Planning a Super Bowl Watch party?

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Our resident food and beer pairing aficionado, has got a recipe for This Land Lager Chili that will please your guests. Take it away, Wes!


To put it simply, I love beer and chili. For many years I have experimented with various chili recipes seeking the perfect balance of beer flavor without overpowering the chili.  


What beer?


The only rule I use for cooking with beer is that you must be keenly aware that the flavor of the beer will concentrate during the cooking process. Love IPAs? Be prepared for the your final dish to have strong hoppy flavors. Stouts will offer dry, roasted characteristics. Over the years I have determined that using a balanced clean ale or lager produce the most pleasing results. As such, my go to chili recipe has included This Land Lager for the last several years, and in fact, has even won a Chili Cookoff.

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Where to buy This Land Lager?

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This Land Lager is widely available in cans at your favorite convenience, grocery or liquor store.


This Land Lager Chili


Notes: This chili recipe produces a traditional chili con carne (meat with red sauce) yielding a big beefy flavor.

Using 80/20 ground chuck produces the best results, but you can substitute leaner meat if you prefer. Seasoning is added in two steps, much like adding hops throughout the brewing process. The first spice addition mellows as it cooks and provides the base flavor, while the second spice addition, towards the end of the cook, intensifies flavor. Feel free to substitute other dried chiles as you prefer, but keep an eye on the heat level for your guests.


Prep & Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes


Serves 8-10 with leftovers

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Ingredients


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10 lbs - 80/20 ground chuck


6  - Ancho chiles


4 - New Mexican chiles


1 - 7.5 oz  can Chipotles in Adobo


5  - 14.5 oz cans Beef Broth


4 - 14.5 oz cans Chicken Broth


1 - 12 oz can of This Land Lager


5 - cubes of Beef Bouillon


5- 8 oz cans of Tomato Sauce


5 - tsp Granulated Garlic


10 - Tbs  Granulated Onion


10 - Tbs Chili Powder

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4 - tsp Cumin


To taste: Brown Sugar, Cayenne Pepper, Salt


Instructions


Step 1. Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a small pan. Toast Ancho and New Mexican chiles in a dry skillet until they become fragrant. About 30 seconds each. Add the chiles to the water and cover with lid to rehydrate chiles (approximately 15 min.)


Step 2. While the chiles are rehydrating, brown the meat in a large skillet in small amount of cooking oil.This can be done in batches if necessary.  Leave the meat in large chucks as you brown to make sure that it does not overcook and become tough. 15 min.


Step 3. Strain the rehydrated chiles and add to a blender or food processor with 1 can each of Beef Broth and Chicken Broth and the contents of the 7.5 oz can of Chipotles in Adobo. Puree and then pass through a mesh strainer. Reserve the mixture.


Step 4. Once the meat has browned, strain the fat from the meat and add the browned meat to your largest cooking vessel. Add the chile puree mixture, 4 cans of beef broth, 3 cans of chicken broth, 5 cans of Tomato Sauce, 1 can of This Land Lager, 6 Tbs of Chili powder, 4 tsp of Cumin, 10 Tbs of Granulated Onion, 5 cubes of Beef Bouillon and 4 tsp of Granulated Garlic. Bring to a slow simmer for 30 minutes. (This step can be done longer, especially if the sauce is not thick enough.)


Step 5. Add 4 Tbs Chili Powder, 4 tsp of Cumin, 1 tsp of granulated garlic and simmer for 15 more minutes.


Step 6. Taste chili and add the following in small amounts to suit your particular taste:

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Brown Sugar for sweetness


Cayenne Pepper for heat


Salt



Serve with saltines, Fritos, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, diced white onions and pickled jalapeños. Thank you for choosing local craft beer. Go red team!


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