Chasen's Original Chili Recipe

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb dry pinto beans
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cups onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 lbs beef chuck, coarsely chopped*
• 1 lb lamb shoulder, coarsely chopped*
• 1/3 cup chili powder (gebhardt's**)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (framer bros**)

Recipe

• a secret ingredient added by a chef (after dave chasen stopped making the chili himself) is a quarter cup or 4 tablespoons of kahlua liqueur. i heard someone won a chili championship with the recipe, including that addition.
• chasen’s used the best beef chuck, center cut, trimmed completely of fat. the restaurant used a special meat grinder, but for the home cook, meat chopped into one-quarter to one-half-inch chunks is much better than ground meat for this chili. alternatively, ask the butcher to put the meat through a “chili plate” one time – this is a very coarse grind, and works well for chili.
•  chasen's used gebhardt's chili powder and farmer bros cumin. sometimes cumin seed is used in place of the ground cumin. it's a matter of personal preference. you might toast the seeds in a dry skillet, and crush them before adding to the recipe.
• rinse the beans, picking out debris. place beans in a dutch oven with water to cover 2' above beans. boil for two minutes. remove from heat. cover and let stand one hour. drain off liquid.
• rinse beans again. add enough fresh water to cover beans. bring mixture to a boil. reduce heat and simmer covered, for one hour or until tender.
• stir in tomatoes and their juice. simmer five minutes. in a large skillet, sauté bell pepper in oil for five minutes. add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently. stir in the garlic and parsley. add mixture to bean mixture. using the same skillet, melt the butter and sauté beef and lamb chuck until browned. drain. add to bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin.
• bring mixture to a boil. reduce heat. simmer, covered, for one hour. uncover and cook 30 minutes more or to desired consistency. chili shouldn't be too thick - it should be somewhat liquid but not runny like soup. skim of excess fat and serve.
• note: you can freeze this chili for several months. when reheating refrigerated leftover or frozen chili, add a few tablespoons of water to regain proper consistency.