Cybercowboy,
Here I was limiting myself to listing detailing stuff I did this weekend . . . I made a big ol' pot of chili Saturday night, too. I never make chili quite the same way twice, but here was this weekend's version:
7 poblano peppers, roasted/seeded/chopped
2 red bell peppers, roasted/seeded/chopped
3 cayenne peppers, chopped
3 oz dried ancho chiles
14 oz. pork chorizo
1 lb. ground pork (75% lean, gotta have that fat

)
2 lb. chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cans beef broth (low sodium)
1 can Campbells beef consomme
2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
cumin
cinnamon
beer
Stem and seed the dried chiles, then reconstitute in about a cup of water (bring water to a boil, add chiles and allow to stand for 30 minutes or so, until chiles are softened). Once softened, either blend the cooled liquid and peppers in a blender, or use a stick blender to puree. You should end up with a reddish-brown thick mixture that smells vaguely of raisins (weird, but the sweetness of poblanos comes out when dried, and they have an odor reminiscent of raisins). Add to your stewpot (or large CrockPot).
Drink a beer.
Roast the poblanos and bells either under the oven's broiler, or on an open gas flame. When the skin has blackened, place the peppers in a plastic container and seal the lid (the steam aids in loosening the pepper skins from the flesh of the pepper). When cool, stem, seed, and chop the peppers. Try to save any juices that come out of the peppers to add to the stew. The juices and chopped peppers can go in the stewpot. Add the cayenne peppers now, as well. The cayennes are really just in there for a touch of heat, and I was keeping this batch toned down so I could share it with family and friends. If you like your chili HOT, add more cayennes, a few jalapenos, a serrano or three . . . and if you <strong class='bbc'>really[/b] like it hot, reach for an habanero.
Drink a beer.
Brown chorizo and ground pork in a skillet over medium heat, remove and save fat. Add ground meats to the pot.
Cerveza!
Using about a tablespoon or two of the pork fat, sweat the onions over medium heat. Add a bit of salt and black pepper, but go light on the salt (the beef broth and tomatoes to be added later are already pretty high in sodium). When the onions are just starting to turn translucent, toss in the chopped garlic. Cook a bit longer (just to mellow and sweeten the garlic a bit). Add onions and garlic to the stewpot; if there are any brown bits on the skillet deglaze with a bit of beer and add the liquid to the stewpot as well.
Finish drinking the rest of the bottle of beer that you used to deglaze with.
Wipe the skillet clean, and heat a bit more of the pork fat on high heat. When the skillet is quite hot (pork fat should be just at the smoke point), sear the beef cubes. Do the beef in a couple of batches, or the skillet will lose too much heat. Try to get a little bit of brown crust on the meat; the object here is to sear the outside without cooking the inside too much, and to provide some of those wonderful brown bits of crust on the bottom of the skillet. Add the beef to the stewpot, then deglaze the skillet with beer and add the liquid to the stewpot, too.
Boy, this is thirsty work. A beer sure would be good right about now . . .
Now add the two cans of beef broth, the consomme, and both cans of tomatoes. No need to cut up the tomatoes; they'll be falling apart when the chili is finished. Add "some" ground cumin (sorry, didn't measure any of the spices); I probably used a couple of tablespoons or more. And, finally, add a dash of cinnamon . . . not too much, or it will dominate. If you get just a hint of it in there, though, it plays off the "raisin-y" qualities of the dried anchos.
Start simmering, cook until done . . . I believe that good chili must be cooked a <strong class='bbc'>long[/b] time; I got mine in the crock pot around 8:00 Sat. evening, and took the first bowl from the batch around 3:00 the next afternoon. I'd give it at least 8-10 hours to simmer, as the beef chuck will be tough unless cooked slowly and for a long time.
Serve with beer
Don't be surprised if there's a good bit of fat on top of the soup when done . . . not all of that fat will cook out of the ground pork and chorizo in the skillet, and any fat left on the beef will contribute to the oil slick. You can use a gravy separator, or just skim the fat and broth from the top and cool in the fridge. The fat will solidify, and you can add the broth back to the rest of the soup.
Cars and cooking are two of my passions, followed closely by driving and eating. Hmmmm, there's a pattern there . . .