Ridiculously Chili In West Chester

I don't know about where you live but it has been ridiculously cold here in PA recently. So cold that even I haven't been venturing out much to grill. However, the cold weather hasn't prevented me from eating well. Last night's menu included chili, corn bread, and rice. Now I don't actually make chili that often but when the BBQB does it he does it right.

Ingredients (feeds 8 people who know how to eat):

3 pounds of cubed chuck steak

1 pound of ground beef

1 can of kidney beans (optional)

Rice (or spaghetti)

Corn bread (BBQB likes his with jalepenos and corn)

~4 Dried Anchi Chiles

~5 Guajillo Chiles

2 Bell peppers (diced)

~4-6 Cloves of garlic (diced/crushed)

1 Can of pelled plum tomatoes (16oz)

1 Can crushed tomatoes (16oz)

1.5 Onions (1 for the chili and half diced for a topping)

~4 stalks of celery

1-3 Tablespoons cumin powder

1-3 Tablespoons chili powder

1-3 Tablespoons paprika powder

Sour cream (as a topping)

Salt

Pepper

Grated cheddar (as a topping)

Splash of cream (use in the chili sauce side)

Here's how to put it all together.

First, soften the dried chiles by soaking them in warm water for a bout 15 minutes

Add the onion, bell peppers, celery, and garlic to a huge pot and sautee them in a bit of olive oil. When the onions are about done add in the ground spices and sautee them for a minute or so as well. Next add the tomatoes. Make sure to break up the whole ones. Depending on my energy I will sometimes sautee the cubed chuck before adding it to the pot. Last night I basically fried a few of them up and then just tossed the rest in. I did however make sure to first fry the ground beef and drain off the excess fat. I like fat as much as the next guy but you don't want your chili to turn into greasy mess. Turn the heat down to low and start simmering the mixture. While thats cooking away start working on your chiles. After you have soaked them for 15 minutes drain them, remove the stems and place into your food processor. Add enough water to the food processor allow the chiles to liquidify. Remove half of the pureed chiles and add to the chili pot. Add a splash of cream, pinch of salt and puree it all together. This will be used as a side sauce.

That's it. Let the chili simmer for a least a couple of hours. Add spices as you see fit. Make sure you serve your chili with rice (or spaghetti) and plenty of hot sauces for people to choose from.