10-Trick Chili

I’ve been looking for a chili recipe that I like for years; this 10-Trick Chili recipe is probably the closest I’ve found to what I’m looking for, and I definitely recommend it.

This is a a re-write (with a few changes) of the Food52 10-Trick Chili recipe; the writer, Noah, integrated 10 of the most popular tricks he found from chili aficionados. Aside from my own additions/substitutions, I’ve re-ordered some of the steps, and separated out the spice blend to make ahead.

After writing recipes for this website for about 20 years and doing a lot of home cooking from recipes I find all over the place, I’ve got very strong opinions about how recipes should be written.

I find that every beef dish is better if it’s eaten the day after it’s cooked. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve braised ribs, or made chili, and been utterly disappointed when I’ve eaten it the same day I cooked it, and then been blown away by the leftovers. So I recommend cooking this the day prior to when you intend to eat it – it will be fine on the day you make it, but something about resting overnight in the fridge makes it much more delicious.

I know I’ve included some controversial elements, like kidney beans and tinned mushrooms; that’s just how I like it. You can leave them out if you’re a purist.

With Chipotle chilis in Adobo, every time I open a can I end up with more than I need for any recipe, so I freeze the remainder – they freeze well, and are actually easier to chop frozen.

I live in downtown Toronto, and weirdly there are a few things we can’t get here, like apple butter, for some reason, so I substituted a glug or two of maple syrup, but next time I make it I’m going to make sure I have apple butter, even if I’ve got to make it myself.

Equipment

• Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch Oven
• Electric coffee grinder (for grinding spices; clean it out by grinding some rice in it afterwards, which will pick up the spice bits)
• Wooden Spoon

10-Trick Chili Ingredients

Spice Mix

• 4 whole dried chilis (ancho and/or guajillo – I found them at Eataly, of all places), toasted and ground to a powder
• 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 tablespoons ground paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Chili

• 1/2 lb bacon
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 chipotle chilis in adobo, minced
• 1 tablespoon gochujang, sambal or similar fermented chili paste
• 1 (12 oz) dark beer (Chimay Blue is nice)
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 1 cup water
• 1 (28 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 cans whole mushrooms (honestly, might do more next time)
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 dried porcini mushrooms, ground (found these at Loblaws, oddly enough they didn’t have them at Eataly)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/4 cup apple butter (I couldn’t find apple butter, for some reason, for I just glugged some maple syrup in and that seemed to do the trick)
• 1/2 ounce chocolate chips
• Cheddar cheese, green onions, and sour cream for garnish

10-Trick Chili Method

Spice Mix

1. Toast the cumin seeds in a pan over medium heat, until fragrant.
2. Grind the cumin seeds to powder in a coffee grinder
3. Toast the dried peppers for a few minutes over medium heat.
4. Grind the dried peppers in batches in a coffee grinder.
5. Mix ground cumin and ground dried chilis with paprika, oregano, garlic powder, and slat & pepper to taste.

Chili

1. Place a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add half a pound of bacon, and fry to render out the fat.
3. Remove bacon from the pan and reserve to use as bacon bits for topping or whatever.
4. Add the ground beef to the bacon fat, breaking it up first into a few large chunks.
5. Let sit for a minute to caramelize on one side.
6. Using a stiff spatula or wooden spoon, break up the beef into fine pieces.
7. Cook, stirring often, until the beef is fully cooked through and lightly browned.
8. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
9. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for a few minutes, or until the vegetables have just begun to soften and the garlic is fragrant.
10. Add the Spice Blend (dried chili, ground cumin seeds, paprika, oregano, and garlic powder, salt & pepper).
11. Stir and cook for 30 seconds, or until the spices are fragrant.
12. Add in the drained and minced chipotle chilis in adobo and fermented chili paste.
13. Cook for another 30 seconds, stirring,
14. Add the dark beer, brewed coffee, and water.
15. Add in the can of fire roasted tomatoes and drained kidney beans.
16. Bring the pot up to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
17. Add in the cinnamon stick, ground porcini mushrooms, soy sauce, fish sauce, apple butter, and chocolate chips.
18. Stir to combine and allow to simmer uncovered on low heat, stirring occasionally, for an hour or until the chili has thickened significantly.
19. After an hour, taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
20. You can optionally allow the chili to fully cool before placing it in the fridge to serve the following day. This will improve the flavour, but feel free to serve immediately with your favourite chili toppings.
21. Top with grated cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, and sour cream.

For more delicious recipes, check out my Family Recipes page.