Everyday Chili

Why do I call this everyday chili? Because every ingredient is something you should have in your house all the time. Ok not everyone has beef lying around, that’s ok. But everything else you should have pretty much all the time. It’s the kind of recipe where if you have a sudden craving for chili you can whip it up right then and there without going to the store. If you have to make a quick run for some ground beef, so be it. So let’s get to it.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 2 lbs ground beef. I use 80/20 but a leaner cut would work as well.

• 1 medium onion- diced

• 2 medium garlic cloves- finely diced (or equivalent of garlic powder)

• 1 7oz can chipotles in adobo

• 2 7oz cans of fire roasted diced green chiles.

• 1-2 tbsp kosher salt (to taste)

• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes (fire roasted preferred) - drained

• 1 15oz can kidney beans- drained

I like to have a roughly 1 to 1 ratio of beef to the combination of beans and tomatoes. Some people like to have more tomatoes and beans than this, but I like the beef to be the star. If you double the amount of beans and tomatoes it’s still delicious, and probably a tad better for your ticker. That said, the more beef in the ratio the better it is as a hot dog or burger topping.

Start by sauteeing the onion in a little bit of oil (not olive oil) in a pot, preferably a dutch oven if you have one. If you don’t have a dutch oven you should get one, they’re great. A non stick pot will work too. Add the garlic after a couple minutes. After they’ve sweated down and the onions are a bit translucent add the ground beef and salt. Brown the beef, and be sure to stir occasionally so that no garlic get stuck on the bottom and over cooks. Garlic that cooks too much will turn bitter. After the beef is brown there will be liquid in the pot. You can drain it if you want the chili to be a tad better for your ticker, or just leave it in if you like all the greasy goodness. If you’re using 75/25 beef or even more fatty you may want to drain at least some of it.

Now take the can of chipotles and throw them in the blender. Once blended throw them in the pot, stir. Then add the green chiles, tomatoes, and beans. Now reduce heat to a slow simmer and just let it cook for a couple hours. Add salt to taste if necessary. You have fully cooked ready to go chili the moment you add in the last ingredients, but it will taste better if you let it sit for a couple hours and just simmer and meld those flavors together. It will taste even better the next day. So leftovers are awesome. Put it on stuff. I like to heat up a bowl, then fold in some aged cheddar cheese and eat it like a dip with some chips. It’s like a deconstructed chili cheese nachos. You’ll thank me after.