It’s taken me a long time, but I’ve finally perfected gumbo. I’ve gone through countless over-complicated recipes over the years and have systematically thrown out the steps and ingredients that were superfluous. This recipe is what remained. It’s the best gumbo I’ve ever had.

I usually do a shrimp and sausage gumbo, but you could add crab, fish, chicken thighs, smoked turkey, or anything else you like. But you have to use one pound of hot andouille sausage or it won’t come out the same. That’s where the spices come from in this version.

Here’s pretty much everything you need:

Chad Chandler’s Perfect Gumbo

• 1 lb jumbo shrimp, halved (shells reserved)
• 1 lb hot andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
• 2 large (or 3 medium) onions, diced
• 4 large bell peppers, chopped
• 5 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 lb fresh okra, sliced, divided
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 14.5 oz cans stewed tomatoes, crushed
• 7 cups water
• 1 14.5 oz can chicken stock (1 3/4 cups)
• 14 tablespoons butter (just get two sticks), divided
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

It’s easy to looked at this lengthy ingredient list and get intimidated, but it’s not really as complicated as it seems. There’s a lot of chopping and stirring at first, but once the gumbo is on the stove, you can walk away. Plus, you end up with six quarts of gourmet food for around $25.

You’re going to need a dutch oven or a large pan for the roux, a large pan for the sausage, and a small pot for the shrimp stock. So make room on the stove. I usually pour everything into a stock pot after it’s all mixed together and clean the other pots and pans.

To begin, slice the andouille sausage into 1/4 inch rounds and cut the smoked sausage into 1/4 inch half-moons. I do that so the wife knows which sausage is spicy and which is not. I throw the sausage into a large pan over medium heat while I’m chopping all of the onions, peppers, celery (known as the Holy Trinity in Cajun cooking) and garlic. You want to render the fat and let it crisp around the edges.

Once the veggies are all chopped (but not the okra), I pour the water and the chicken stock into a small pot and put it on the back burner. I bring out the shrimp and leave them on the counter by the stove.

Next, it’s time to make the roux. A roux isn’t difficult, but it is labor-intensive. And since gumbo gets its taste, color and texture from the roux, you can’t cheat. You melt a stick and half (12 tablespoons) of butter over medium heat until it foams. Then you gradually mix in 3/4 cups of flour. This process takes about twenty minutes, so be prepared to whisk almost constantly the entire time.

If the roux burns, it’s ruined; you have to start all over. So stir it constantly until it darkens to the color of peanut butter. Then it should get a little more watery and you can go about 20 seconds between stirring sessions. This is when I take the opportunity to peel the shrimp. I peel one, toss the peel into the pot of water, put the shrimp in a bowl, and then whisk the roux. Then another shrimp in hand, peel into the water, shrimp into a bowl, and whisk the roux. Over and over again until they’re all peeled and the shrimp are back in the fridge.

It can be a little daunting managing all of these pans at the same time, but you’ll get the hang of it eventually. Or better yet, get a helper. The wife was busy making new pillows for our den furniture, so I was on my own as usual.

Turn the heat up to medium-high on the shrimp stock. You want it to simmer (so turn it to low once it’s boiling) until the roux is finished cooking. If it starts to foam on top, slide it off the heat and blow on it or it’ll spill over and your house will smell like burnt marine exoskeleton for a few days.

Meanwhile, you should still be stirring the roux and shaking the sausage pan to make sure it’s not burning. If the suasage does start to stick to the bottom, just pour a little water into the pan to deglaze it.

When the roux gets to be the color of a Hershey’s chocolate bar, you’re done.

Place a colander over your roux pot and slowly pour in the stock. Once it’s all incorporated, whisk vigorously to combine. This is the base of your gumbo. Most of the work is done.

Turn the heat to medium-low and turn your focus to the sausage. By now, the sausage should have rendered a lot of orange-colored fat. You want to remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and toss it into the gumbo pot. Pour out all of the fat except for about three tablespoons. Add a couple of tablespoons of butter and pour in as much of the Trinity as you can get into the pan. Sprinkle a big pinch of salt over the vegetables. This will purge the water into the pan. If you can’t fit all of the Trinity into the pan, then just toss the rest into the gumbo pot.

