Cocoa Chili Food

CHILI I

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, ground beef and cubed sirloin in oil for 10 minutes, or until the meat is well browned and the onions are tender.
• Mix in the diced tomatoes with juice, dark beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth. Season with brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander and salt. Stir in 2 cans of the beans and hot chile peppers. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
• Stir in the 2 remaining cans of beans, and simmer for another 30 minutes.

BEST CHILI EVER!

Steps:

• In a very large, deep pre-heated skillet, add olive oil, then add chopped onions and peppers. I also add a little bit of water to the pan (maybe tablespoon or two); cover and cook on medium-low heat, just until onions and peppers begin to sweat. Uncover and add ground beef, using spatula to break up chunks of meat. Cover and cook on low heat until meat is cooked through, about 20 minutes or so (I add a little water during the cooking process). While the meat is cooking, I add the chili powder. I start with 1 Tbsp., and add as I go.
• Once the meat is browned, add the tomato paste, stirring to incorporate completely (I also add more water at this point, enough to make it start looking like chili, a nice, thick chili). Cover and cook on lower heat (slow simmer) for 30 minutes.
• Add the 5 ingredients, stir to incorporate, cover and cook on low (at a slow simmer) for another 60 minutes.
• Add beans and green chiles (including the "juice"), stirring to incorporate. At this point, add more water if you need to do so. Cover and cook on low (slow simmer) for another 40 minutes.
• Total cooking time is about 2-1/2 to 3 hours on stovetop. I know this sounds like a long time, but it really needs that much time to simmer and let the flavors blend.
• Serve with chopped red onion, sour cream, hot sauce, and shredded cheddar, colby and/or Jack cheese(s).

COCOA CHILI

Steps:

• Cook beef, onion and garlic in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.
• Stir in remaining ingredients except beans, breaking up tomatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in beans. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until desired thickness.

CINCINNATI-STYLE CHILI

Steps:

• For the chili: In a stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, onions, chili powder, cocoa powder, sugar, kosher salt, cinnamon, cumin, garlic salt, allspice, pepper, cayenne, cloves, bay leaves, beef (do not brown first) and 2 cups water. Mix until combined. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for approximately 2 hours. Stir in the vinegar and simmer for another 30 minutes.
• To serve: Serve on a bed of spaghetti and top with the beans, onions and a mound of cheese (or any preferred combination). Add hot sauce, if desired, and eat with oyster crackers.

COCOA-CHILI-RUBBED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add almost all of the 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet. Brush both sides of chicken breasts with remaining oil.
• Generously rub chicken with the cocoa-chili rub until evenly coated on all sides. Place chicken into skillet and sear on both sides. Remove skillet from heat and bake in the oven for approximately 12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

ED'S CHICAGO COCOA CHILI

Steps:

• Assemble the spice mix into an airtight container ahead of time. Most of these ingredients are approximate. Seasonings must be to taste; you're shooting for the perfect SWEET,SALTY,SPICY combo.
• CHOP ALL THE VEGGIES UP BEFORE YOU START ANYTHING ELSE. (If you want to save some time: instead of the onion and bell pepper, you can use a bag of frozen "seasoning mix", which includes onions, bell peppers and sometimes small amounts of carrots and celery. you can find this in most frozen veggie aisles.).
• Inside a BIG, DEEP, REALLY DEEP cast iron pot (about 7 qt), on HIGH HEAT, BROWN THE GROUND MEAT to about medium rare (You do not need to completely brown the meat, because it will continue to cook in the pot).
• Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Drain off or use the ladle to take out the excess fat, but leave some of it in the pot to fry the vegetables.
• Push the meat to one side to make space to fry the vegetables.
• Reduce the heat to MEDIUM/HIGH.
• On the empty side of the skillet, add the onions, garlic, and jalapenos, then add all the rest of the vegetables.
• SAUTEE/FRY the veggies for a few minutes.
• Season the veggies lightly with salt and pepper. Try to get the veggies on the bottom of the pan, and the meat on top of the veggies. This way the meat doesn't burn and the veggies get cooked. (If you're freaking out about this, just take the meat out first (put it in a bowl), add the veggies to the bottom of the skillet, then add the meat back on top. I'm just trying to keep this a ONE-POT cooking experience.).
• Make a little space on the bottom of the pan and.
• Add the tomato paste (don't worry if you can't get the entire contents of the can out).
• Cook the paste for a minute, then mix everything in the pot together.
• Add the crushed tomatoes.
• Season the tomatoes with a little salt.
• Stir in the KILLER COCOA CHILI SPICE MIX.
• Keep stirring, keep a very slow boil or a simmer.
• Add Lemon juice, Lime juice and Orange juice.
• Also add the dark chocolate pieces. Let the heat from the chili melt the chocolate and then.
• STIR STIR STIR.
• Taste it. Something not right? Fix it! If it's too hot or sour, add a little more brown sugar. If it's not salty enough, add a little more salt. Not hot enough for ya? Add more hot peppers, or a splash of tabasco hot sauce. Chili is more of an art than a science. Do what tastes good to you!
• Set the heat to LOW.
• Partially cover and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. TURN OFF THE HEAT.
• Congratulations! You now have the best chili on the planet.
• You can keep this chili covered in the pot for a few hours. Serve with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and fritos corn chips or cornbread.
• STORING THE CHILI - I like to put the chili in those Ziploc disposable/reusable containers. You can refrigerate or freeze the chili in them really easy. The chili reheats very well in the microwave. Refrigerated chili is probably good for a week. Frozen chili is probably good for months. The chili defrosts in about 2 days if moved from freezer to refrigerator.
• AWESOME CHILI DOGS! - Use all-beef hot dogs like Vienna Beef, Klement's or Nathan's. Other hot dogs do not deserve this chili.
• NO BEANS? WHAT GIVES?. As a big fan of chili, I've discovered that it's origins do not include beans. "Anyone who knows beans about chili, knows that chili ain't got no beans!". Beans were added later, probably because beans are cheaper than meat or out of sheer confusion between chili and baked beans. -- but BEANS ARE FREAKIN GASSY! I don't like gassy chili, and I'd hope you don't either. If you REALLY MUST HAVE BEANS, you can add a can of them to this recipe, it won't hurt the chili.
• You can also substitute those soybean crumbles for the meat, which works very well with this recipe, but then remember to make sure you add some type of oil to fry the veggies.

BEEFY CHIPOTLE-COCOA CHILI

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, and cook until browned, about 5-8 minutes. Drain off excess fat.
• To the pot, add all other ingredients except for last three (squash/zucchini, cilantro and epazote leaves). Be sure to include the can liquid when adding the black beans- it's yummy.
• Bring mixture to a boil, then decrease heat to very low & simmer uncovered for 2-3 hours. Try to mix the chili every 15-30 minutes, especially near the end of the cooking time. Adjust for seasoning near the end as well.
• Add the squash/zucchini, stir and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through. When done, remove from heat, then stir in the cilantro and epazote leaves.
• Serve with tortilla chips and top with yummy things like queso fresco, cotija cheese or Mexican crema.

COCOA CHILI RUB

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a covered jar or ziploc bag and shake to evenly blend.
• Rub on pork chops, pork tenderloin, or chicken legs or thighs. I find this a little too rich for beef but if you feel adventurous, go for it!
• This recipe makes enough for two small whole pork tenderloins or 6-8 chops.
• Rub meat with blended spices and allow at least two hours to marinate before grilling or broiling.