A Bowl of Red

I know I said I'd post this recipe a couple of weeks ago but I forgot. So here it is. This is a two day chili and I hope you will find it well worth it. Other chilis always have that "bite" from the chili powder. Not this one. It's very smooth. It's also important to let it set a day in the fridge as this allows the spices to blend together. Also, in my humble opinion, true chili has no beans or tomato in it. That's why this is called a True Bowl of Red. Any of this can be adjusted to your own preferences.

A Bowl of Red


4-8 dried chiles
2 lbs of coarse grind chili meat
1 to 2 cups of beef stock or water
2 T minced garlic
1 yellow onion finely chopped
2 T cumin
1 T ground oregano
2 T paprika
Salt to taste

Trim the stems and remove seeds from the dried chiles. Place in a small saucepan and add water to barely cover. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Transfer the chiles and their soaking water to a blender or a food processor fitted with metal blade. Purée until smooth. Set aside.

Brown the meat in a large skillet over high heat for 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat and juices to a heavy pot and add the puréed chiles. Place over low heat and bring to a simmer. Add enough stock or water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Add the garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, salt to taste, paprika and cilantro and continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, about 30 minutes. Add a little liquid if the mixture begins to stick. Cool and place in refrigerator overnight or for several hours. Next day remove hardened fat and reheat. Makes 4 servings.