Red Zone Chili Recipes

THE BEST CHILI

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until just browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 10 minutes.
• Add the jalapeno and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, until coated and fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the beef broth and crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the cooked ground beef and any accumulated liquid, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the chili, partially covered, until the beef is tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in the beans and their liquid and simmer uncovered until the beans are softened and the chili is thickened, about 30 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
• Top with sour cream, Cheddar and scallions. Serve with tortilla chips.

RED BEEF CHILI

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper and add one-third of the meat to the pan and saute until browned on all sides. Repeat with the oil and meat, draining any excess liquid from the pan between the batches. Return the meat to the pan, sprinkle with the cumin and stir well. Deglaze the pan with the beer and bring to a boil. Cook until the beer is almost completely reduced. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same pan and then add the onions and cook on medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the habanero, Thai bird, jalapeno and poblano peppers and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ancho chile pepper, cascabel chile powder, chipotle pepper puree, pasilla chile powder and New Mexican chile powder, and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Puree with an immersion blender. Add the beef back to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the chili is thick and the beef is tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. If the chili has too much liquid, continue to cook uncovered to thicken, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add in the chocolate and maple syrup and stir until the chocolate is melted and combined and adjust seasonings. Serve with Toasted Cumin Crema.
• Place the cumin in a small saute pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden brown. Place in a small bowl. Stir in the crema and season with salt and pepper. Place in a squeeze bottle for serving.

ZONE CHILI

Steps:

• Put tomates into a medium saucepan and crush with a potato masher to release some of the juice.
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.
• Heat on medium heat until the chili starts to boil.
• This recipe does not add any of the required fats, although some of the ingredients have fat on their own. I usually eat some nuts along with the chili to account for the fat blocks.