AN (EVEN MORE) PASSABLE CHILI

Friends, I'm going to say something that everyone running for president will never say: "I changed my mind". Back in July, I shared my recipe for a passable chili and in it I called for the use of ground beef. I made this prescription in good faith, believing it to be the best option for budding home cooks looking to get into the chili game.  I have since learned that I was mistaken and I sincerely apologize. I know your forgiveness won't come quickly or easily, but all I can ask is the chance to earn back your trust. My road to culinary redemption begins after the jump...(that's what they call a tease)...

Okay, so the secret to an even more passable chili comes courtesy of Kenji tha gawd of Serious Eats Food Lab fame: Skip the ground stuff and use chunks of beef. It's a small change that makes heaps of difference in the final product. Of course, you could follow Kenji's recipe for "The Best Chili Ever", which is sure to be excellent, but it's quite a bit more expensive/involved than mine and you obviously need to save your money/time for buying dope clothes/looking at dope clothes to buy. What I'm saying is: I recommend me. 

RHYS'S (EVEN MORE) PASSABLE CHILI

STUFF:

• 2-3 lbs. beef chuck roast
• 4 strips bacon
• 2 yellow onions
• 6-8 cloves of garlic
• 2-6 fresh jalapeños and/or other fresh hot chillies
• 6-10 dried chipotles
• 2 cans/boxes diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 liberal splash red wine vinegar
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (100% cacao)
• 1 tablespoon finely ground coffee
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  
• A couple spices, all to taste: black pepper, salt, ground cumin, smoked paprika, crushed pepper

STEPS:

• Boil water. Put the dried chipotles in a bowl and soak them in very hot water for twenty minutes. Remove the chipotles and retain the water (it's like chipotle tea). Pulse the rehydrated peppers in a food processor or blender, adding just enough of the water to create a thick paste (which will keep in the fridge for a couple of days). Set this paste aside. 
• Slice the beef roast. Keep the slices about an inch thick. Sear them off in a skillet and set aside to rest. Mince the bacon and garlic. Dice the onions and fresh chillies, removing the seeds from the chillies if you want to reduce the spice level. Heat up a smidgen of olive oil in a big stock pot. Drop in the bacon and garlic. Once the fat is really coming out of the bacon, add the onions and fresh chillies. 
• Sweat the onions and chillies. Clear a spot in the middle of the pot and toast the tomato paste for a minute, then stir it into everything else. Add the chipotle paste. Shake in a little cumin, paprika, and crushed red pepper to taste. Cut the seared slices of beef into cubes, roughly one inch on all sides. Add them to the pot. Splash some red wine vinegar in the mix. 
• Add the red wine and cook it down. Stir in the brown sugar, molasses, cocoa powder, coffee. Pour in the soy sauce and worcestershire sauce. Add the diced tomatoes, rinsing out the containers with about four cups of water. Cover and cook on low heat for a couple of hours, adding water if it gets too reduced. If you're going to add beans, add them right before serving in order to prevent them from getting mushy. And use dried beans: it takes some prep, but you'll be rewarded.
• Taste the chili. Once it's good, eat the chili. 

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