Before we start an important note is that this is not an exact recipe, you can tweak it as you go and adjust it to taste and still end up with a good chili.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1–2 pounds of ground beef, or your favourite protein, I also tried Beyond Meat and a friend tried tofu and they all worked out well,

• 2–3 litres of crushed tomatoes (3–4 medium size cans), I like to start with diced and puree them myself using an electric wand,

• same amount of your favourite beans, I tend to prefer kidney but it’s whatever you like, sometimes I use a mix, about 2 litres (4–5 medium sized cans), make sure to rinse these if they come in a can, I actually prefer to start with dried beans and rehydrate them,

• 1 can or bottle of beer, I prefer a dark beer of some kind, but any beer will do,

• spicy peppers, this one is tricky as there are a number of variations, I started with 6 jalapeños, and tried various combinations before landing on 2 habaneros as the prefect spicy pepper for this recipe, feel free to experiment, the recipe is very forgiving overall, note that 3 habaneros will probably make this “hurty” food ;),

• 2–3 tablespoons of bakers semi-sweet chocolate, a lot of people look at me funny when I mention chocolate but it’s probably one of the key ingredients right up there with the spicy peppers, it adds a nice colour and consistency to the chili and also pushes the heat to the “back” so it doesn’t punch you in the face with each mouthful,

• 3–5 tablespoons of chili powder, start slow and you can keep adding more to taste, depending on the freshness of your powder you may have to add more than 3–5 tablespoons, again add a little, test and either add more or leave it alone,

• 1–2 tablespoons of cumin,

• 1 tablespoon of salt or less to taste, take it easy as you can always add more,

Steps

• start by browning your beef or protein in a large pot with a bit of olive oil,

• add the onion, tomatoes, and beans, simmer for about 1.5 hours, cover your pot with a lid or screen making sure that water can escape, make sure to use low heat (I usually stick to 2–3 setting on my stove), the chili can burn easily, we’re in it for the long haul so no point in using high heat,

• time to add the peppers, wear gloves and make sure to not rub your eyes, I usually cut my peppers into large chunks then put them in a container with half the beer and puree or blend it, pour the mixture into your pot and stir,

• use the remaining beer to rinse your container and pour the rest into your pot as well, stir your nascent chili well, at this point and let simmer for about 45 minutes,

• time to add the chili powder, cumin, chocolate, and salt, I add them in 5–10 minute intervals stirring well in between,

• at this point all the ingredients are present and it’s a matter of simmering your chili for at least two more hours, at times I’ve gone longer with no ill effect but again you have to be careful not to burn the chili, the more you simmer it the more likely that some of it may stick to the bottom of the pot and burn a little bit,

• feel free to taste your chili as you go and adjust it as you see fit, biggest recurring issue I’ve had is that my chili powder was past it’s best-before date and I had to add more to give the chili a nice colour and chili-like taste profile.

Closing Notes

This chili recipe is very forgiving, if you have more or less of any ingredient than required that’s ok, it’ll still come out decent.

It will actually get better overnight, after a few hours of simmering you can take it off the heat and just leave it covered on the stove, it will be great with eggs next morning.

It freezes really well, definitely a meal you can package then freeze and enjoy later.

Happy chili!!

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