Jillian's Easy Chili

This is more of a rough framework than a recipe, which seems to work well with whatever you have in your cabinets. No Rotel, fine. No chopped chilis, fine. No beans, fine. No beer, then you are in trouble! You are welcome to go the other direction as well, adding fresh bell peppers or jalapenos, or add more garlic. You are also free to substitute, for example black beans or pintos for kidney beans, garlic powder or dried onions for fresh, canned tomatoes for Rotel, in a pinch beef broth or onion soup can replace the beer, but what fun is that? As with most chili, this is better on day 2, but it certainly is good on day 1!

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions, chopped
• vegetable oil
• 3 lbs beef top round or rump roast, cubed
  or 3lbs ground beef or turkey
• 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp Tabasco
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1-2 cans chopped chilis (mild-hot depending on your taste)
• 2 16 oz cans Rotel (tomatoes and chilis)
• 22-24 oz beer of your choice
• 2-4 large (30 oz) cans kidney beans (optional)

Equipment:

• Sharp knife and chopping block
• Small (1-2 cup) bowl for mixing spices
• Large bowl for holding cooked ingredients
• Stewpot, stockpot, brewpot, or dutch oven, with lid

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder and cumin.
2. Heat your stewpot on med-high; add 1 Tbsp oil; saute onions until clear; set aside in large bowl.
3. In the stewpot, add 1 Tbsp oil; add 1/3 garlic & 1/3 spice mixture; brown 1lb meat; set aside in bowl; repeat with the next 2 lbs.
4. Put everything back in the stewpot; add tabasco, tomato paste, chilis, Rotel, and beer; bring to a boil; cover and turn heat down to simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occassionally, add salt and more spices to taste.
5. If the chili needs to boil down, uncover for the last hour.
6. If you are going to add beans, drain and rinse, and add 5 minutes before end.
7. Serve with shredded cheese, chopped onion, sour cream, cilantro, or whatever you normally serve chili with!