Lars’s Pot Luck Chili

A Little Personal History:

Description Text

Description:

Ingredients:

Meats:

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 lb. sirloin, chuck, round (chopped bite size)
  

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• 6 strips bacon (chopped)
• 1 lb. sausage (chopped bite size: Italian, Chorizo, and/or other)

Vegetables:

• 1 lb. Pinto beans
  

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• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 red onions (diced)
• 1 (3 total) sweet red, orange, green pepper (diced)
• 6 shallots (diced)
• 2 garlic cloves (pressed or diced fine)
  

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• ½ cup all purpose or whole wheat flour
• 1 lb. can baked beans
• 4 oz. can pimentos (diced)
• 3 lbs. ripe tomatoes (blanched & diced)
• ½ lb. mushrooms (diced)
• 2 cups whole kernel corn (fresh, canned or frozen)

Lars’s Secret Chili Juice:

• 1 lime (squeezed)
• 1 (8 oz.) can V-8 Juice
• 12 oz. Lars’s Chili sauce
• 1 tbs. Lars’s Worcestershire sauce or more to taste
• 2 Tbs. steak sauce
• 2 cans dark beer OR 1 can dark beer and 1 cup strong coffee

Optional:

• 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar (only use if chili will be consumed within 2 days – storing longer will result in acidic taste developing over time)
  

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Lars’s Secret Chili Seasoning:

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tbs. garlic salt
• 1 tbs. pepper
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tbs. oregano
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 tbs. brown sugar
• 2 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tbs. chili powder

Chili Peppers:

• 3 Serrano chilies (diced)
• 3-9 Habanero peppers (diced: 3 = hot, 6 = very hot, 9 = scorching)

Alternative:

• Lars’s Scorching Hot Sauce to taste (2 Tbs. = hot, 4 Tbs. = very hot, 6 Tbs. = scorching)
  

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Optional Serving Toppings:

• 1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos. (either served as side of added on top of chili)
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese (sprinkled on top of chili)
• 2 cups sour cream (1 Tbs. sour cream per serving in center of bowl)

Procedure:

1. Wash pinto beans, soak overnight (12 hrs) in water covered (fill water to cover twice size of beans – they absorb a lot of water!)
2. Next day, add water necessary to cover beans twice over. Bring to boil in soaking water and lower heat to simmer.
3. Simmer (11 o’clock) covered for 4+ hours until tender. Drain in colander and put to side.
4. In large pot, on moderate heat (7 o’clock) add 1/2 cup olive oil. When oil gets hot, add onions, shallots, sweet peppers and garlic. Saute until onion is soft. Remove from heat.
5. In large skillet, on moderate heat, add remaining oil and meats (except sausage & bacon), cook until meats are browned (if your skillet isn’t large enough to hold all the meat, brown them in batches and transfer to large bowl).
6. In another large skillet, over medium heat, cook bacon till almost done. Add sausage and saute together till fully cooked. Pour off fat and set aside.
7. Return large pot with sautéed vegetables to medium heat. Add all the browned/cooked meats to large pot. Stir with wooden spoon till re-heated.
8. Slowly sprinkle flour into meat/vegetable mixture, stirring with wooden spoon. Blend thoroughly.
9. Add baked beans, drained pinto beans, remaining vegetables and Lars’s Chili Juice. Blend thoroughly.
10. Bring to boil, stirring often to prevent meats/vegetables from sticking to bottom of pot and burning. Lower heat to simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir with wooden spoon as need to prevent bottom of pot from burning ingredients.
11. Add Lars’s Chili Seasoning and Chili Peppers. Blend thoroughly.
12. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
13. If you notice grease/froth rising to top, skim off as necessary with paper towel or other means.
14. Before serving, if additional thinning is desired, add broth, and heat through (see Notes). Remove from heat, add optional toppings as needed. Enjoy!!

Advanced Preparation:

• Lars’s Chili Seasoning can be prepared in advance and stored till needed.
• Lars’s Chili Juice can be made up to a day in advance if refrigerated in a tightly sealed jar/container.
• Steps 1-12 can be done in advance and refrigerated up to a week in advance. When ready to serve, bring chili back to boil, lower heat to simmer and complete Steps 13-14.
• Steps 4 – 8 can be done while pinto beans are simmering.

Tips, Notes, and Variations:

• If chili needs additional thinning add: 1 cup Beef Stock or vegetable stock
• Recommendation: use disposable rubber gloves when handling & dicing chili peppers. Otherwise, thoroughly wash & dry hands afterwards!