How can you go wrong when you start with good ingredients? Chocolate, Coffee, and Beer… About 15 years ago, I was working for a company based in Pasadena, TX. The sales team entered a chili cookoff at St. Arnold’s Brewery, and we placed 2nd out of 36 teams! The recipe was started by my coworker, Robert (aka The Skipper), and over the years, I have added a couple more things. Since we were cooking at St. Arnold’s, obviously, we used their beer in the original recipe. I am from Louisiana, so that ingredient changed over to my side of the Sabine River, and I use Abita Amber. Community Dark Roast coffee is my morning ritual, so a strong cup goes in the pot of chili. Finally, Hershey’s cocoa is one of my favorite cookie ingredients, so it takes the place of honor here as well.
“You can’t go wrong when you start with good coffee, chocolate, or beer.” – My Mom
Jennifer’s Chili
1 lb Sirloin Cubed
1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
2 Large White Onions
5 Cloves Minced Garlic
2 cans Dark Red Kidney beans, drained
1 can Light Red Kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained and washed
1 can Rotel Tomato
2 can Diced Tomato with Juice
1 bottle dark beer (Abita Amber)
1 1/2 TBSP Hershey’s Cocoa
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 cup strong brewed coffee (Community Dark Roast)
4 Fresh Jalapeños, seeded and deveined
1 Serrano Pepper, seeded and deveined
1/2 cup Chili Powder (I use Fiesta light and dark chili powder)
2 TBSP Oregano
2 TBSP Cumin
1 TBSP Coriander
1 TBSP Cayenne Pepper
1 TBSP Salt
Mix the spices, so they can be added evenly during the simmer.
Base the amount seasoning on the amount of meat. This recipe can be scaled up to 2 or 3 bottles of beer. Pampered Chef Prep Bowls make prepping and adding the seasoning easier. For 3 – 4 people, I usually have a couple of bowls left over for lunch nachos the next day! Scaling up or down in this recipe is a great opportunity to teach fractions or multiplication to those home schoolers doing elementary math on their computers while you cook.
Preparation is Key
Spices in the 3 Cup Prep Bowl, Beans rinsed in the Stainless Colander, and vegetables are ready to add in the Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl work great for this prep.
Brown the meat for about 10 min, then add the vegetables, and minced garlic with salt and pepper and saute another 10 -15 min. Then add the liquid ingredients, spices, half of the beans and Chopped Peppers, and simmer for about an hour and a half. About a half hour before you want to serve, add the remaining beans. Adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder to your preference.
Serve with Cheddar Cheese, Fritos, or Cornbread… if you like more meat double it, double the chocolate, sugar, chili powder, garlic, cumin, coriander, oregano, and salt. Add 1 1/2 times coffee and beer and one extra can of beans (whichever one you like the best).
Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @jennskitchenblog
