Chili Synergy

Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chuck roast (or 1 lb chuck roast and 1 pound ground meat)
• 1/2 tablespoon canola oil (or any vegetable oil)
• salt
• pepper
• 2 cups finely chopped onions
• 2 cups red peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice (can use yellow, orange, or green)
• 6 minced garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup chili powder (this is for a mild chili, add 2 t more if you want more chili flavor)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use 2 t for a spicier chili)
• 2 teaspoons mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 28 ounces canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 30 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 ounces pink beans, drained and rinsed
• 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes, do not drain
• 28 ounces tomato puree
• 1/2 cup water

Recipe

• 1 trim the chuck roast so the edge fat and any large interior fat sections are removed, leaving the interior marbling.
• 2 cut the meat into 3/4" cubes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. note: larger cubes will require longer cooking to become fall-apart tender.
• 3 heat the oil in large dutch oven until the oil shimmers.
• 4 add the seasoned cubed meat. cook over medium high heat turning every 3-4 minutes until each side is well browned.
• 5 remove meat with slotted spoon and put in a bowl.
• 6 add onions, green pepper and spices to the dutch oven. cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.
• 7 add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. if using ground beef, go to the next step, if not, skip the next step.
• 8 if using ground beef, add it now. cook, stirring frequently, just until all the pink is gone.
• 9 carefully drain the mixture, removing all but a couple of teaspoons of fat.
• 10 add the cubed beef back into the pot, including any accumulated juices.
• 11 add the tomatoes, tomato puree, and drained beans.
• 12 bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, covering the pot. stir once in awhile (maybe once every 15 minutes).
• 13 after 1 to 1 1/2 hours, remove cover, stir and see how thick the mixture is. if it is quite thick, add 1/2 cup water (you can leave it that thick, but it can burn more easily if you don't pay attention and stir frequently).
• 14 continue cooking until the beef chunks are tender.
• 15 serve with whatever garnish you want: lime wedges, grated cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, chopped onion, diced avocado, etc.