You’re really just using the Trinity to deglaze the sausage pan and absorb all of the sausage flavor. While the vegetables render and eventually cook off their water, open the cans of tomatoes. Shake out the excess liquid over the sink, but it’s not a big deal if some remains. Pour the stewed tomatoes into a bowl and squeeze the chunks through your fingers until it’s all crushed uniformly. Then pour it into the gumbo pot.

When the trinity is starting to sizzle and brown, toss in the minced garlic, stir well, and let it all cook for a few more minutes. Then toss it all into the gumbo pot. You might have to use a bigger pot, and you might not.

Cut half of the okra into 1/2 inch rounds and toss it into the gumbo pot with the worcestershire, thyme, salt, and pepper. You’ll add the rest later. Bring the gumbo to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. If you taste the gumbo now, it’ll seem watery and off-tasting because of the worcestershire. That’s normal. Just trust me. Don’t add any more seasonings. Cover and simmer for at least four hours and up to six and it’ll turn out great.

After a few hours, slice and add the remaining okra. When there’s an hour left until you’re planning to serve the gumbo, take the lid off the pot and turn up the heat a little. You want to evaporate about a half-inch of the liquid. Just stir it occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom and look at the waterline in the pot. When you’re fifteen minutes away from serving, cut the shrimp in half with some kitchen shears and add them to the gumbo. They’ll cook almost instantly.

Season to taste with a little salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Serve with white rice, hot sauce, and filé powder if you like it. I love filé in dark stews. It’s just dried and pounded sassafras leaves. But you should know that it gets gummy if it boils, so you never add it to the pot. Just sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon over your bowl.

This gumbo demands a good amount of prep work, but the payout is huge. The taste should be amazing, the texture should be thick and smooth, and you should have meat in every bite.

When I was right out of college and teaching myself to cook, I tried to reverse-engineer Ruby Tuesday’s Sonora Chicken Pasta. I hate to date myself, but this was back in the days of Web 1.0 before seemingly everything was posted online. I didn’t want to literally recreate the dish, as I found the sauce too rich. I just wanted to perfect that creamy taste and texture that coated the noodles and tickled the back of your throat with a slight hint of spiciness. I never wrote down the recipe I eventually worked out, and it’s been at least five years since I last made it. The wife has been requesting it for months, so I thought I’d finally perfect the dish and record the recipe for posterity.

If you search for the Sonoroa Chicken Pasta recipe now, it’s easy to find. After reading a few versions, it’s apparent why I thought the sauce was too rich. It calls for so much Velveeta Cheese that it’s halfway to being Rotel Dip. My version of the dish is creamier, easier to make, and, frankly, I think it tastes better.

Here’s pretty much everything you need:

Spicy Chicken Pasta

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 1-2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 cups heavy cream or half and half
• 4 oz (half a brick) of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1½ teaspoons hot sauce
• 2½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Parmesan cheese for garnish

There’s nothing complicated here. Just dice all of the vegetables and set aside. Next, season the chicken with salt and pepper and saute over medium-high heat in two tablespoons of butter. You can slice the chicken, dice it, or cook the breasts whole and slice them later; whichever you prefer. After the chicken is cooked, remove it to a plate and cover with foil.

If there’s a lot of fond on the bottom of the saute pan, add a little water to deglaze it. Next, melt another two tablespoons of butter and toss in the diced vegetables (but not the tomato). Sprinkle a big pinch of salt over everything so the vegetables will release their water. Saute until softened, about ten minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, put your pasta pot over high heat. When the vegetables are softened, remove them to a plate and set aside. Toss the dry pasta into the pot of boiling, salted water. It should take around ten minutes to cook, which is about how long it will take to make the sauce.

Reduce the heat on the saute pan to medium and add the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Once it’s melted, add the flour and stir with a whisk to make a basic roux. Once it’s pulled together, add the cream off the heat and whisk like crazy until the lumps are gone. Next, add the cream cheese, hot sauce, Old Bay, salt and pepper, and stir until everything is incorporated. The sauce will thicken up when it reaches a simmer.

