Frozen Chili Con Carne Brick Food

CHILI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and let cool, then crumble and set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings from the saucepan (reserve the drippings). Increase the heat to medium high, add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon; wipe out the pan.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon drippings in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and 1 teaspoon salt and cook 2 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste is brick red, about 6 minutes (add a splash of water if the mixture begins to stick). Add the beer and simmer until almost completely reduced, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the beef and any juices from the plate; add the cocoa powder, tomatoes, beef broth and beans and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chili thickens slightly, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.
• Stir the hot sauce into the chili and season with salt. Add some beef broth if the chili is too thick. Ladle into bowls and top with the crumbled bacon, cheese, scallions and/or sour cream.

QUICK CHILI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Sauté ground beef, onion, green pepper and garlic cloves in dutch oven.
• Add rest of ingredients, with the exception of the beans. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add small amount of water if mixture becomes too thick. Start with less than 1/4 C of sugar and add to sweetness preference.
• Stir in beans, (may use all kidney beans, red and black beans, whatever you prefer).
• If making ahead, transfer to crockpot and place on lowest setting to keep warm. You may also let cool and warm for next day.
• Optional: Top with shredded cheese, sour cream and corn chips!

REAL TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the beef cubes in the oil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the garlic.
• In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin and flour. Sprinkle over the meat and stir until evenly coated. Crumble the oregano over the meat and pour in 1 1/2 cans of the broth.
• Add the salt and ground black pepper, stir together well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer, partially covered for about 90 minutes. Pour in remaining broth and simmer 30 minutes more, until meat begins to fall apart. Cool, cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend.

RED CHILE CON CARNE

Steps:

• Trim the meat of any visible fat and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place roast in the skillet and brown quickly on all sides. (This step can be skipped if cooking from frozen, or if you're short on time.).
• Transfer the meat to a crockpot and add all of the remaining ingredients except for the green chilies and hot sauce.
• Cook on low for 8 hours.
• One hour before done, shred the roast with a fork and stir in the green chiles and hot sauce to taste.
• Serve with grated cheddar cheese in a warmed tortilla.