WHEAT BEER CHILI WITH MEXICAN CHOCOLATE

The Super Bowl is here and we’re making my Wheat Beer Chili with Mexican Chocolate, the popular chili recipe we made on the food truck. There are lots of chili’s out there and I tried hard to make mine a unique chili recipe. This is a super easy chili recipe with a few things that make it super unique and flavorful. Mexican chocolate gives the chili this awesome mole flavor and the wheat beer adds a nice balance to the richness. If you’re looking for Super Bowl party recipes, this chili is a must. I make my chili with no beans but it's a delicious sweet and spicy chili that was a big hit on the cart. You will see Cholula Hot Sauce featured throughout this recipe. Full disclosure, this video itself is not sponsored but I do have a relationship with them to do work on Instagram.

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 lbs Ground Beef

• 1 Onion

• 1 Carrot

• 1-2 Poblano Pepper

• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper

• 1 Orange Bell Pepper

• 1 Cubanelle Pepper

• 1-2 Jalapeños or Fresno chili

• 6 Cloves Garlic

• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

• 1 24 oz Can Tomato Puree

• 8 oz Can Tomato Paste

• 4 Cups Beef Stock

• 1 Circle Mexican Chocolate (they come in circles)

• 1/4 - 1/2 Cup of Cholula® Hot Sauce

• 1 Bottle Wheat beer

• 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 -1/2 Cup of the Chili Spice mixture

• Salt & Pepper

• Enough Olive Oil to Coat the Pan

Chili Spice Mix (1 Cup, Enough for two batches)

• 1/4 Cup Ancho Chili Powder

• 1/4 Cup Spicy Chili Powder (Other get creative with difference chili powders)

• 2 Tablespoons Cumin

• 2 Tablespoons Coriander

• 2 Tablespoons Onion Powder

• 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder

• 2 Tablespoons Paprika

• 1 Teaspoon Cayenne 

• 1 Teaspoon Chili Flake

• 2 Tablespoons, Sumac (Optional)

• 1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon (Optional)
  

Garnish

• Pickled Jalapeños

• Crispy Corn Tortilla Strips

• Fresh Cilantro

• 1/2 Cup of Sour Cream mixed with 2 tablespoons of Cholula® Hot Sauce

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DIRECTIONS

1. The first step is to prepare the vegetables. We are going to break down the vegetables in a food processor, but we want to dice the vegetables up a little bit just to help the food processor create nice uniform pieces that almost mimic the shape and texture of ground beef. So, dice up all the vegetables. Keep the peppers in a group, the onions and garlic in a group and the carrots in a group and then blend them all individually before combining. Once they are all the texture you want, then you can add them to one big bowl and set aside for cooking while you make the spice mixture.

2. The chili spice mixture makes about 1 cup, but we only need 1/2 cup for this recipe. So just make a big batch now and save half so you have it ready to go next time you want to make chili. Combine all the spices in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

3. To make the Cholula Sour Cream, simply mix about a 1/2 cup of sour cream with 1-2 tablespoons of Cholula Hot sauce, add a pinch of salt and stir to combine thoroughly. 

4. In a large heavy bottom pot, preheated over medium-high heat, coat the bottom of the pan in olive oil. Once up to temp, add the vegetables. Season generously with salt and pepper and cook that for about 20 minutes. You want to cook out all the moisture then let it continue to cook until you start to see a little browning forming at the bottom of the pan. 

5. At this point add the meat. Break up the meat and then season that generously. Stir in with the vegetables to combine. Then cook that until all the moisture cooks out and then the meat starts to brown and more brown bits, or as they say in the biz, “fond”, starts to develop on the bottom of the pan. As soon as there is some light fond starting to build up, add a 1/2 cup of the spice mixture and stir to combine. Cook for a minute or two to toast the spices. Then add the tomato paste and mix it well. Lower the heat to make sure this doesn’t burn. You want to cook that for about 3-5 until the fond on the bottom of the pan gets a little deeper in color, again making sure it's not burnt. Deep black is a pretty good indication that its burnt and you want to make sure you add the beer before it gets that far. Use your judgment. There is a fine line between deep flavor and burnt flavor.

6. After the fond has developed, deglaze with a full bottle of the wheat beer. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all that fond and “clean” the bottom of the pan. Cook the beer until it reduces by half. Taste it and see if it needs more seasoning. Then add the Cholula Hot Sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Then add the tomato puree and the beef stock. Finally, add the brown sugar and 1 circle of the Mexican Chocolate. Bring it up to a simmer. Then simmer that for about 3 hours. 

7. After 3 hours it should be nice and thick, have a deep flavor, almost like a mole. Check for seasoning and adjust. 

8. Cut some fresh corn tortillas into strips. In a pot over medium heat, fry the strips and get them nice and crispy. This will provide the texture for the chili. Season them with salt right when you take them out of the oil.

9. Plate the chili and garnish it with a dollop of the Cholula Sour Cream, fresh cilantro, crispy tortilla strips, and pickled jalapeños. Finish with a few more shakes of Cholula Hot Sauce. Now enjoy all your hard work.

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#chili #superbowl