This smoked brisket chili is loaded with smoky beef, a medley of chiles, onion, and beans, smothered in a silky tomato chili sauce. A great crock-pot recipe!Safety first! When handling chiles put on a pair of rubber gloves!!
¼cupcoffeebrewed (can be leftover from your morning java)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepperto taste
Suggested Toppings:
Shredded Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Chopped Scallions
Chopped Cilantro
Instructions
Prepare the Dried Chiles:
(You can skip this step if you like spicy food!)If you do not like spicy food, open up the dried chili lengthwise with kitchen scissors, then remove the stems, seeds and any light-colored veins inside the chiles. This step will remove most of the heat.
Preheat a stainless steel or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the chiles and toast for 30 to 40 seconds on each side.
In a medium saucepan, heat enough hot water to cover the chiles. When the chiles have toasted, place them into a container or bowl to soak for 30 minutes. Make sure the chiles are submerged completely in the hot water. If they float use a clean heavy object to hold them down into the hot water. This will ensure that both sides of the chili become pliable.
After 30 minutes, remove the chiles from the soaking water. If you didn’t remove the stems initially then remove them now. Add the chiles and all, or as many of the seeds you prefer, plus about 1 cup of the soaking water to a container and blend with an immersion blender or a blender.
Strain the chile sauce to remove any large bits of skin or seeds that did not grind up in the blender.Use a spoon to help push the liquid through the sieve. It may seem like it won’t go through, but it will. Just keep stirring!You should have about ½ to 1 cup of red chile sauce.
Roast the Poblanos: (see notes)
Broil them, roast them directly on the grill or directly over a gas burner on the stove. This can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.
Carefully place the peppers in a bowl covered in plastic wrap or you can place them in a plastic bag, close it tightly and let them sweat for 10 to 20 minutes.
Once cool, peel the skin gently, starting at the charred sections where the skin is loose, preferably under a thin stream of cold water. You can also use a damp paper towel to wipe them off when you are done rinsing. Remember that the flesh will now be tender enough to tear easily. An important point to keep in mind is what you intend on using the chili for.
Cut the top of the roasted pepper off to remove the stem.Slice it wide open so that it can be laid out flat and scrape out all of the seeds and cut out and discard the ribs.Cut the soft roasted shell into ¼ – ½ inch thick strips, then dice them.
Brown the Ground Beef and Onions: (see note)
Pour the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the ground beef to the skillet, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula. Season the meat with 1 teaspoon of cumin. Cook until the beef is brown: about 6 to 7 minutes. Drain excess grease if necessary.
Combine The Ingredients & Slow Cook The Chili:
When all of the ingredients are ready to go, simply stir all of the ingredients into a slow cooker. Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste, then place the lid on the crock-pot and cook on HIGH HEAT for 4 to 6 hours OR on LOW HEAT for 6 to 8 hours, stirring occasionally.
Serving & Toppings for Smoked Brisket Chili:
After all that slow cooking the whole house will smell delicious. Give the chili a taste and add more salt and fresh cracked pepper, if needed. Serve this chili warm with tortilla chips and your choice of toppings.
Notes
Poblano Peppers: Poblano peppers are roasted or fried to bring out their true flavor. There are different ways to do this. I usually place the pepper over a gas burner on the stove. However, you can broil them in the oven. You can learn more about fire roasting poblanos HERE or learn how to roast them in your oven HERE.Substitutions for Brisket and/or Beef: If you don’t have smoked brisket and you’re not smoking one yourself, seared chuck-eye steaks cut into bite-size pieces work well in this chili. In fact, I shared a similar chili recipe many moons ago. That recipe was originally made with chuck-eye steak. A Healthier Alternative: Another option is to use chicken or turkey. For a healthier option, you could use 1 pound shredded grilled or rotisserie chicken and 1 pound ground chicken or turkey instead of beef. I’ve never tried it, but I couldn’t imagine eating this chili since we often have smoked brisket on hand.Using Steak Instead of Brisket? After the hamburger is done, cut the steak into cubes. Seer steak in the same skillet (be careful not to overcrowd the pan) over medium-high heat. The steak doesn’t need to cook through, but it needs to seer as much as possible, to seal in the juices of the meat. Remove seared steak cubes from the heat.Nutrition: Calories are based on chili ingredients only and do not include toppings.
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