Rustic Minnesota-Style Chili

Submitted by David J Rust

"This is a rich chili with brisket and beans, thickened with pulverized wild rice. It has a faint burn as an after-taste but is more “Minnesota spicy” rather than anything lethally hot. This was my entry in the 2018 Chili Cook-Off at work."

 

• Ready In: 9hrs
• Ingredients: 21
• Yields: 16 medium-size bowls
• Serves: 16

ingredients

• 6 tablespoons cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 4 tablespoons ground dried ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 3⁄4 lbs beef brisket
• 8 cups beef broth
• 1 ounce guajillo chilies, dried
• 1 ounce poblano chile, dried
• 3 tablespoons dried epazote
• 1 serrano chili, seeded and minced
• 1⁄4 cup grapeseed oil or 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 1⁄2 yellow onions, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 4 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 3⁄4 cup wild rice, uncooked
• 15 ounces pink beans, rehydrated and cooked
• 15 ounces black beans, rehydrated and cooked
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups water or 4 cups beef broth

directions

1. In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the cumin and black peppercorns. When they start to become fragrant, remove from the skillet and grind into a fine powder. Add the ancho chile powder, sage, and kosher salt to this blend and set aside as your spice blend.
2. Trim the beef brisket of any silver skin. Rub all sides with 1/3 of the spice mixture; save the remaining 2/3 for Part Two of this recipe.
3. Heat your oven to 250-degrees (Fahrenheit).
4. Add the rubbed meat, along with a few teaspoons liquid, to an oiled sheet of aluminum foil and crimp it shut—tightly—on all sides. Place in the heated, 250-degree (Fahrenheit) oven for 6 hours. After this time, remove the spiced brisket and allow to cool to room temperature. Then, place in the refrigerator until chilled and solid.
5. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, reduce your beef broth to 1/4 volume, concentrating its flavor. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
6. Finely chop the dried chiles so they look, basically, minced. You may want to simply use kitchen scissors for this.
7. Remove your spiced brisket from the refrigerator and dice it into 1/2-inch pieces. Add 1/2 the remaining spice mixture and the epazote to these cubes along with the dried chiles. Pour the reduced beef broth over this and let stand while preparing the remaining ingredients.
8. Dice the onions and bell peppers and set aside. Seed and dice the serrano chile. Mince the garlic.
9. Grind some uncooked wild rice into a powder until you have about 3/4 Cup. A coffee grinder dedicated to the use of grinding spices (and not any coffee) is best for this. Set the wild rice powder to one side.
10. In a heavy-bottomed pot (preferably a Dutch Oven) over medium heat, saute the onions, bell peppers, serrano chile, and garlic in the oil. Season with the remaining spice blend. Saute until the onions start to brown on the edges.
11. Add the brisket meat (and all the spices and liquid) to the vegetables. Also add the beans, crushed tomatoes, and water. [Optional: use more beef broth instead of water.] Stir together, lower the heat to “low”, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
12. Test the chili for thickness and, optionally, using a few Tablespoons of the wild rice powder as thickener and flavoring. Simmer for about 10 more minutes, taste, season with salt (to taste), and remove from heat.
13. Serve.