From Traveler Bill’s Test Kitchen – “Traveler Chili”

Fresh off the triumph of rekindling a memory from my youth, new hire at Traveler Bill Industries Buck Swenson, the head chef at the Test Kitchen at Traveler Bill Towers decided that he needed to kick his butt kissery to a whole new  level by creating an homage to Alton Brown’s Pressure Cooker Chili, or as it is (predictably) known here Traveler Chili!

TRAVELER CHILI – Makes 8 servings

The ingredients:
1 pound stew beef – cubed small (1/2 inch)
1 pound ground beef (or pork…or turkey)
3 tbsp oil- canola, vegetable or corn
3 small onions – diced
2 garlic cloves
1 large red bell pepper
2 bottles beer
1 can kidney beans
1 small can tomato paste
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 chipotle pepper – adobo sauce to taste
1 large can whole tomatoes
-Juice reserved and crushed by hand
-You can use 2 cans diced tomatoes too
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground dried chipotle pepper
1 pound bag your favorite plain corn chips
kosher salt
black pepper to taste

In a large heavy stock pot heat the 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat.  When the oil shimmers add ½ of the diced stew beef until browned.  Remove the beef add another tbsp oil browning the rest of the diced beef.  Remove and add the ground beef, cooking though and crumbling.  Add the remaining oil to the pot over medium heat.  Adding the onions, then peppers, sweating until transluscent with a pinch of salt and some black pepper.

Once they are at the desired consistency stir in the garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, dried pepper another pinch of salt and a couple grinds of pepper untill the spices have been completely absorbed.  Toss in the tomato paste and stir in 1 bottle of beer at the same time.  Turn up the heat to high and add the beans and tomatoes.  When the Traveler Chili starts to bubble crush ½ of the bag of chip and stir them in.   Cover, lower the heat to medium low and stir occasionally for ½ an hour.  Take this opportunity to drink the second bottle of beer and nosh on the remaining chips.

Uncover the Traveler Chili and cook for another half hour.  Serve over chips, Saltine Crackers, with a dollop of sour cream, grated cheddar, with some minced onions.  If you’re from Cincinnati, feel free to serve over spaghetti.  If you save to eat another day, feel free to add a little water as this chili thickens up considerably.  It held up a spoon in the plastic container for a good minute…right up until I tried to take a photograph.

If you have any requests or questions for Buck Swenson, please feel free to send them to Bmail@TravelerBill.com.  We’ll see that he gets them.