Once it’s bubbling, add the sauteed vegetables (and the tomato) to the sauce and simmer on medium-low to cook off the starchy taste of the flour. When the noodles are about done, taste the sauce and season with extra salt, pepper and Old Bay if you think it needs it. You want sauces like this to be a little over-seasoned. When you eat it, each bite will consist of 90% bland noodles, so the sauce will need to have a little extra oomph.

The spicy cream sauce should be finished at the same time as the noodles. You want the noodles to be a little more al dente than usual since they’ll continue to cook in the hot cream sauce for a few minutes. Just strain the noodles, pour them back into the pasta pot, add the sauce, and stir to coat evenly. You want the sauce to ooze into all of the holes in the pasta (if you’re smart, you made sure to buy penne noodles that have ridges on the outside so the sauce has something to cling to). You can add the chicken now, or plate it on top of the creamy and mildly spicy pasta. Just make sure you pour any chicken juices from the plate into the sauce at some point.

Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy. Look how well the sauce coats the penne.

This recipe sounds complicated, but it’s really not. It’s thirty minutes with a pot and a pan and you end up with tons of delicious leftovers. You can also use this recipe as a base and create all kinds of variations with asiago cheese and roasted garlic, broccoli and cauliflower, shrimp and bacon, etc. It’s not really all that different from my Rich & Creamy Cheese Grits recipe, which makes the best damn grits you’ve ever had.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into two inch cubes
• 2 large poblano peppers, roasted and skins removed
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2-3 ancho chiles with adobo sauce, chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• juice from one lime
• salt and pepper to taste

Roast the poblanos on a flame or under the broiler until they’re charred and blistering. Cool them in a ziplock bag so they steam. Finally, remove the stems and seeds, peel off the skin, and chop the peppers.

While the peppers are cooking, chop the roast into two inch cubes, removing any large pieces of fat as you go. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and black pepper and toss it into a pan over high heat with a little canola oil. Cook the meat on all sides until it’s well-seared. This is a smoky process, so open some windows.

While the meat is cooking, chop the onion and garlic. When the meat is browned on all sides, remove it to a plate. Immediately toss the onions (and a little more oil if necessary) into the hot pan and saute until they begin to brown, around ten minutes over medium-high heat. Finally, toss in the garlic, chopped poblanos, and ancho chiles. When everything starts to stick to the bottom, deglaze the pan with the red wine. Once the wine has pretty much evaporated, toss in the can of tomatoes and cook off most of the liquid.

Once everything starts to stick to the bottom of the pan again, pour the vegetable medley into the slow cooker. Add the meat and any juices from the plate. Sprinkle the oregano on top of the beef and cook on low for about five hours.

Once the beef is fork tender, move it back to the plate and crush with the back of a fork. Shred the beef and look for any bits of gristle. If you trimmed the roast well, there shouldn’t be any. Add the meat back to the pot and squeeze the juice from one lime into the pot and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer until you’re ready to eat. If there’s too much liquid in the pot, turn the heat to high and let some steam escape until it the beef medley thickens.

Serve on fried corn tortillas or burritos with chopped cilantro, avocado, cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce.

This recipe is based on a dish in the Soby’s New South Cookbook. Here’s everything you need.

Rich & Creamy Cheese Grits

• 1 1/4 cup white, stone-ground grits
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
• 1/3 pound bacon, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons butter, as needed
• salt & pepper to taste

Bring the Chicken stock, water, salt and pepper to boil in a pot. Take the pot off the heat and slowly whisk in the grits so they don’t lump.

Return the pot to the heat and set it to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes (according to the package instructions), stirring occasionally to make sure the grits don’t burn. While the grits are cooking, chop the peppers and mince the shallot and garlic.

