I am nuts about Chili! I love it in any form and would eat it several times a week all winter long if my husband would let me get away with that! He’s a fan but not a fanatic like me. A few years back, I was watching an episode of America’s Test Kitchen I saw them make a Ground Beef Chili that was baked, and I’ve been hooked on it every since.
The two biggest differences about this method are making your own chili powder, and baking the chili instead of simmering it on the stovetop. I’ve been making this for a few years now and have made a few tweaks along the way. I have served this to my family and friends on many occasions and everyone loves it! Here’s how I make my version…
First comes making the chili powder. This really does make all the difference in the world and it’s really easy to do. It starts with dried whole chilies. You can get these just about anywhere these days. They have them at Walmart and most other grocery stores, but I love to go to my local Mexican grocery store. They have so many awesome things there and I love to try something new every time I go….it’s always an adventure. For this recipe I use a combination of Guajillo and Ancho peppers. This is what they look like in the package.
You want to look for peppers that are still pliable, not dry and brittle.
The first order of business is removing the stems and the seeds from these guys, and tearing them into about 1-inch pieces. Now, place them in a dry pan. You want to have the heat on medium high and toast them for just about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. You do not want them to smoke….just get hot enough to dry out. After 5 minutes are up transfer the chilies to the bowl of your food processor and let them cool off and dry out for a bit.
Now let’s get to work on the ground beef. I like to use 90% lean beef for this…3 pounds to be exact, for an extra meaty chili. In a large bowl add 3 tablespoons of water, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of salt. Whisk together to dissolve the salt as much as possible. Add the ground beef to the bowl and mix it around so the soda, salt, and water mixture get absorbed into the meat. Leave to set for 15 minutes or so. This was another trick I learned from ATC. If you add some baking soda to the meat it helps it to retain moisture and brown. When cooking a large quantity of meat like this at one time, the meat has a tendency to steam and doesn’t get nice and brown.
While your ground beef is resting let’s move back to the chili powder. By now the chilies should be cooled and more brittle. Into the bowl of your food processor, add to the chilies, 1/3 cup masa (if you don’t have masa you can use about a cup of tortilla chips…they’ll grind down and thicken the chili just like the masa). Additionally, add to the food processor, 2 tablespoons of ground cumin, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of ground coriander, 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano), 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried thyme. Grind all of that together until you have a fine texture….like this.
It’s almost time to cook the ground beef…but first you need to chop an onion….or you can put it in your food processor like I do and give it a few pulses. Put your cast iron dutch oven (or other heavy bottomed oven safe pot) over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of veg or canola oil. Once it’s hot add the onions and cook until softened…about 5 minutes. Now add 3 cloves of finely minced (or pressed) garlic. Stir it around with the onions for about a minute and then add the beef. Keep stirring and breaking up the beef into small chunks until it’s all nice and browned and you get those nice browned bits on the bottom of your pan.
Add all the chili powder mixture and 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of diced chipotle in adobo (depending on how spicy you like it) to the pot and stir until all of the powder is moistened…a minute or two. Add 2 cups of water, one can of pinto beans and their liquid, a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Now bring this lovely concoction to a simmer, cover it with a lid and put it in a 250° oven for 2 and a half hours, stirring about every 30-45 minutes.
When the cooking time is done let the pan sit uncovered for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in any fat that has risen to the surface and add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar just to give it a little kick. Taste and add a little salt if needed. Add your favorite toppings … onion, cheese, cilantro, lime, sour cream, avocado, crackers, tortilla chips… and a big slice of cornbread on the side and you’re in business. I hope you enjoy it a much a we do!!
The Bomb Baked Chili
Ingredients
- 3 lbs 90% lean ground beef
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 3 dried ancho chilies
- 3 dried guajillo peppers
- 1/3 cup masa (or 1 cup broken tortilla chips)
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 1-3 tsp chipotles in adobo (or more if you like a really spicy chili)
- 1 15 oz can pinto beans
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275° and place oven rack in the lower middle position.
- Remove the stems and seeds form 3 Guajillo and 3 Ancho chili peppers and tear into one-inch pieces. Place in a dry pay and heat on medium high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Don’t allow the chilies to smoke, just toast enough to dry them out. After 5 minutes transfer the chilies to the bowl of a food processor and let them dry out and cool.
- In a large bowl add 3 tablespoons of water, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of salt. Whisk together to dissolve the salt as much as possible. Add 3 pounds 90% lean ground beef to the bowl and mix it around so the soda, salt, and water mixture get absorbed into the meat. Leave to set for 15 minutes.
- While the ground beef is resting finish preparing the chili powder. By now the chilies should be cooled and more brittle. Into the bowl of your food processor, add to the chilies, 1/3 cup masa (if you don’t have masa you can use about a cup of broken tortilla chips…they’ll grind down and thicken the chili just like the masa).
- Additionally, add to the food processor, 2 tablespoons of ground cumin, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of ground coriander, 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano), 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried thyme. Pulse initially and then process for about 2 minutes, until finely ground.
- Place a cast iron Dutch oven (or other heavy bottomed oven safe pot) over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of veg or canola oil. Chop one onion (Or place in the food processor and pulse until chopped). Add the onions and into the oil and cook until softened, about 5 minutes or so. Add 3 cloves of finely minced (or pressed) garlic. Stir garlic and onions for about a minute and then add the beef. Keep stirring and breaking up the beef into small chunks until it’s all nice and browned and you get those nice browned bits on the bottom of your pan.
- Add all the chili powder mixture and 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of diced chipotles in adobo (or more, depending on how spicy you like it) to the pot and stir until all the powder is moistened, a minute or two. Add 2 cups of water, one can of pinto beans and the liquid, a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Now bring to a simmer, cover it with a lid and put it in a 275° oven for 2 and a half hours, stirring about every 30-45 minutes.
- When the cooking time is done let the pan sit uncovered for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in any fat that has risen to the surface and add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Taste and add a little salt if needed. Add your favorite toppings ... onion, cheese, cilantro, lime, sour cream, avocado, crackers, tortilla chips, crumbled cornbread … and enjoy!
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