Beef Chili

I had already planned to make this last night so when I woke up sick this morning I thought that it would be a great thing to eat tonight to help make me feel better.  This is a mix between two recipes – one I found in the Edible Austin magazine and one from a cookbook called ‘The Homesick Texan’.  This is a great way to use spices from your cabinet that you don’t normally use!

Ingredients:
2-3 T beef tallow or lard
2 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs. chili meat (coarse ground beef chuck)
1/4 – 1/2 lb. beef liver, chopped up
1 bottle beer (I used Shiner – and I know this adds some ‘grain’ but you can’t make chili without a beer)
half a jar of crushed tomatoes (about 5 oz)
2 T chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1 T ground ancho chile powder
1 T ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1 large bay leaf
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
2 cups beef stock (I didn’t have any beef stock on hand so I just used chicken stock)

Directions:
Measure out all of the spices into a bowl (good timesaver).  Heat tallow or lard in the pan and brown the meat.  Remove the meat but keep the heat on.  Add the onions and half of the ground spices and cook until translucent – about 5 min.  Add back the meat and the rest of the spices and the tomatoes.  Stir to incorporate.  Add the beer and the stock and bring to a boil.  Turn down to a simmer and cover and cook for about 2 hours.  Check periodically to see if more liquid is needed. If so, add more stock or add some water.  Check for seasoning.  Just before serving remove bay leaf. Serve with chopped up onions or sauerkraut, grated raw cheese and a dollop of Creme Fraiche (cultured cream).  Delish!