Red Beef Chili

This chili recipe rocks! It does have a kick to it, so be aware. This is one of Bobby Flay's recipes which I got off of foodnetwork.com. This only makes 6 servings, so if you are wanting to serve more than that, or want leftovers for your husband's lunches, I would definitely double it.

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds bottom round beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 (12 ounce) bottle dark beer

2 tablespoons finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate

1 large red onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 poblano, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon seeded and chopped habanero

1 Thai bird chile, seeded and chopped (I couldn't find this, and omitted it)

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder

1 tablespoon cascabel chile powder

1 teaspoon New Mexican chile powder

5 cups homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium or water

1 16-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and pureed

2 tablespoons maple syrup, or more, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and saute until browned on all sides. Sprinkle with the cumin and stir well. Deglaze the pan with the beer and bring to a boil. Stir in the chocolate and cook until beer is almost completely reduced.

In a separate pot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the poblano, habanero, Thai bird, and jalapeno peppers and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle puree, ancho powder, pasilla powder, cascabel and New Mexican chile powders and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil and boil for 15-20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Puree with an immersion blender. Add the beef mixture back to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 1 hour, or until thick and beef is tender. Remove from the heat and add the maple syrup. Adjust seasonings to taste.