Adapted from www.platingsandpairings.com
Beer Chili for People Who Are One Bad Day Away From Becoming a Chili Person
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup beer (dark or light — your call, your chili, your life)
- 1 (15-oz) can kidney beans, undrained
- 1 (14.5-oz) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 grudge, aged at least 6 months
- Toppings (pick your favorites)
- Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese, grated
- Jalapeños
- Fresh cilantro, minced
- Tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
- 1Grab your largest pot — not a little guy, a BIG pot, a pot with ambition. Set it over medium-high heat and add your ground beef and diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is fully browned and the onion is soft, about 4 minutes. The onion did nothing wrong but it will be delicious and that's just how it goes.
- 2Drain the fat from the pot. Tilt it, spoon it out, whatever works — just get rid of most of it. You're not making beef soup. Not today.
- Break!Find something with a lid nearby — a pot, a jar, anything — and tell it 'good job having a lid.' Pat it once. Move on.
- 3With the beef still in the pot over medium heat, dump in ALL the spices: 1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Stir everything together for about 30 seconds so the spices coat the meat. Your kitchen smells incredible right now. You did that.
- 4Pour in the beer. Yes, the whole cup. It sizzles. It steams. It is ALIVE. Stir it in and let it deglaze any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot — scrape those up, they are flavor treasure and you will not abandon them.
- 5Add the entire can of kidney beans (liquid and all) and the entire can of diced tomatoes (liquid and all). 'Undrained' means you pour in the whole can, juice included — do not drain it, do not question it, just pour.
- 6Crank the heat up and bring the whole pot to a boil — you'll see big lazy bubbles breaking the surface. Once it's boiling, drop the heat to low and let it simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set a timer. Walk away. Trust the process. You've got this.
- Break!Go find a window and locate one (1) thing outside that is not a car. A bird, a leaf, a suspiciously confident squirrel. Nod at it. Return.
- 7After 15 minutes, taste it. Does it need more salt? Add a pinch. Too timid on heat? A little more cayenne. This is YOUR chili and you are the boss of it. People who skip the taste test just make sad chili. Don't be them.
- 8Ladle it into bowls and load up your toppings — sour cream, grated cheddar, jalapeños, cilantro, tortilla chips, all of it, pile it high, there are no rules here, only joy. You made actual chili from scratch. With beer in it. You absolute legend. I'm not emotional, something is just in my eye, probably the cayenne, definitely the cayenne.