New Sunday Tradition

If you're looking for that go-to Sunday afternoon meal especially during football season and long winters, then I have exactly what you need. You need to partake in my red steak chili. I wish I could stop myself from eating it long enough to take a picture for you, but I failed on multiple occasions this week to do so. This is an American chili with no beans to be found. I typically eat this with some good sharp cheddar piled on top and a fresh bag of Fritos scoops. Let's get after it:

1 pound of ground round (basically a ground beef that is lean because you don't need the fat)
2 to 2.5 pounds of tri tip (you can substitute steak cuts like New York and Ribeye or mix in stew meat if need be), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 yellow/sweet onions diced
3 strips of good bacon diced (applewood smoked is suggested)
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 poblano pepper diced
1 sweet pepper diced
3 chipotles with adobo sauce blended (I add a dash of water and whip it in the magic bullet)
2/3 C of chili powder (guajillo is good if you can find it)
1/3 C of paprika (you can add more paprika and less chili powder and vice versa to adjust temp)
1 T of cumin, thyme, and oregano each
8 cloves of pressed fresh garlic (garlic press is a must have kitchen utensil)
1 shallot diced
28 oz can of whole san marzano tomatoes (you know tomato quality is important here)
3-4 T of tomato paste
2 cans of beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

You want to start with a good dutch oven and melt a tablespoon of butter to slightly brown, then add the bacon. Once the bacon starts to brown, add the onions, shallot, and garlic. This combo should sweat down really well, then add the ground round. Brown the meat and season this mix with salt and pepper. Now add the poblano and sweet peppers to the mix and give a few minutes to sweat. While cooking each of these components you can add the other tablespoons of butter as needed if the mixture gets dry. Now add in the beef. It doesn't need to be browned up as it will stew for awhile to cook.

Mix the pot together at this point and add the chipotle blend, all dry spices, some more salt and pepper, the can of tomatoes with sauce, 3 T of paste, and at least one can of beef broth. Stir this mixture to see if you need the second can of broth. It is likely that you should need both. Bring the pot to a simmer and stir to combine. Use your wooden spoon or spatula to smash the whole tomatoes down. The pot will now simmer uncovered for at least 2.5 hours. Continue to monitor and stir every 30 to 45 minutes. With roughly 30 minutes left, check the consistency and add the last tablespoon of paste if additional thickening is necessary. Also, taste the chili for any additional seasoning. After 2.5 hours, check one of your meat cubes for tenderness. If the meat is done, then the chili is done. Feel free to keep any leftovers in the fridge and reheat in a sauce pan on the stove with some water to thin out. We like to use the leftovers with some cheese on top of a baked potato for another meal option a few days later. That's the whole secret to my red chili. No holding back, so have at it. You shouldn't need a restaurant option this week.