Mean Mean Pat Chili

Everyone loves chili. Here’s my original take on the stuff. I now make my own chili powder according to Alton Brown’s Homemade Chili Powder recipe. This chili is mean mean not because it’s hot, but because it’s so good you can never go back. The recipe is very flexible and can give you anything from a non spicy stew all the way to inferno hot.

Ingredients:

• 1 – 1.5 lb ground beef (to make veggie chili, just leave this ingredient out)
• 0 – 4 cans beans to taste (I like to use 2 cans of kidney and 2 cans of black beans)
• 4 – 8 garlic cloves thinly sliced or minced
• 2 medium to large onions
• 10 Roma tomatoes (seeded and diced)
• 6-8 Tomatillos
• 6 – 10 Bell peppers (use any combination of colors you feel like)
• 3 – 5 jalapeño peppers
• optional peppers*
• Spices: chili powder, cloves, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon

Directions:

1. Dice all veggies. Seed the bell peppers. (Seed hot peppers and remove membrane if you don’t want it too spicy.)
2. In a large pot or dutch oven, sweat the garlic in small amount of oil
3. Add meat and brown meat with salt, black pepper and 1 tbsp chili powder; drain (or not)
4. Add all veggies and beans to pot and mix thoroughly.
5. Begin to heat the mixture on a medium-low setting. (You don’t need to add any liquid, as the veggies will release their water providing the liquid, but don’t turn up the heat too quickly or it will scorch.)
6. Add spices to taste. Here’s my suggestions:
   • 2 – 3 tablespoons of Chili powder
   • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground cloves
   • 1/2 tablespoon cummin
   • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon black pepper
   • dash of cinammon
7. When chili begins to bubble, turn down the heat; cover, simmer for 1 – 2 hours. Taste. I like it like this, but some people think it’s too concentrated and prefers add some water to thin it back out.

Congratulations. You have just made Mean Mean Pat Chili. Serve with cheese and your choice of bread, corn bread, crackers.

Notes: You can also use additional peppers. One of my favorites is to add in an habanero pepper.

Notes: Nowadays, I make my own Chili Powder according to Alton Brown’s recipe.