Next, chop the bacon into small rectangles and cook over medium-high heat until all the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and pour off all but two tablespoons of the bacon grease. (I like to sprinkle a little brown sugar on the bacon pieces while they’re still hot, but that’s not really part of the recipe)

Return the pan to the heat. Add the chopped peppers to the pan along with a tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 6-8 minutes until they’ve softened. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the garlic is starting to brown.

If you let things stick to the bottom of the pan, deglaze it with a little white wine and cook off the excess. Pour the medley into a large, shallow baking dish.

As I’ve said over and over again, you really should grate your own cheese if you have the time. The pre-shredded stuff they sell at the grocery store just doesn’t melt and incorporate the same as freshly grated cheese. I don’t know the science at work, I just know that’s how it is. So shred two cups of extra sharp white cheddar.

By this time, the grits should be about done. Off the heat, add 1½ cups of the cheese to the grits and stir well until there are no visible lumps. Next, add the cream and incorporate.

Finally, pour the grits mixture into the baking dish with the pepper medley and stir well. When it’s nicely mixed, season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with the remaining cheese and bacon pieces.

It’s not really necessary to bake this dish, but I always seem to warm it in the oven until it’s time to eat. It comes out great every time.

NOTES: When cooking grits like this, it’s better to err on the side of too much salt in the boiling water/stock mixture. You can always diminish the saltiness with extra cream and cheese, but it takes a lot of extra salt to add flavor to the finished dish.

Although I used bacon in the recipe above, I usually make this dish with a cup or two of cubed ham steak. I chop and fry it in a little olive oil and butter until it caramelizes. As soon as it’s finished cooking, I pour half of the ham into the casserole dish and incorporate it with everything else. Next, I add a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of brown sugar to the pan and stir so that all the remaining ham pieces are coated evenly with sweet caramel. I use those pieces as the topping.

If you want to use this recipe as a base for shrimp and grits, you just need to cut the cheese down to 3/4 cup and incorporate it all with the grits. Next, cook a pound of shrimp in the bacon grease with a tablespoon or so of Cajun seasoning (I usually mix equal parts Old Bay and Tony Chachere’s). When they’re just opaque, add a tablespoon or two of butter to the pan and a quarter cup of heavy cream. Stir well and pour the mixture over the grits. The shrimp will finish cooking in the residual heat of the casserole. Top with the bacon and some chopped, fresh sage.

We’ve cooked bulgur before and I’ve always liked it. I’m trying to incorporate it into more of our meals. It’s really cheap if you buy it at one of the public dispensers at Whole Foods. I filled up an old marinara jar for a couple of bucks. I can probably make a half-dozen dishes with that amount. It doesn’t get much cheaper than that.

Bulgur is very bland by itself, so you need to add some wine and/or stock to give it some flavor. You just need to throw in some extra ingredients and you’ve got yourself a cheap and healthy meal. I recently used it to make a Mediterranean-style side dish to go with our Roasted Rack of Lamb With Oregano Pesto.

Here’s everything you need:

Bulgur-Stuffed Bell Peppers

• Bell Peppers
• 1 1/3 Cup Chicken or Vegetable Stock (Low Sodium)
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 Cup Bulgur
• 1 Bunch Green Onions (Green Parts Only)
• 1 Small Cucumber, Chopped
• 5 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
• 1/2 Red Onion, Diced
• 1/4 Cup Pistachios, Chopped
• Juice & Zest from 1 Lemon
• 1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt & Pepper To Taste
• Olive Oil For Seasoning

I like to roast the bell peppers and peel them so they’re easier to eat when they’re stuffed. To do that, you rub them down with a little olive oil and place them in a tray on the top rack of the oven. Broil them at 475° until the skin chars and bubbles, about 15 minutes.

When they’re done, immediately place them in a sealed plastic bag. They’ll steam in their own heat, making it easier to peel them later on. Don’t worry, they won’t melt the plastic.

This recipe makes enough bulgur to stuff about ten peppers. Peeling peppers is both time consuming and labor intensive, so I rarely roast more than a few unless I have some help in the kitchen. Rinse the peppers under some cool, running water and peel the skin everywhere it’s bubbled. You don’t have to get every piece. Finally, pull off the tops and gently scrape out the seeds.

