Chorizo & Beef Chili
Chili is something near and dear to my heart. I’ll always remember my mother making chili and letting it simmer for hours so that the flavors would meld together. This chili is a little different from Mom’s. It’s a Texas-style chili (no beans) with lots of meat and flavor from both beef and chorizo.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb bacon, chopped coarse
- 2 lbs beef stew meat, chopped coarse
- 1 lb loose ground chorizo
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
- 1 red or yellow pepper, diced
- 1/2 stick butter
- 2 C beef broth
- 3 T tomato paste
- 1 large can of diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 t salt (if you can, use sea salt–trust me, it tastes better)
- 2 T Penzey’s Chili con Carne spice mix
- 1 T Penzey’s Chili 3000 mix
- 1 t orange zest
- 3 T corn meal (for thickening)
Start by browning the bacon, then set the bacon aside in a bowl, using the bacon grease to saute the onions and pepper. Once the onions and pepper are sauteed, set them aside in a bowl and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the chorizo and brown, setting it aside once browned. Then add the beef, and brown.
Once the beef is browned, add the tomato paste and mix, then add the chorizo, bacon, and onion and pepper mix. Once the tomato paste is combined with everything, add the chili con carne powder and the beef broth. Let that simmer for a while, and then add the diced tomatoes (with the juice) and the Chili 3000 powder.
Everything is going to simmer for a very long time: add the orange zest and salt, mix, cover, and then set the heat on low – this is going to be low and slow for at least 4 hours. Stir occasionally while simmering, and uncover for the last hour to burn off some of the liquid. Add the corn meal to thicken the chili – I found that 3 tablespoons was enough for me, but some people may want it thicker.
We serve this with grated cheddar cheese in our house, but some people add sour cream or serve over spaghetti, Cincinatti style. Whatever floats your boat. An awesome side dish is homemade corn bread, fresh from the oven.