Chili...just chili

Who needs utensils when you have chips?

Weird few days in the Florida Panhandle. It looks cold out, and if you squint hard enough, you could mistake those dark clouds for snow clouds.  Then, you step outside. It's warm and balmy and according to my hair, super humid.  We really haven't had "chili" weather yet this year. 

Anyway, this recipe is a little hard to write down, nothing...I mean zero is measure, except whats already pre measured in a can or a packet.  So please bear with me.   I'll give you approximates and you can tailor it to your own taste.

This is venison chili, just because we happen to have a LOT of it that needs to be used. But you can use ground sirloin  . 

MMMMM PABST!!!!

Ingredients (there's a LOT of them):

Base
1.5 lbs deer burger or ground sirloin
2/3 lbs ground pork or sausage
diced onion
diced bell pepper
3-4 diced garlic cloves
2 tbs tomato paste
salt n peppa

Spices
garlic powder
onion powder
cumin
3 packets sazon (one of my most favorite ingredients)
2 tbs cocoa powder
1 bay leaf
sprinkle cinnamon
chili powder
chipotle powder or cayenne pepper. both are very hot

Liquids
2 small cans tomato sauce
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
one can of the bean of your choice, drained and rinsed
1 bottle/can of light colored beer.  dark beer will turn bitter
2 tbs sugar or brown sugar

3 tbs corn meal or masa flour to be added toward the end

*brown the ground pork in a bit of olive oil, remove from pan.  brown the sirloin or venison, remove from pan set aside with the pork.  add pepper, onion, garlic, s&p, cook over medium heat a few minutes.  Add tomato paste and cook another minute.  add meat back into pan.  start adding spices.  I'm quite liberal with the onion and garlic powder, maybe 2 tbs each.  about 1tb of the cumin and chili powder. After all spices are incorporated, start adding all liquids (use all but 1 tbs of the beer) and the sugar.  Stir to combine, place a lid on the pot leaving a crack for some steam to escape and continue to cook over low heat for at least an hour.  I like to skim the fat off the top of the chili every once in a while. About 1/2 hour before you'll be serving, mix the corn meal or masa flour with the remaining beer and stir into chili to thicken.

anyone else think I'm expecting too much from this pot?

So, after you chili simmers for at least an hour or three, turn off heat to let cool just a bit. Serve with your favorite fixins:


shredded cheddar
sour cream
scallions
jalepenos
avacados
chips