Arrington’s Irish Chili

The blend of chili powders in this recipe and their proportions can be widely varied according to your own taste and how spicy you like your foods. The long cooking melds the flavors. If you make the chili a day ahead, cook it for two hours, then refrigerate. Reheating it before serving will complete the cooking. Serve the chili with cooked pinto, pink or kidney beans, and bowls of chopped onion and grated Cheddar cheese. Allow your guests to choose their own proportions of each type of bean to suit their own taste. Purists add only a few beans, always on top of the chili, never mixed in.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 4  tablespoons  lard or 4  tablespoons  oil or 4  tablespoons shortening
• 6  lbs  extra-lean beef chuck, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 2  lbs  extra  lean pork loin, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 3  large onions, finely chopped
• 4  celery ribs, finely chopped
• 10  garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3  cups  rich  brown stock (homemade)
• 6 -12  ounces  high quality Bourbon
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle dark beer
• 3  tablespoons cumin
• 1  tablespoon dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  freshly grated nutmeg
• 1  tablespoon sugar
• 1  tablespoon  unsweetened cocoa
• 3  tablespoons  new mexico chile powder, heaped
• 3  tablespoons  pasilla chili powder, heaped
• 3  tablespoons  crushed quebrado chili peppers, heaped
• 1  teaspoon mace
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
•  chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (fresh coriander)

Directions

1. In an 8 quart or larger Dutch oven, melt the lard over medium heat. Brown the beef and pork cubes in the fat. Transfer the browned meat to a large, low sided stockpot or Dutch oven, and reserve the fat in the pan.
2. Saute the onions, celery, and garlic in the remaining fat until the vegetables are soft and golden but not brown. Add them to the meat. Stir in the tomato sauce, beef stock, and bourbon.
3. Pour the beer into a bowl and add the cumin, oregano, nutmeg, sugar, cocoa, chili powder, chili quebrado, mace, salt, and pepper. Stir the seasonings into the meat mixture, and simmer the chili uncoverd for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. If more liquid is needed to maintain consistency, add either water, beer, or bourbon. Serves about 20.
4. *Make brown stock with well roasted meat bones, veal, beef, and chicken bones, wings add good flavor. Carrots, onion, leeks, celery, bouquet garni, bay leaves and 1/2 onion, browned well to burning.
5. George and Piret Munger Cookbook.