Texas-Style I.P.A chili with Roasted Corn

If you've ever been to Texas, you'll know they don't make their chili with ground meat.  It's blasphemy actually.  They use real hunks of chuck and round, and cook them low and slow until they break apart, kind of like a liquid barbecue.  This recipe breaks with tradition a bit because they only vegetable a Texan will allow in his chili is an "Unjin" or a "'Mater", but I haven't had a complaint yet.  I first had something like this in Dallas while I was on a layover on a trip to Mexico for the Mexican Disco Championships. Believe it or not, they wear masks for that too, not just pro wrestling (I dig it).  This recipe will make about 1 gallon of chili.

Proper chili action

4 lbs. chuck, round or sirloin, diced about 1/2 inch

1 onion, diced 1/2 inch
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes with chipotle

2 tbsp. chili powder.

1 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 bottle very hoppy I.P.A. beer (like Tupper's, Smutty Nose, or Long Hammer)

3 ears corn

1.  First thing to do is get the corn roasted.   Turn on your broiler, and rub down your ears of corn with some oil or butter.  Place them under the broiler, in a pan, for 3-5 minutes, then take them out and turn. They should look like this when you’re done.

2.  Let these cool and run a knife down the cob to remove the kernels.  Place these off to the side from now.

3.  Now we're going to sear the meat.  In a heavy pot or cast iron skillet drop in about 1-2 tbsp. of olive or vegetable oil, and turn the flame up high.    When you start to see just a hint of smoke, start dropping in the meat a few pieces at a time.  You don't want to add to much to the pan or else you'll just you'll just end up boiling the meat.  As pieces brown and caramelize, remove them and add more, until all of the meat is ready.

4.  Add the onions and let them cook for just a couple minutes.  We do want them to get some color, but we don't want too much.  After a couple of minutes, add the corn, then your spices.  Toast them up for just a minute.

5. When the spices are nice and toasty, add your beer and tomatoes.  If you're using a skillet, now would be the time to transfer to wither a pot or a slow cooker.

6.  When you're in a pot or slow cooker, add your meat and let this mixture simmer for about 2 1/2-3 hours.  At the end, season with salt and pepper to taste.      

This recipe takes long time, but it's very worth it.  Having the slow cooker helps tremendously because you can just do the Ron Popiel and "set it and forget it.”  I like to serve this up with some Gouda or Cheddar cheese on top and just a little bit of avocado.  It also goes great with cornbread, mixed into macaroni and cheese, or as a filling for a Sloppy Joe. As always, if you have questions, leave them in the comments.

Happy Eating

-The Doctor