It’s the 1st Post!!
I love this time of year, especially Sunday nights. I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and Sunday’s in the fall/winter usually meant eating lots of food and watching the Steelers do some serious damage to their opponent. In our household we would have an array of snacks throughout the day. If we were lucky my dad would make his famous chili. I would know we were getting chili if my dad pulled out the crock pot that he and my mother have had since I was born.
Even though I no longer live in Pittsburgh, I still look forward to eating lots of food and watching the Steelers play. I thought tonight would be the perfect night to pay homage to my dad’s chili and share with you my version of this family favorite.
It all starts with stew meat…
I think stew meat makes the difference in this recipe, my dad would say that this is really the secret ingredient. The important part is making sure you cut of the stew meat into bite size pieces. You want to brown the stew meat before throwing it into the crockpot.
My twist to this part is adding a little bit of beer. Of course I used Yuengling as it is made in Pennsylvania but feel free to use whatever brand you prefer.
The other piece to this dish is finding a good chili seasoning mix that suits your tastes. These seasoning mixes provide you with the right amount of spices needed to give your chili the right balance of smoke and heat. We like to use Carroll Shelby’s chili mix.
Masa is also a great ingredient as it lets you thicken the chili if you want something a little heartier (I prefer the thicker chilis).
Everything gets thrown in to the crock pot and simmers low and slow. Add some beans and simmer a little longer. Finish it all off with your favorite garnish, cornbread and a beer. Go Steelers!!!
Ingredients
- 1 pkg. Caroll Shelby Chili Mix
- 2lbs. Stew Meat (diced into bite size pieces)
- 1 tsp. Canola Oil
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Pepper
- 1 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 1/2 cup Beer (a Lager is probably best)
- 15 oz. Tomato Sauce
- 8 oz. Beef Stock
- 8 oz. Water
- 2 15 oz. Cans of Dark Red Kidney Beans (rinsed and drained)
- Garnishes - cheddar cheese, onion, sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- After dicing up the stew meat preheat a pan to medium-high heat and add the canola oil. Once heated add the stew meat to the pan. Add the salt, pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. As the stew meat starts to brown add the beer. Once the stew meat has browned strain the fat and add to the crock pot.
- Add the liquids (tomato sauce, stock, water) to the crock pot along with the chili seasoning packet. I prefer to add salt to taste (do not use the packet provided). Add as much cayenne pepper as you feel you can handle, I usually add the whole packet. Let everything simmer on low for 8 hours or high for 3.5 hours.
- When there is about 30 minutes left in the cooking add the red kidney beans. With 15 minutes left mix the Masa with 1/3 cup warm water and add to the stew. When finished cooking add any garnish you prefer and serve with a side of cornbread. Enjoy!
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