The first chili cook-off I entered happened pretty much the way it does for everyone - a bunch of friends wanted to spend an afternoon drinking beer and cooking chili.  We did everything right - compared recipes, used diced (not ground) beef and no pre-mixed chili powders.  We also fulfilled our one true objective - we spent the afternoon drinking beer and meeting people.  It was a good afternoon.  When it came time for a visit from the judges, the one we knew stopped by first to give us a pre-taste.  Cheating, sure, but we were never really in the running.  He took one bite of our chili and said "there's cinnamon in this.  You can't put cinnamon in chili."  1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in a full batch of chili and you'd think we put beans it.

Chili is not really much of a street food, but is a key ingredient.  I needed to get this recipe out there to build off it in the next couple posts.  This is a great recipe, but you won't win any cook-offs with it.

Shiner Bock Chili

1 small onion, very finely diced

2 cloves garlic, very finely diced

1 Tbsp oil

2 pounds of cubed chuck tender beef (or chili grind)

1 14-1/2 oz. Can – Beef Broth, or 16-18 oz of natural beef broth

A good beer (this is where the chili got its name)

2 14oz cans fire roasted tomatoes

1 cube – Beef Bouillon

1 cube – Chicken Bouillon

3 peppers, your choice (Jalapeno Pepper & Serrano work best)

Chili Mix #1

3 Tbls. -Chili powder (I use equal parts Texas Red, New Mexican Light, Indian Hot chili)

1 Tbls. - Paprika

1/2 tsp. - White Pepper

1 packet - Sazon Goya

Chili Mix #2

3 Tbls. -Chili powder (I use equal parts Texas Red, New Mexican Light, Indian Hot chili)

½ tsp. – Mexican Oregano

½ tsp. – Black Pepper 

1 packet – Sazon Goya

1 tsp. - cumin

¼ tsp. - brown sugar

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a chili pot and cook the onion and garlic until translucent
2. Add the meat and brown with the onion.
3. Add the stock, 1/2 the beer, tomatoes, bouillon and peppers, and bring to a boil
4. Add Chili Mix #1, cut back heat and simmer for an hour
5. Add Chili Mix #2, cook for another 30 minutes.
6. Remove peppers
7. Add the rest of the beer and 1 tsp of cumin.  Simmer another 15 minutes.
8. Taste and add salt as needed.