Admit it: By the weekend after Thanksgiving, you’ll be bored with turkey leftovers and looking for the anti-fowl. Something beefy to stock your freezer with, a yummy, big-batch dish that will tide you over until baking Christmas cookies and planning for holiday dinner parties commence.
It’s likely that over the holidays, you’ll have a bunch ready-made to feed your gang after a day of skiing. Unless you eat it all first.
Truth be told, we were inspired by a recent press release from Escoffier Culinary School that reported Colorado’s No. 1 online food search via Google is for chili. (We think that folks were actually looking for the green chile that is most popular here in Colorado, using the Southwestern chiles that proliferate in the fall, but misspelled it. But that’s just us.)
Still, it made us hungry for a giant pot of red chili that signals winter around these parts. So we put together some recipes guaranteed to warm you up inside when the weather outside turns frightful.
Justin Brunson’s Chili
Justin Brunson was a pivotal force in shaping Denver’s food scene, helming beloved restaurants like Old Major, Masterpiece Deli, Royal Rooster, Wild Catch and Culture Meat & Cheese. He now focuses on Brunson Meat Co., which he founded last year.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds Brunson dry-aged ground beef (available on his website, brunsonmeats.com)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 poblano peppers, diced
2 (14-ounce) cans of kidney beans, drained
2 (28-ounce) cans of diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 quart (32 ounces) beef stock
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons chipotle powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
Salt
Optional: jalapeno, poblano, cayenne
DIRECTIONS
- Brown meat over medium-high heat in a 6-quart or larger pot. Remove from pot.
2. Sauté onion and pepper until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add meat back to pot and mix in spices.
4. Add tomato and stir to incorporate, then add beef stock and beans. Salt to taste.
5. Set on low and cook uncovered for at least 2 hours. The lower and slower you cook this chili, the better, so plan ahead to enjoy the best flavor.
6. Serve with sour cream, chopped cilantro and scallion, Fritos and/or grated cheese. (Justin’s favorite: butter and saltines!)
Sweets’ Red Chili
I begged Denver Post food writer Ellen Sweets for this recipe before she left Denver for Austin, Texas some years ago. It’s hearty and layered with flavors. Optional: Dump it over orzo. (If Kansas City folks can put theirs over spaghetti, we can put ours over a pasta that’s much easier to eat.) Plus, with her shortcuts, it’s quicker to put together than some. (Said Sweets: “Food snobs don’t even know when I use frozen vegetables” in gumbo and chili.) This may seem like it makes a lot, but you will want to double it so you have some to freeze. And, like most chili, it’s better the next day. — Barbara Ellis
Serves 8 to 10
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground beef (80/20 best, for the fat content)
1 pound loose hot Italian sausage, or squeeze out of casings
1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup ground cumin
3 tablespoons oregano
4 large garlic cloves, minced or crushed in a press (or 2 tablespoons garlic powder)
2 packages frozen onions
1 package frozen Kroger brand Great Beginnings blend of celery/onions/bell peppers
2 bay leaves
1 12-ounce can tomato sauce
1 12-ounce bottle of beer
4 cups beef stock (not broth)
3 cans (15 ounces) red beans, drained
2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce (or more, to taste)
Salt and black pepper
For serving: cooked orzo, chopped onions, shredded cheddar cheese (all optional)
DIRECTIONS
- In a large stockpot with a heavy bottom, brown ground beef and sausage thoroughly, breaking up clumps of meat. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic; cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add frozen vegetables and bay leaves. Cover pot and cook over medium-high for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks.
- Add tomato sauce, beer, beef stock, beans and Old Bay seasoning; stir until all ingredients are well mixed. Set heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and let the pot sit for a few minutes. Skim as much fat from the top as you can (leaving some is OK). Correct seasonings and add Tabasco, salt and pepper.
- Serve over cooked orzo, topped with shredded cheese and raw chopped onions.
Cook’s notes: Measurements are approximate. Always use the freshest spices available. Let the meats come to room temperature before cooking. And “splurge when buying ground meat, i.e., Maverick or Coleman or whatever doesn’t come from a feedlot,” said Sweets.
Chef Paul’s Spicy Chili with Fritos Pie
Chef Paul Sananikone from Denver restaurant Ukiyo hails from Texas, so he was a natural choice to nudge for a recipe. Chef Paul says he was inspired by the chili in his high school cafeteria in Corpus Christi, Texas, when crafting his own recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup oil blend (whichever mix you prefer)
1 pound ground beef
2 large, diced onions
1 can (15 ounce) red beans, drained
1/4 bag of shredded cheese (mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
1 cup jalapenos, diced
1 large bag of Fritos
1/4 cup stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions and jalapenos with a pinch of salt and pepper to work in the aromatics.
- Add ground beef. Cook until beef is completely cooked.
- Add beans. Mix well until beans are cooked.
- Add shredded cheese and mix well to desired consistency.
- Put Fritos into a bowl (crush until you reach desired texture) and then add the spicy chili mix on top.
Texorado Red
This chili from Denver Post entertainment editor Jonathan Shikes is based on Texas Red, a competition-style chili that doesn’t use any beans or other “fillers.” Of course, you can add beans if you want (pintos work). The adobo sauce really gives it a warming kick.
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds chuck roast, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
3 large or 6 small ancho chiles (dried)
1 small onion
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (7-ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 small can El Pato tomato sauce (usually around 7 ounces), found in the Mexican food aisle of the supermarket
1/2 of a 15-ounce can Hunt’s or other tomato sauce
2 beers (I like a malty amber, but a lager works, too)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed, powdered
1/4 teaspoon clove powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 lime or 1 teaspoon of lime juice
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Brown diced chuck on stove for a few minutes (but don’t cook all the way through). Remove meat from pan and place into a large stock pot with half a beer and both small cans of tomato sauce. Turn heat on low and stir occasionally.
- Open the second beer and take a sip. Drink the rest of that beer while you cook.
- Roughly chop onion and add it to a large pan with some oil. Throw in the dried ancho chiles. Saute until onions are soft and peppers begin to swell. Add crushed garlic and continue cooking for another minute.
- Remove peppers and add to a small pot of boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes and then turn off heat and let the peppers soak for another 10 minutes. After they have cooled, remove them, but reserve the water. Cut off stem and seeds and add peppers to a blender with the onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon of liquid from the chipotle with adobo sauce, and half a cup of reserved chile water. (You may need to add more water if the sauce is too thick). Blend until you have a smooth sauce. Add sauce to the pot with the chuck and bring to a simmer.
- Add 1 teaspoon each of chile powder, cumin, paprika and Worcestershire sauce. Add 1/2 teaspoon each of mustard seed and oregano. Add 1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon and clove powder. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- After about 30 minutes, taste the chili and continue adding spices until you have the degree of flavor and heat you like.
- Boil slowly for at least another hour and add 1 teaspoon of lime juice. Continue to test for salt and spice and simmer for another half an hour, adding small amounts of beer if the chili gets too thick.
Slow Cooker Bison Chili
Serves 10. Source: “Centennial Celebrations, A Colorado Cookbook,” from The Junior League of Denver (Favorite Recipes Press, 2019).
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground bison
1 pound ground hot Italian pork sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3 to 5 medium jalapenos or poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
2 (14-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
Cajun or Creole seasoning to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Brown the ground bison and pork sausage in a large pan, stirring to crumble; drain, reserving half the drippings in the pan. Combine the bison mixture and reserved drippings in a slow cooker.
2. Add the onion, jalapenos, garlic, beans, undrained diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and chili powder and mix well
3. Season with Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, on low for 10 to 12 hours.
4. Ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
