Chili

The best chili I've had is at Zingerman's Roadhouse. You can pick it up by the quart from the trailer in front (the "roadshow"). It's far too spicy for those who like their chili mild and is nothing like the chili you'd find in 99% of diners. Rich in smokey chili flavor, this is another matter entirely. It's hot enough at the finish that you need to eat another spoonfull quickly to cool down the last one. It's so good, I'd probably eat it that quickly anyway.

The closest recipe I've found is the one below, which has been adapted from Martha Stewart's Chili Con Carne. The ancho chiles are clearly the secret to the smokey flavor. While I've had the best results when following the recipe precisely, it is good enough that even when not quite as good, it's still a mighty fine chili. If you can't find or don't have anchos on hand, other dired or fresh chiles will suffice, as long as you're careful not to make it hotter than you can tolerate. If you're using fresh, roating the pepper will give you some, though not all of the smokiness of the dried. I've made this most often with a roasted poblano peppers, of which I happended to score a box of ~50 of at the farmers market several years ago and still have some in the freezer.

The recurring dilema with a recipe like this is which beer to use. While it will be good with nearly any beer, the beer will affect the flavor and better beer will make better chile. That being said, if I had three beers on hand, I'd dump the worse two in the chile and save the best to drink alongside.

3 Ancho Chiles (dried poblanos, or use fresh or other chiles)
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
4 oz Pork, finely chopped
2 pounds Beef Chuck, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups White Onion, chopped (or yellow)
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Cumin, ground
1 teaspoon Oregano, dried (or 1 Tbs fresh)
1 Bay Leaf
Salt, to taste
28 oz Canned Tomatoes, crushed or sauce (or whole/diced pulsed in blender)
24 oz Beer
1 tablespoon White Vinegar

Toppings: any combination of avocado, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, scallions, cilantro, tortilla chips, crumbled bacon

1.Toast chiles in a skillet over medium heat, turning often, until fragrant and puffed up, about 2 minutes.
2. Cut chiles in half, remove cores, reserve seeds, transfer chiles to a bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
4. Add pork; cook until browned, 3 minutes per side. Remove pork.
5. Add beef in batches, cooking until browned, about 3 minutes per side, adding oil as needed. Remove browned beef.
6.Meanwhile, put chiles and 1/2 cup soaking liquid into a blender; puree.
7.Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
8. Stir in cumin, oregano, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons reserved chile seeds (more for heat, if desired). Cook 1 minute.
9. Add chile puree. Raise heat to medium-high and stir for 2 minutes.
10. Return meat to pot.
11. Add 2 teaspoons salt, the tomatoes, and beer. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-high.
12. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 75 minutes.
13. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and sauce is thick, about 30 minutes more.
14. Discard bay leaf. Stir in vinegar.