MineralMan's Chili for 20 -- Everyone eats [View All]

[MineralMan]

MineralMan's World-Famous Chili -- Minnesota Style

Many Minnesotans seem to have tender palates, for the most part. Offer them something very spicy or with a lot of heat, and they say, "Uffda" and head for the milder fare. So, I came up with this recipe. It has all the flavor, but not so much of the bite of typical chili. I served it up at a family gathering made up mostly of lutefisk-eating folks. They looked skeptical, but tried it, since they were being "nice" to me, a recent arrival. It got raves. Regular folks like this recipe, too, and you can add hot sauce to your own bowl if you need to "feel the heat." Try it!

MineralMan's Chili for 20 (makes 10-12 quarts)

Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

1.5 lb. Fresh bulk pork sausage
1.5 lb. Bulk Chorizo sausage (available at most grocery stores)
2 lb. Low-fat ground beef
3 Large yellow onions
6 Cloves of garlic (or equivalent)
3 Large green bell peppers
3 Large cans (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 Can (15-16 oz.) enchilada sauce (mild)
2 Cans Black beans
2 Cans Red Kidney Beans
2 Cans Chili Beans
2 Cans Pinto Beans
1 Tablespoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1 Teaspoon chili powder
1 Teaspoon Chipotle chili powder
(Note: If Chipotle chili powder not available, double regular chili powder.)
1 Tablespoon ground Cumin (comino) (Look for bags of this in Mexican food section...it's cheaper)

Other Ingredients at serving time:

2 Medium white onions
1 lb. grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 Bottle hot sauce (Tabasco™ or other)
Salt
Pepper


Directions:

You'll need a very large pot or an electric roaster oven (recommended) for this. It makes about 3 gallons, so plan ahead. Begin cooking at least 4 hours before you plan to serve the chili. You can't do it too early. Allow about an hour for chopping ingredients and cooking the meat.

Start by coarsely chopping the yellow onions and the bell peppers (1/2" pieces). Crush and finely chop the garlic. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the onions, garlic and peppers until the onions are transparent.

While cooking the onions, pour all the canned ingredients into your pot or roaster oven. Be sure to add any fluids in the cans as well. Turn on burner or roaster oven (350 degrees). Add the salt, pepper, chili powders, and cumin and stir well to distribute seasonings.

In the same pan used to sauté the onions, etc. start cooking the meat, one variety at a time. Use a spatula or other utensil to break up the ground ingredients into chunks about 1/2" in size. Take your time with this, and don't be tempted to reduce the meat to smaller sizes. Brown the meat on all sides, but don't worry about cooking them through. Dump the contents of the pan into the pot or roaster oven, then repeat with the other meats.

Stir the meat in the pot to thoroughly distribute it, then put a lid on the pot and continue cooking at a low to medium heat for at least 4 hours. If you use a roaster oven, reduce the temperature to 300 degrees after an hour or so. On the stove, adjust the heat after half an hour to keep the chili simmering. That's it. Go and enjoy your company, if they've arrived. Come back about half an hour before serving, stir and taste, adjusting seasonings as needed. Also, a half an hour before serving, finely chop the white onions and put in a bowl and cover. Grate the sharp Cheddar cheese and place in a covered bowl.

At serving time, stir the finished chili thoroughly and use a ladle to dish it into bowls. Stir as needed to keep the chili ingredients well-distributed. Allow guests to spoon the white onions and cheddar onto the chili as desired. For more heat, the extra hot sauce will serve. Guests can also add their own salt and pepper.