3 pounds beef chuck, or any lean cut of beef cut into small dice
3 pounds pork butt or shoulder, cut into small dice
¼ cup corn oil
salt and pepper
2 white onions, cut into small dice
1 bell pepper, cut into small dice
10 cloves garlic, finely chopped, or put through a garlic press
3/4 cup Petit Sirah
1/3 cup chili powder
1 T cumin powder
2 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 small can petite diced tomatoes with juice
10-12 cups stock, chicken and beef mixed
¼ cup masa flour
1 cup water
In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the meat in batches, seasoning with salt and pepper, brown and remove. Do not over crowd the meat or it will steam, not brown.
After the meat has been browned and removed, reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and bell pepper to the pan. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the wine and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook to reduce the wine to about 1 or 2 tablespoons. Add all of the remaining seasonings and tomatoes to the pan and stir to combine.
Add the meat back to the pot and stir in the stock. Heat to boiling and then reduce the heat to bring the chili back to a simmer. Simmer covered for 11/2 to 2 hours stirring occasionally and checking to make sure there is enough liquid.
When the meat is tender remove the lid and bring to a boil. Whisk the masa and water together to make a slurry making sure there are no lumps. Sometimes I’ll put it through a fine mesh strainer. Add the slurry slowly to the chili, stirring to ensure you aren’t making masa “dumplings”. The final thickness of the chili won’t be apparent until the chili is boiling. If the chili isn’t as thick as you like it, repeat process.
Reduce chili to a simmer and cook for an additional ½ hour. Check your seasonings and correct.
Note: This chili is best if made the day before. Chill overnight in the refrigerator and then you can scrape off any of the congealed fat if desired. Also, chili powder’s spice level ranges from mild to very hot. You may want to back off of the 1/3 cup until you are sure of your chili powder’s potency
Served with barrel
samples of the 2006 Truett Hurst Petit Sirah.
