AdventuresInHomebrewing.Beer

Every gameday needs a good dish to consume at it, and homebrew chili is a great choice. “Why homebrew beer in the chili?” may be your next question. The answer is a simple one…. why not?!?

I make most of my chili on the Camp Chef smoker now. I love that smokey taste infused into my meals. When it is reheated, the smoker smell comes out. With the smoker, you lose more moisture, in my experience, than making it in a crock pot. This beckons you to add more liquid!

I have made my chili with stouts, ales, and ciders that I have made. I used to always put a can of our local Genesee beer into my chilis in the crock pot. Once I started to brew, it became common place to put my beer in there. Once I started kegging, it got even easier!

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Recipes

Here is my base “healthy and fresh” chili recipe that helped me win a contest at work, I hope it helps!

Ingredients:

1 lb 90% lean ground beef ($3.29/lb)

1 lb turkey sausage ($4.39/lb)

40 oz dark red kidney beans ($1.79.can)

29 oz diced tomatoes – chili style ($0.79/14.5 oz can)

4 oz diced mild green chilies ($0.99/4 oz can)

16 oz parmesan romano tomato sauce ($1.49/jar)

1 FRESH garlic clove – minced ($0.75/head)

1 FRESH green pepper ($1.99/pound)

1 FRESH poblano pepper ($3.99/pound)

1 FRESH small onion ($0.99/pound)

8 fl oz brewed espresso coffee ($9.99/pound)

1 oz unsweetened 100% cacao ($2.39/4oz)

1 package chili seasonings ($1.50/packet)

¼ cup parmesan bread crumbs (mix parmesan cheese and bread crumbs)

1 bay leaf

Smoke the ground beef and ground turkey, In a large skillet, add freshly pressed minced garlic and diced onion.  Finely shave cacao into small shavings. Dice green peppers and poblano peppers into pieces about 1 inch by ¼ inch.  Add undrained kidney beans, undrained diced tomatoes, as well as the diced chilies to skillet. Mix them up. Pour in the espresso and beer.  Sprinkle the package of chili seasoning across the top. Add meat mixture and tomato sauce, stir to mix. Sprinkle bread crumbs and cacao shavings across the top and mix evenly.  Drop in bay leaf. Cook on smoker for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Break up and add the meat after about 3 hours.

Another choice of a quick recipe from ready to use ingredients.

2 big cans of stewed tomatoes

3 cans of chili beans

1 large can of pinto beans

2+ pounds of ground beef

1 pound ground sausage

a few diced hot peppers of your choice

1 onion diced

boatload of your spices – chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, paprika, cinnamon, ground coffee, dark chocolate (ground up or shaved), cayenne pepper, oregano, mustard powder, and anything else you want to throw in

Favorite Flavors For Homebrew Chili?

What is your favorite beer in chili? Drop an answer in the comments below. Have any ingredients to add? Am I missing something? Lemmie know!