
  • 2 15 ounces cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes with chipotle
  • 2 15 ounces cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1 6 ounces can tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. In a large Dutch oven, heat bacon fat over medium heat.
  2. Cube the chuck roast. Dry each piece and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Brown the cubed meat in bacon in batches. Do not crowd the pan. When browned, transfer to a plate and set aside. Continue until all meat has been browned.
  4. Do not pour out the fat. Add the diced onion to the pan and saute, scraping up the browned bits.
  5. Add the diced bell pepper and chopped garlic to the pan, stir and cook for ~ 5 minutes.
  6. Crumble the ground beef into the onion mixture, and mash it up with the vegetables. Continue to cook the meat and vegetables together, stirring occasionally, until the ground beef is cooked through.
  7. Add the Penzey's spice to the meat and vegetable mixture. Stir to combine. (Add more spice if you like it spicier.)
  8. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth and browned cubed meat. Stir to combine.
  9. Slow cooker: Add everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 12 hours. Stove-top: Simmer everything for a minimum of 2 hours.
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