We got really excited here in the office when we realized that National Chili Day was coming up and we decided to celebrate with a cook-off. There was a varied selection of vegan friendly and meat-based recipes in the office yesterday for our official tasting. Below you'll find a recipe for a classic meat based chili, and if you follow us on Instagram you'll find a recipe for a hearty vegan chili!
Serves 10-12
Equipment:
5qt Crock Pot
Ingredients:
1lb grass fed chuck steak, 1" cubes
1Tbsp olive oil
1 28oz can or one quart Mason Jar peeled, whole tomatoes
1 15oz can of red beans, or 1 cup of dried beans
1 med onion, 1/4" dice
1 green pepper, 1/4" dice
1 head garlic, roasted
1/4 Cup Wildflower Honey Fire Cider
1Tbsp Chili powder
1Tbsp dried oregano
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. If using dried beans, start the night before. Rinse your beans thoroughly and cover in tepid water, add 1Tbsp of whey( I use the whey from the plain yogurt I always have in the house), or apple cider vinegar, and let soak overnight.
2. Slice your head of garlic in half laterally, so you have a top and bottom. Wrap in foil and bake at 350* for 1 hr. At the same time, if you're using dried beans, drain and rinse your beans then place in a stockpot and cover with water, the amount of water should be about double the volume of the beans. Cook over med-high heat for 1 hr. Drain your beans and add to the crockpot. Leave your garlic to cool in the foil on your counter.
3. Season your chuck to taste and brown in olive oil in a cast-iron pan on med-high, remove from pan and place in crockpot. Add onion and pepper to pan and saute until translucent, add to crockpot. Add Fire Cider to crockpot at this time.
4. Add tomatoes to crockpot crushing each tomato by hand. Add all seasoning and stir to combine. Set crockpot on low and cook for 4-6 hours.
5. Before serving, squeeze the roasted garlic into the crockpot and stir to combine.
I like to serve my chili with a good dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of cilantro, and a few of my quick Fire Cider shallot pickles. Be sure to follow us on Instagram as we'll be posting the recipe for those pickles soon.
