One of the items on my fall “bucket” list is to make Chili from scratch. I’ve seen most of Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa episodes so when she featured this chili recipe along with it’s creator I knew that I wanted to try this dish. I totally adjusted the chili in this one because I’ve read in the reviews that a lot of people found it too spicy. Using stew meat is my favorite, although the browning of the meat is time consuming I think it’s so worth it in the end. We love tender chunky meat in our chilies. I will probably do this again as the weather continues to get colder.
Devon’s Award-Winning Chili!!
Ingredients (recipe from Barefoot Contessa/foodnetwork.com)
- 5 pounds beef brisket, cut in 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions
- 6 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, crushed
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 green peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups tomatoes, chopped with their liquid
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup strong coffee
- 2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
Serve with:
- Sour cream
- Grated Cheddar
- Diced tomato
- Tortilla chips
- Guacamole (see recipe)
Directions
Pat the brisket cubes dry with paper towels. Heat the oil in a very large heavy-bottomed pot and quickly brown the meat, in batches, on all sides. Transfer the brisket to a separate bowl and set aside. Saute the onion and garlic in the same oil over medium heat until limp, but not brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chili powder, pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and cumin and saute for 1 minute. Add the green peppers, bay leaf, tomatoes with their juice, the reserved meat, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt, to taste. Add the coffee, cover the pot and simmer for 1 more hour.
Add the kidney beans and basil, and warm through. Transfer the chili to a large serving bowl and serve with sour cream, grated Cheddar, diced tomato, tortilla chips and guacamole.