Oops - tee moved this to its own thread before I could edit it to include the part about browning the onions and garlic. It should look like this:
Ka Honu's Pretty Near From Scratch Chili
Ingredients:
Dried chiles -
6 anchos/mulatto
2 pasilla/chile negro
2 costeñas/New Mexico/Choricero
2 guajillos
4 chiles de arbol/cascabel
Paste ingredients -
2 chipotles in adobo
1 teaspoon marmite/miso
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1½ tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted, then ground
1½ teaspoons whole coriander seeds, toasted, then ground
2 whole cloves, toasted and ground
1 star anise, toasted and ground
2 teaspoons (Mexican) oregano
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
2 quarts chicken stock
4 pounds cubed chuck or (better yet) smoked brisket point
1 large yellow onion, diced (@ 1 ½ cups)
5 cloves minced garlic
1 cup black coffee
2 bay leaves
1 beer or ¼ cup bourbon (optional)
1 ounce chopped unsweetened chocolate plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, OR 1 ounce grated Mexican chocolate
3-4 tablespoons masa (to thicken)
Directions:
Stem and seed dried chiles and tear into 1-inch pieces. Heat in a dry, cast-iron skillet on medium for a couple of minutes on each side (Don’t allow to smoke). Set aside.
Salt & pepper meat and brown in batches on medium high heat in bacon grease or oil. Remove and brown onion and garlic.
Remove onions & garlic and add 1½ cups chicken broth. Use flat wooden spoon or stiff spatula to scrape browned bits off of bottom of pan. Reduce heat until chicken broth is at a bare simmer, add toasted chiles to liquid and cook until chiles have softened and liquid is reduced by half, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and …
Add paste ingredients and puree in blender.
Combine meat, onions & garlic, puree, rest of chicken broth, coffee and bay leaves and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours then remove bay leaves and stir in alcohol, chocolate/sugar, and masa. Add some hot sauce or additional chile if necessary. Simmer another hour or so.
Cool and reheat the next day.
Notes:
I usually make a double recipe of the puree and freeze half for later.
I've been known to brown the beef on a grill. It works.
Truth be told, I occasionally add beans for SWMBO - I know when I'm outranked - but usually put them in her half of the finished product.
If it's too hot (or not hot enough) for your audience, change the proportions of the various dried chiles using more or less of the hot or mild ones.
