Dragon's Breath Chili

A few months ago husband, little one and I visited husband’s MN parents. My father in law made this incredible chili. He lovingly roasted the peppers, browned the meats and mixed all the ingredients together. It really is a joy to watch him cook. The smell coming from the kitchen was intoxicating. Thank goodness the kitchen and the family room are open to each other or else I would have never left the kitchen. When it was time to eat, we all devoured the chili. The flavors were amazing. There was a good amount of heat but it came slowly. No doubt about it, this was hands down one of the best chilies I have EVER eaten.

After thinking about this chili for weeks I finally took it upon myself to look up the recipe. I was quite shocked by the number of ingredients listed. It seemed like the ingredient list when on for miles. Four different types of peppers, three different meats and nine ingredients from the spice cabinet not to mention everything else on the list. I let the recipe sit for a while. This was not a recipe I could just make for dinner one night, I needed an occasion.

After looking at the recipe on my fridge for a few more weeks I caved and shared it with my dad. My dad is a big chili fan and I knew he would be on board with making a batch. We agreed on a Saturday afternoon while little one was napping to make our chili. We would make it on Saturday, let the flavors meld overnight and enjoy our creation the next day.

Dad came over with one of his pots for making beer as I didn’t have a pot big enough for all this goodness. I very large stock pot in now on my wish list for next Christmas. We chopped, roasted, mixed, measured and no time at all our chili was bubbling away. For all the ingredients listed it doesn’t take as long to prep as I had imagined, then again there were two of us. Do give yourself time to chop all of those peppers and onions as I think it was the most time consuming part of the process. Do not be afraid to half the recipe!

Enjoy!

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 jalapenos, minced
3 Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, chopped
3 poblano chilies, roasted, peeled, chopped
2 yellow onions, diced
¼ cup garlic, minced
1 pound boneless chuck, trimmed and cut into ¼ inch cubes
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage
2 tsp. granulated onion
2 tsp. granulated garlic
3 T. chili powder
2 tsp. hot paprika
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup tomato paste
12 oz. lager beer
1 cup chicken stock
30 oz. pinto beans, with juice
30 oz. kidney beans, with juice
 
In large stock pot over high heat, add butter and canola oil. Add bell pepper, jalapeno, chilies and onion and cook until caramelized, about five minutes. Add garlic and sauté a minute longer. Add chuck and brown. Add ground beef and sausage to brown and stir gently, trying not to break up the ground beef too much. Cook until meat is nicely browned and cooked through, about seven to ten minutes.

Add in granulated onions, granulated garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper and cook for one minute. Add in tomato sauce and paste and stir for two minutes. Stir in beer and chicken stock. Add beans, lower heat and simmer for two hours.

Serve in bowls and garnish with saltine crackers, green onions and shredded cheddar.

Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/dragons-breath-chili-recipe/index.html