Contratulations Chili Cookoff Winner!

Congratulations to Jeff Fortin for submitting a decisively original chili recipe. This earned him the distinction as the Winner of the Gastro/PWF Chili Cookoff. I would also like to thank other worthy submissions from Shawn, Monica, Tim, Kathy and Barbara, all of whom made the final cut, and therefore, the decision quite difficult.

As we joked about in the 'cast, with all the F-You Jeff's we throw around, you might think we were biased but, in fact, this had such a bold flavor and the addition of optional items, that it really had a hearty presence coupled with a nice heat. As with everything, it's all subjective (we hate beans, for instance, but didn't count that against anyone).

Let me quickly talk about heat, since our name is Playing With Fire. I have never had a bowl of insanely hot chili. I think it would detract from the flavor and enjoyment. As with everything, heat can be adjusted for the pleasure of the consumer. I prefer a nice, moderate heat that is not overpowering. This allows the consumer to add more pepper if they really want to blow their heads off.

With that introduction, here is Jeff's Chili Recipe. Hopefully you'll like it as much as we did.

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2lbs ground chuck or round (or turkey if you must)
1 onion, chopped (I use Vidalia)
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 yellow/orange bell pepper, chopped
1 can of Kidney Beans
1 can Great Northern or Canelinni Beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of Hominy (white or yellow)
3 -4 tbs Ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons Penzey's Adobo seasoning (cumin would work here)[ed note, we used cumin]
1 tsp Mexican Oregano, crushed between your fingers.
3 cans of diced tomatos
1-2 Jalapenos, finely chopped
1 tbs or so of Chopped Chipotles in Adobo
1 small can of those chopped mild green chili peppers (if I have time I will char some poblanos on the grill, let cool in a plastic bag, then remove the skin and seeds, and chop and use them)
1 bottle of dark beer. I use a local micro brew like Leinienkugels Creamy Dark, Sprecher Black Bavarian, or Lakefront Eastside Dark but you could sub Newcastle or a microbrew like Deschutes Obsidian or Black Butte. [ed note, I have a ket of Sam Adams, that's what we used]

I tend to use Goya brand beans as I think they taste better than most others, though with all of the other shit in here the taste isn't really going to be noticed.
Kosher salt and pepper to taste. Also, you will likley need to add more chili powder, cumin, or other spices as you cook.

-Cook the meat in a large pot, seasoning with some chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. When browned dump into a bowl and set aside for now.
-Sautee onions and bell peppers in some oil in the pot when they start to become translucent, add the chopped Jalapeno and the garlic and sautee for another minute or so.
-Dump in Ancho powder and Cumin or Adobo to coat everything. Cook for a minute or so making sure the stuff doesn't burn.
-Dump in the rest of the ingredients and return the meat to the pot.
-Cover and let simmer for about 45 min to an hour. Remove cover and let some of the liquid cook off until the chili is at your desired consistency. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Provide chopped cilantro, onions, sour cream or Mexican Crema, queso fresco (Mexican Crumbling Cheese) and limes as a garnish. I serve a bunch of hot sauces on the side. A friend of mine makes his own ( www.mbfsauces.com) and I have a collection of others. I prefer to let others choose the heat level because most people I associate with are pussies when it comes to heat. If I was making this for myself, that Jalapeno would be replaced with a nice Habanero.

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Yeah, pussies. It's true, though. What I think is hot and what others can tolerate is vastly different. Still, our thinking is alike, make it moderately hot and let the eater notch it up.