Smokey Beef Chili with Guinness

This is a recipe I obtained via twitter. I didn’t make a note of the source, and it was shared as text in an image which I printed. I am now unable to locate the original.

I’m re-posting it the original text here (none of the comments within are mine) for the people that have asked me about it with thanks to whoever was responsible — it was enjoyed by my whole family :D

Smokey Beef Chili with Guiness

500 grams of gravy beef
100 grams of streaky bacon
3 celery stalks
2 red chilies
2 red onions
2 green capsicums
8 garlic cloves
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cans of red kidney beans
150g of tomato paste
500ml beef stock
Dried oregano
Smoked paprika
Ground cumin
Tabasco sauce
Sugar to taste (usually between 1 and 4 teaspoons)
200ml of Guinness
(Optional) 1 can of smoked chipotle peppers

Roughly dice onion, chilies, capsicum and bacon. Finely dice garlic and celery. Add to hot pot with good slug of olive oil and cook until onion becomes semi-transparent.

Meanwhile, cut gravy beef (or chuck steak, or skirt steak) into large chunks. Whack in a food processor and pulse until half the steak has disintegrated and half has been carved up into various random shapes of random size.

Once onion is browned (important) add big teaspoon of smoked paprika, flat teaspoon of cumin, 2 teaspoons of dried oregano and solid few shakes of Tabasco sauce. Cook and stir for a few minutes until mixture becomes coloured from the spices cooking through it.

Add meat and cook until brown.

Add tomato paste and diced chipotle peppers and cook out until it just starts to caramelise on the walls of the pot. Add the adobo sauce from the chipotle can to taste now as well (warning – hot!)

Add can of diced tomatoes (drained) and kidney beans (drain and rinse well first). Cook for a few minutes.

Add Guinness. Cook until most of the beer has evaporated.

Add beef stock. Bring to boil. Add sugar until the mix in the pot is slightly less sweet than you want it to be (the sauce will reduce and sweetness will increase at the end). Alternatively, add the sugar when you add the tomato paste (it will add a little to the caramelisation of the paste and add a bit of extra flavour – best for second time you cook it, so you know how much you need)

Taste the mix after it starts to boil. Add a teaspoon of dried oregano and a little extra smoked paprika if the mix isn’t as smokey in flavour as you’d like. Add tabasco sauce for extra heat.

Simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours and add the lid when the mix is just a bit wetter than you want. (e.g. you want it wetter for serving with rice than you do for tacos or nachos). Let stand for at least 1/2 hour with heat off and lid on before serving (you can give it a reheat before serving if needed and add a little water to the simmering if it starts to dry out.)

Some folks stir fresh oregano and diced chili through before serving. It doesn’t float my boat, but it may well yours.

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