August’s Chili Recipe with Dark Beer and Habenero Pepper
I don't do a lot of cooking, except for grilling and the occasional meat dish. (Man food?) But Laurie is always tickled when I take over the kitchen and make up a batch of this spicy chili. It satisfies my cravings for spicy food, and satisfies my wife's cravings for a day off from cooking. 😉 I figured I'd pass it along.
PrintAugust's Chili Recipe
This hearty chili is slow simmered with hot pepper and dark beer.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Chili
Ingredients
Chili:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound mild or hot Italian sausage
- 2 large onion, chopped, divide some for topping
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 habanero pepper, seeds removed and minced finely (Use gloves!)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced finely (Use gloves!)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 bottle dark beer
- 1 TBSP Better Than Bouillon Beef Flavor
- 1 TBSP Better Than Bouillon Chicken Flavor
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt to taste (if you use low salt Bouillon you may need to add some)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Toppings:
- Chopped Onion
- Sour Cream
- 2 bags tortilla chips, preferably organic
- Shredded Cheddar cheese
- Chopped avocado
Instructions
In large (8 qt) heavy duty pot, brown and drain meat. If the meat is lean you can skip draining. Set aside. Sauté onion and garlic until onion is clear. Add peppers, cook until tender. Return meat to pan. Add other ingredients (except toppings). Simmer on low heat for at least 4 hours – more is better. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water as needed while chili is simmering. We regularly make the batch a day or two before we plan to eat it so flavor can mix. To serve, set out toppings and allow guests to add their favorites to their bowls of chili (or keep it naked like the photo).
Notes
It is mild but to make it more mild cut habanero and jalapeno in 1/2 or double the batch and only add 1 of each. To make it more spicy double the habanero, jalapeno and cayenne pepper. My family likes the less spicy, more mild flavor. Also you may want to cut the sweet a bit, especially if you use fresh tomatoes. Some cook the beef and sausage separately to drain the beef, but keep the fat and spices from the mild or hot sausage. The beer we use is Guinness Dark Stout.
In the Green Bay area, we often serve chili with sour cream and cheese, over spaghetti noodles, but chips are an easier option for a buffet. I first made this for a chili contest at work, and I won first place. 🙂
Here I am chopping hot peppers. Don't forget the gloves – the peppers can burn.
I am not much for photos, but my wife snuck up on me while I was busy.
I hope you enjoy the chili recipe. Don't skip the dark beer – it adds just the little “somethin-somethin”.
Let us know what you think about this recipe below!
I really enjoy discovering your facebook site – You are so kind and offer much resilience . Respectfully yours – lisa
Thank you, Lisa. This was much nicer to see than the person who just randomly responded with profanity. 🙁 Some people really make me want to hang out with my ducks more.
super cute.
Thank you for sharing your “HUBS” recipe for chili. It’s one I have never tried, and I’m always looking for new ways to spice up our life 🙂 I like the idea of the beer, the sausage and no beans. I like beans but found the way you are serving it to be one my mother used. Also, Bob’s Big Boy used to serve their chili over noodles.So, thanks for your blog, I got off track, looking for the recipe on how to use plantains for bug bites. This would come in real handy in Costa Rica, they’ve got plenty of both, and not a lot of money or resources to buy commercial brands. I’ll keep looking, and hope I find more fun recipes like this. Blessings to you and your heart for sharing. 🙂 Colette
Thanks, Colette. I always think he looks so cute in the kitchen, and I sure appreciate the break from cooking.