First is the meat. I do not use ground, I use cubed or 'stew' meat. Just about any inexpensive cut will work. If you want beef, use chuck roast, pig; boston butt (which is actually the shoulder) lamb use shank or neck. The cheaper cuts of meat have more connective tissue and are therefore tougher but really shine in a long low cooking process like that used in chili.
Second is the spices, I use some chili powder but the main aeromatic is chipotle. Chipotle are smoked jalapenos canned in a spicy vinegar sauce and is usually found in the mexican food aisle in the supermarket.
Third is no beans. Instead of the startch off of the beans to thicken the chili, I throw corn chips in the pot, it adds a nice flavor and texture to the chili.
Willy Chili
3 lbs stew meat (beef, pork, and/or lamb)
2 tsp cooking oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 (12-ounce) can of beef broth (you can also use beer)
1 (16-ounce) jar of salsa
half a large bag of Fritos
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tbs adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs chili powder
Toss meat with salt and oil and heat a heavy (preferably cast iron) frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, brown the meat in 2-3 batches and transfer the browned meat to a slow cooker.
After all the meat is browned deglaze the frying pan with the broth or beer if you are using it. Deglazing means to pour the liquid in the hot pan and scrape up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a spatula or whisk. Next dump the liquid on top of the meat in the slow cooker.
Next add the salsa, fritos, chipotles, adobo, tomato paste and chili powder to the slow cooker and mix everything up. Turn the slow cooker to low for 7-8 hours. Serve in wide bowls with shredded cheese, diced avacado, corn tortillas, fritos, hot sauce, sour cream, pumpkin/sunflower seeds, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, hominy or anything else you like with your chili.
By the way, this recipe did win a chili cook-off.
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