As far as cooking the bulgur, there’s not much to discuss. Bring the stock and water almost to a boil (I just do it in the microwave) and then add it to the bowl of bulgur. Cover with some plastic wrap for 15-20 minutes.

Next, chop your nuts, herbs and vegetables. I gently sautéed the chopped garlic, onions, cucumber, pistachios and red pepper flakes in a little olive oil — just long enough to cook off the raw taste.

When the bulgur is finished absorbing liquid, it’ll taste like really al dente pasta. You need to drain and rinse it in a fine mesh sieve:

Next, add the fresh vegetable medley to the bulgur and season to taste with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Finally, carefully stuff the bulgur mixture into the bell peppers. Garnish with the zest of the lemon.

Here’s everything you need:

Southwestern Pasta Salad

• ½ pound Ditalini (or other small pasta)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1/2 bunch Green Onions (green parts
• only), chopped
• 1/2 cup Vidalia Onions, finely chopped
• 1 (15.5 oz) can *Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 oz) can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Mexicorn, drained and rinsed
• I small can Chopped Black Olives
• 1/2 cup chopped Cilantro Leaves
• 2 Lemons, juiced
• 2 Limes, juiced
• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder

This might seem like a lot of ingredients, but you’re mainly just opening cans. Pour the beans and corn into a colander to rinse and drain. In a separate bowl, add the chopped onions, pepper, cilantro, olives, oil, vinegar and spices.

Next, juice the lemons and limes over a fine mesh sieve to catch the seeds and pulp. Really try to get all the juice out. This is the main flavoring in the salad.

Boil the noodles and cool them under cold, running water before adding them to the medley.

(I actually just used the noodles I had left over from my Minestrone di Smeraglia.)

Then mix it all with a spoon for a couple of minutes to make sure the oil, vinegar and citrus blend well.

This pasta salad is really good fresh, but it’s even better the next day. How easy is that?

*I know chickpeas aren’t very “Southwestern,” but they work so well in this dish.

I’ve developed a recipe that strikes the right balance between spicy and sweet and has an earthy flavor that sets it apart.

Here’s everything you need:

Chad’s BBQ Baked Beans

• 1 53 oz can Van Camp’s Pork & Beans (with 1 cup of liquid removed)
• 1 14.5 oz can Cannellini Beans (a.k.a. Great White Northern Beans), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 pound Bacon, diced
• 1 large Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 medium Onion (red or yellow or both), diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar (packed)
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (low sodium)
• 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Ancho Chile Powder
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Spanish Paprika
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Lots of people start their recipes with cans of Bush’s baked beans, but I think that makes it hard to control the sweetness of the sauce. Van Camp’s is tomato-based and very mild-flavored, so it makes a better base. Let the can settle for a while so all the solids sink to the bottom. Open the can and scoop out 1 cup of the liquid. Next, drain and rinse the cannellini beans. They have a meatier taste than navy beans and add a white-ish color to the dish. Then chop the bell pepper, onions and garlic.

Chop the bacon and cook it over medium-high heat in a dutch oven until crisp. Remove the cooked bacon pieces and let them drain on a paper towel.

Pour off all but a few tablespoons of the bacon fat and return the pot to the stove top. Add the chopped pepper, onion and garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook them until their juices evaporate and they start to brown around the edges. All you’re doing is getting rid of the excess moisture and cooking the raw taste out of the medley.

Next, mix the sauce ingredients (ketchup, worcestershire, sugar, vinegar, chili powder, paprika) in a separate bowl. Make sure to break up any lumps. If you wanted to use this mixture as a base for a Midwestern-style barbecue sauce, you’d just have to thin it with water and bourbon, add a little mustard powder, and simmer it until the sugar melts and the spices mellow.

When the onion mixture is finished cooking, add the beans and sauce to the pot. Simmer on low with the top off for about an hour. When you’re ready to serve, mix the bacon pieces back into the pot.

