Texas Beer Chili

Food Category: PG-13, High-5
Difficulty: Easy

Tonight, I added a few more veggies & less meat than I normally do, but it still turned out characteristically HausFrau delish. The veggies are definitely in the background & won't be obvious to any veggie-haters. Of course, you can always used an extra 1-2 pounds of meat & less veggies and beans.

Texas Beer Chili:

• Brown 2 lbs of lean ground beef in a big ol' soup pot, remove from pot & drain fat. Set aside.
• Add about 2 T evoo to the pot & chopped tri-color bell peppers. I chopped most of 3 peppers - the rest is in the fridge for a future meal - maybe cheese steaks or minestrone.
• Sautee on medium high heat until the peppers have given up most of their liquid.
• Add the chopped onion. One large or 2 medium. Sautee with the peppers until most of the liquid is cooked off.
• Add the shredded carrots. About 2 large carrots -- double handful.
• Toss the drained meat back into the pot.

• Heat meat & veggies over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Add 350-500 ml of beer -- preferably a German Dunkel.
• Toss in a lot of crushed garlic - about 4-5 decent sized cloves.
• Continue to cook until the beer has reduced by half.

The picture is cloudy because of all the steam coming off the beer.
But this is an idea of how much garlic to add.

Now it's time to add: can of pumpkin, large can of crushed tomatoes, 3 cans (6 cups) of beans (your choice as to what kind), 4 cups of beef broth (or beef granules in 4 cups of water) & chili seasonings (I totally cheat and use Carroll Shelby's Original Texas Chili Kit -- it's got great flavor & has never not made an awesome pot of chili. Don't add the masa thickening agent until later!).

Stir everything together & reduce heat to medium low. Continue to cook for 45-60 minutes. Once the veggies are looking thoroughly cooked, add the masa, stir & remove from heat.

Tonight we made Frito Chili Pie -- just ladle the chili into a big bowl & top with Fritos, extra-sharp cheddar & chopped chives. Other great toppings: sour cream, chopped red onion, chopped tomatoes (if that's you thang), chopped peppers, etc.

Leftover Potential: Hopefully, you'll have leftovers. I was so incredibly sad the one time I took chili to a potluck lunch. I was hoping to come home with leftovers for dinner but ended up having the potluck participants practically lick my crock pot clean. I came home with dirty dishes & a house that smelled wonderfully of chili. But, sadly, no chili. Leftover chili will hang out in the fridge for a few days & it freezes well. Besides chili pie, you can slap chili on hotdogs, baked potatoes, nachos or serve it with cornbread.