Ed's Chipotle Chili

We belong to the Grassy Knoll Tailgate which gathers for fun, food, and BEvERages before (and we continue after) Wake Forest football games. This year the tailgate sponsored a charity chili cookoff before the Clem(p)son game with the proceeds going to the charity of the winning chili chef's choice (the winners chose Make-A-Wish Foundation & the tailgate donated $250!). Ed had never made chili before, so he thought this was a great opportunity to try his hand at chili chefing. He thought a chipotle flavor would be a unique style, so he found a recipe to use as a base & then adapted it to make it his own. Ed was quite pleased that on his solo venture, he placed 3rd out of 17 entries!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. bacon, cut into small pieces
1 lb. ground beef (we used ground sirloin)
1/2 lb. steak (we used stew beef tips), cut into small pieces
1 jalapeno pepper, stem & seeds removed, minced fine
1 cup corn
1- 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 bottle wheat beer
2 cups water
2 tablespoons chipotle puree (we used La Costena Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce...with a liberal hand & left the peppers whole, rather than pureeing them)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons brown sugar (we used regular Splenda)
16 oz. pinto beans (we don't like pintos, so we used 16 oz. of black beans)
1 large tomato, diced small (we used a can of petite diced tomatoes)

Cooking Instructions:

In a medium pot over medium low heat, add the cut bacon. Cook until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel until needed.

Turn up the heat to high and add the ground beef & steak. Cook until browned. Drain off the excess fat.

Return the pot to the heat & add the cooked bacon and all of the remaining ingredients except for the beans & diced tomato. Mix well. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

If the chili gets too thick, add some water.

Twenty minutes before you're done simmering, add the beans & diced tomato.

Serves 6-8.

Our Comments:

1. Obviously the recipe originally was not done in a slow cooker. Here is how we would adjust for using a slow cooker:

• Cook the bacon & meats as directed.
• When the meats are done, add them to the slow cooker & mix with all of the remaining ingredients, except for the beans & tomato.
• Cook on low for 5 hours. Halfway through, add the beans & diced tomato.

2. The chili turned out to be medium to hot on the spice scale.

3. The meats were well-balanced - so much so that the judges & other samplers were trying to figure out exactly what meats were used! Several judges commented on how much they liked the use of steak tips.

4. We recommend serving with shredded cheese & your favorite tortilla chips.