I usually make this dish a day early and pour it into a 2.5 quart casserole dish. An hour before my guests are supposed to arrive, I pop it into a 375° oven for 30 minutes covered, then remove the lid for another 30 minutes to let the sauce thicken. Add the cooked bacon at the 30 minute and mix well

People rave about this recipe.

I like really spicy Southwestern chili with no beans, but my wife likes a milder, more Southeastern chili with lots of beans. As a result, this recipe makes a medium-heat chili with one can of pinto beans for added texture and flavor.

Here’s everything you need:

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Ground Sirloin
• 1 lb. Pork Sausage
• 1 6 oz. can Tomato Paste
• 1 14.5 oz. can Tomato Puree (or crushed)
• 1 14.5 oz can Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 1 14.5 oz can Beef Broth (low-sodium)
• 1 14.5 oz can Pinto Beans, undrained
• 1 large Yellow Onion, diced
• 3 Bell Peppers, diced
• 1 Poblano Pepper, diced
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper, diced
• 1 head Garlic, chopped
• 1½ bottles of Beer

Spice Mixture

• 3½ teaspoons Ancho Chili Powder
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 1½ teaspoons Chipotle Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Dried Sage
• ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
• ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
• ½ teaspoon Cayenne (to be used later)

Directions

1. Finely dice all vegetables. The idea is to have a smooth chili when it’s ready to serve (I also threw in half a red onion from the fridge):
   
   

2. Mix all the herbs and spices (except the cayenne) in a separate bowl. Break up any lumps with a wooden spoon:
   
   

3. Brown the beef and pork, taking care to finely break it up. After pouring off the fat, add the tomato paste to the mixture and brown everything for another five minutes or so. When it starts to stick to the bottom of the pot, pour in the can of beef broth and deglaze the bottom.
4. Brown the diced peppers, garlic and onions in a skillet, and try to get a nice sear on them. Use a pinch of salt to draw as much sugar out of them as possible. The char adds a sweet, smokey taste to the chili. Next, deglaze the pan with the can of diced tomatoes and pour everything into the dutch oven with the meat mixture.
5. Finally, add the tomato puree, pinto beans, spice mixture and a bottle of beer to the pot. Cook uncovered on a low simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. It should look like this:
   
   

6. Once the mixture has reduced by about ¾ inch, add the lid and simmer for another 2½ hours, stirring occasionally.
7. Once the chili has been cooking for a total of 4½ hours, add half a bottle of beer and the ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Incorporate it well and return the lid to the pot. (If you like a little more heat in your chili, this is when you should add more spices). The chili should be thicker and a darker color at this point:
   
   

8. After 6 hours, the chili is ready to be served. Garnish with sour cream, cheddar cheese, chives/scallions and sliced jalapenos.

You can really play around with this recipe. Add more tomatoes if you like a thicker sauce. If you like your chili spicier, add more fresh peppers. I usually just make my batch according to this recipe and leave some cayenne powder and a bottle of Sriracha out. That seems to work fine for the guys who are compelled to boast about their tolerance for heat. If you don’t like beans, just leave them out. I should add that this chili is really good on hot dogs, especially when there are no beans in it.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

I use a stovetop dutch oven to cook my chili, but that’s only because I have to use one to brown the meat and peppers. You could make this in a crock pot with the following changes: Omit the salt in the spice mixture, add a (2 cup) beef bouillon cube, and only add one beer. Keep the lid on for the entire six hours and season to taste with salt and pepper just prior to serving.

I gave them all a rough chop, added some olive oil, chopped cilantro, the juice of half a lime, and some salt and preheated the broiler to 450°:

Next, I roasted the mixture until the tomatillos released their juices. Once that happens, everything starts to boil instead of broil, so I usually drain off most of the liquid into a bowl and put the pan back in the oven. I took it back out when everything stared to brown around the edges. You want a good char — that’s what gives the salsa a smoky flavor. Here’s what it looks like when it’s done:

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Finally, I let the mixture cool a little. Then, working in batches, I blended the mixture and the reserved tomatillo juices (I also addd the juice from the other half of the lime) to make the salsa verde:

This came out good, but it was a little too hot. Next time, I’ll only use two pablanos.