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research chili

Lamb

Research Chili

I couldn't stop eating this chili! The ingredient list is a long one, but all those extra notes of spice and flavor combine into a complex chili with just the right balance of heat, sweet, and savory. Definitely don't skip the goat cheddar -- it really made a difference.

Ingredients

  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil, divided
  • 7 pieces of applewood smoked bacon, thinly sliced
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
  • 4 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1.5 tablespoons Rye whiskey
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • ½ pound ground lamb leg
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon ground thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 clove
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 serrano chili, halved, seeded and sliced
  • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
  • ¼ cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon black coffee
  • 1 ¼ cups dark stout beer
  • 1 square dark chocolate, shaved with a vegetable peeler
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • sea salt, black pepper
  • scallions, sliced
  • goat-cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 375F. Rub the garlic cloves with a little olive oil and roast for 20 minutes, or until soft.
  • Heat the rest of the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon, in batches if you have to, so as not to crowd. Cook for about 5 minutes, until crispy, and then set the bacon aside. (You want about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; remove any excess.)
  • Add the onion. After a few minutes, add the carrot and then the celery until they start to soften. (This should take about 15 minutes.) Add the brown sugar, and then the Rye, and stir to combine.
  • Add the meat. After a minute or two, add the cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne, mint, nutmeg, parsley, dried thyme, basil, clove, mustard and the garlic, and stir into the meat. Stir in the serrano chili. Cook until the meat is no longer red.
  • Add the tomato paste, the cider vinegar, the coffee, the stout and the chocolate; stir to combine. Add the bay leaves. Raise the heat, to reduce the beer a little. After a few minutes, add the crushed tomatoes, the kidney beans, the fresh thyme and the chicken stock. Add back the bacon.
  • Lower the heat to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for about an hour. (Check it after 30 minutes–if it looks a little dry, you can add another 1/2 cup of chicken stock or water.) Check the seasonings, and adjust salt and pepper accordingly.
  • Serve the chili topped with the scallions and the goat-cheddar cheese.

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