Beef, Bean and Beer Chili

It's triple B chili where the B stands for flavor in the shape of beef, beans and beer!  Surprisingly I've never put beer in my chili and now I'm wondering how I missed out on that glorious addition.  This chili is hearty and filling, with lots of flavor and delicious chunks.  Thick, like a good chili should be, I served this topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, scallions and a side of beer bread.  The heat can be adjusted, but we liked the spicy chili powder and the addition of a diced jalapeno.  Dave was in love with this chili, calling it one of the best I've made.  Not too shabby considering I've got eight other chili recipes, some that I've been making for years.



Even though it's technically the third Monday of the month, today is Group B's reveal day for Secret Recipe Club!  What's Secret Recipe Club?  Each Monday a group of bloggers post a recipe they've made from another blogger's repertoire.  Nobody knows who's featuring their blog until that day and it's a fun chance to visit new blogs and try something different. Visit some of the other bloggers in my group by checking out the blog hop at the bottom of this post.  To learn more about Secret Recipe Club, click here. This month, I was given a chance to cook from Kate's blog, A Spoonful of Thyme.  As usual, I had a hard time choosing my recipe this month.  I kept coming back to her Irish Soda Bread or Mrs. O'Callaghan's Soda Bread but couldn't decide between the two.  Then I thought about a beverage with either a Cranberry Margarita or Watermelon Smoothie in the mix.  But finally, without a plan for dinner, an unseasonably cool late August evening and a pound of ground meat in the fridge, I spied this chili recipe and was sold.  Kate's Beef and Three Bean Chili was morphed not just to focus on the great flavor from the beer, but to accommodate the fact that I didn't have any kidney beans, but I did have extra large cans of pinto beans.  With only two beans, I changed the name to reflect the B's in this chili that make it hearty and delicious.  You can seed or not seed the jalapeno to your liking to adjust the heat, and play with the amount or intensity of the chili powder.  I used a really potent chili powder, so I only did 2 Tablespoons, but then added a bit of ground chipotle pepper to round out the flavor.  The beer is subtle but definitely there.  I used Harpoon Summer Ale since that's what Dave had on tap, but I'm looking forward to making this again with Harpoon UFO Pumpkin later in the fall.  Kate has a lovely blog and you should definitely visit and look at her beautiful food, photos and lovely stories of family and friends connecting through food.

Beef, Bean and Beer Chili

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, finely diced and seeded to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (not pictured)
1 cup beer
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
14.5 ounces water
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
2 15 ounce cans pinto beans
1 15 ounce can black beans
1 teaspoon salt

In a dutch oven over medium heat, warm olive oil, then add onions and peppers and cook until softened and gently browned, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and jalapenos, and continue to cook.  After a minute or so, add ground beef and brown, breaking up and crumbling as it cooks.  Drain off excess fat and return to heat.

Add chili powder, cumin and chipotle pepper.  Stir and cook for a few minutes, then add beer, scraping up any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan.

Allow to simmer and drain and rinse beans.  Add beans, diced tomatoes, water, and tomato paste.  Stir to combine and bring to slow boil.  Reduce heat to low.

Simmer, mostly covered, for an hour.  Stir occasionally, salting as toward the end to taste.

Divide into bowls, topping with desired extras, such as shredded cheese, sour cream, scallions, etc.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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