Beef and Beer Chili

Bacon, beef and beer! Three important food groups in one deep, spicy rich chili. This recipe, as it sits, is SPICY. You can change that up by what, and how many, chiles you use. This makes a lot! You can make it and refrigerate it up to 3 days ahead.  Serve it with some sour cream, grated cheese (we used cheddar) and tortilla chips. Tell us what you think of this, or your own version, in the comments below.

Ingredients:

• 2 ancho chiles
• 2 dried New Mexico chiles
• 3 dried chipotle chile
• 1 T coriander seeds
• 1 t cumin seeds
• 1 t yellow mustard seeds
• 1 t dried thyme
• 2 whole garlic cloves, plus 1 T minced garlic
• 3 14.5-ounce cans drained peeled whole tomatoes
• 2 T canola oil
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large diced onion
• 6 ounces (1 cup) meaty bacon, diced
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups stout beer
• 2 cups brewed coffee
• 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
• 8 coarsely chopped cilantro sprigs
• 3 15-ounce cans rinsed and drained pinto beans

Instructions:

1. In a heatproof bowl, cover the chiles with boiling water and let stand until softened – about 15 minutes, Drain. Stem and seed them and transfer to a blender. Add the coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, thyme, garlic cloves and 1/3 of the tomatoes. Puree.
2. In a large casserole, heat the oil. Add the ground beef and brown over moderately high heat, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the onion and bacon, and cook until the onion is golden. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef and chile puree and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the stock, beer, coffee, tortilla chips, cilantro and remaining tomatoes and season with salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over moderate heat for 1 hour. Add the beans and cook uncovered for 1 hour.

Thanks to Food and Wine for sharing this recipe.