Black Beer Chili (Session 47)

I haven't written a Session post in ages, almost two years it seems, so when I saw the call for this months Session topic, Cooking with Beer, I reckoned it was time as, after all, I cook with beer as much as I can. Anything stew-like normally gets a dose of beer thrown in, usually on a one for the pot, one for me basis. I don' keep very good track of what I try, but on some dishes I make regularly, I've tried all sorts of beers in different quantities to find the right balance. Chili is one of those dishes I make with great regularity, and let's face it, is there a beer geek who doesn't have a chili recipe that includes beer? I'll be surprised if this is the only Session post with a chili recipe! Last New Year's Eve was the right moment for my last batch, but with some tweaks on my normal recipe to make it a bit special for a party. The recipe, or an approximation of it, is below.

I like adding beer to things. In small quantities, like in the chili below, it adds a little depth, a touch of sweetness, and a little bite. Too much, and it might dominate in the wrong way, especially true with bitter beers. I've made beer sauces that just turned too bitter (I made one for a leg of wild boar I was roasting using Hövels Original), and Irish stews that were too roasty from too-generous a helping of that cooking stout, Guinness, so the choice of beer can make huge difference. I think a good way of choosing a beer for cooking with, at lease on a first pass, is whether you'd drink that beer with the food anyway. A Weissbier gravy goes really with pork, for example (and some day I'll share my cider/apple juice/cranberry sauce, which I found goes great with roast duck).

But experimentation is the best fun, and throwing a few glugs of the beer you are drinking while cooking can sometimes produce the best results, a bit like this recipe. Let's see if I can remember this. For eight people, you will need:

• 1Kg Ground beef
• about 150g Smoked blutwurst (say a 10-15cm length), finely diced
• 2 Onions, diced
• Red pepper, diced
• 4 Garlic cloves, crushed
• Olive oil
 
• 6 tsp Paprika
• 4 tsp Cumin powder
• 4 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon (optional, I sometimes add a little)
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper, or more to taste
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Crushed black pepper
• 2 Bay leaves
 
• 2 400g cans of peeled tomatoes, diced up a bit
• 2 tbsp Tomato puree
• 1 330ml bottle of Köstritzer, or other similar Schwarzbier
• 300ml of water or beef stock
 
• 2 400g cans Red kidney beans, drained
• 2 400g cans Black beans, drained
• 1 400g can of those big-ass white beans, drained
• 2-4 pieces of Dark chocolate

What to do with all that stuff:

• Large pot, little olive oil, brown that beef, draining fluids so it fries a little, and doesn't stew. When done, put into a bowl and set aside.
• In the same pot, a little more olive oil, fry the onions till soft, throw in diced red pepper, crushed garlic and smoked blutwurst, and continue till onions just begin to brown.
• Return browned beef to the pot.
• Add all the herbs and spices, except the bay leaf, stir and fry for a minute or two.
• Add the diced, canned tomatoes and tomato puree, stir.
• Add the beer and water/stock, throw in the bay leaves. Stir, and leave till it's bubbling a bit again.
• Add the drained beans, stir, drop in the pieces of chocolate.
• If you have fresh (or frozen) chillis, drop a few in whole (I like the chocolate habanero).
• Turn the heat down low, put on tight-fitting lid and leave to lightly simmer for at least an hour, or more if you can.

I sometimes leave the lid off for the last half hour to let it reduce a bit, but if it doesn't look thick enough for your tastes, add a tablespoon of corn flour, stir well, and leave to simmer for 30 mins or so.

Serve with a little sour cream, an array of chilli sauces to allow people to heat it up to the level they like (this one is fairly mild, as my 5 year old son loves it) and whatever other stuff you like with chili. I'll also put out a small bowl of dark chocolate pieces, for people to throw into their bowl, but be careful, a little goes a long way. And of course, serve with the beer you made it with.

Perfect for freezing, and even better after a day or two sitting in the pot. Guten Appetit!