Thursday, September 2, 2010

Dragon's Blood Chili

After a couple of years of using McCormick Chili packets to make chili, I decided to give a real crack at the dish. No more packets of IDunnoWhatSpices, no more limiting myself to five ingredients (packet seasoning, ground beef, can tomatoes, beans, and mmm...water! Wait...does water count as an ingredient???). So onto foodnetwork.com did my culinary perusings take me. And I found this recipe by Guy Fieri called Dragon's Breath Chili and tweaked it to my own satisfaction (and pocket's allowance). Because of the richness of the color, I'm calling it Dragon's Blood Chili. A head nod to Guy, a head nod to me. Here we go!


The Challenge: Make a homemade chili from scratch (ie. no chili mix packet).
The Expectation: Something rich, meaty, and hearty.
Est. Cook Time: 2 hours
Actual Cook Time: 30 minutes prep time dicing, mixing, etc. + 1 hour to roast the peppers, let them cool, and peel them + 2 hours stewing time
Level: Intermediate

Dragon's Blood Chili
Adapted by the Gal who's Krackin' up in the Kitchen
Original recipe by Guy Fieri

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 Anaheim chile, roasted, peeled, chopped
1 pasilla chile, roasted, peeled, chopped
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
1 head garlic, minced
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chunky salsa
1 can tomato paste
12 ounces lager beer
1 cup chicken stock
1 can dark red kidney beans

Chili seasoning mix:
2 teaspoons granulated onion
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground hot pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons red chili flakes

Roasting Peppers: So the first step is to roast the bells, Anaheim chili, and pasilla chili. I'll be honest with you, it's a long process but it's fairly easy to do and worth the time to do it. I cranked the oven up to 400 degrees, basted the chilis with vegetable oil, and let them suckers go. Let me warn you, they get HOT and splattery when you open the oven door to check on them, so be careful. But here's what they looked like:





Last step is to let them cool down for about 15 minutes and then peel the skins off (which will happen easily with the bell pepper if it's cooked long enough - however, if the skins won't peel you can scrape the pepper with a spoon.)

So while those were working away in the oven, here's what the rest of the set up looks like:



Directions: In large stock pot over high heat, add butter and vegetable oil. Add the diced red bell pepper, jalapeno, and onion and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute a minute longer. Add ground beef and as it browns (cooks thoroughly in about 7-10 minutes) break up the meat into bite-sized chunks. Combine chili seasonings in a bowl and add to the pot, cooking for 1 minute and making sure it coats the meat. Add in tomato sauce, salsa, and paste and stir for 2 minutes. Add roasted chilis. Stir in beer and chicken stock. Add beans, lower heat and simmer for 2 hours.


How it went down: Because of how long it took prepping this and roasting peppers, be sure to play some music or turn on the TV while making this recipe, as you'll be standing, chopping, pouring, and mixing on your feet for a while. You'll be free to sit down once all of the ingredients are in the pot and the simmering process begins.

But lemme tell you, all the prep work and time was well worth it, as this dish was savory, delicious, and spicy with a hint of sweetness that boosts the heat. The mild sweetness comes from the cinnamon, red bells, sweet onion, and gives this chili a great depth of flavor that a mere chili packet can't compare to.

The best part is that this makes a whole lotta chili, so make sure you have plenty of tupperware on hand, as we had plenty of leftovers (and chili is great for freezing).

Voila!

So I know that I'm no photographer or food stylist, but here's the final product. Serve it with a side of soft, sliced San Francisco sourdough bread with butter, and this meal will melt away in your mouth.

Mission Successful!
Taste: Boyfriend approved
Final thoughts: Blows McCormicks + water outta the water (punning this early in the morning proves direly)

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