Bodega Bay Chipotle Chili

One of my favorite comfort meals is chili, primarily because of the toppings.... helllllllo sour cream & cheddar! Chase isn't really a fan of chili (what!?!); so when he told me he loved the chili one of the guys made him on the boat when he was in Bodega Bay, I had to get the recipe! I love the recipes he brings home- they are usually scribbled on some random sheet of paper with no measurements. This particular recipe was no different- the original recipe listed "3 cloves of garlic, or not" and "1 can of chopped tomatoes or chop one or two up". These guys always have to use whatever they have and that means recipes that are really flexible. Along that same line of thought, I used frozen chuck roast instead of the pork shoulder, so see below for some notes & variations. No matter what meat you use or how you cook it (crockpot or Dutch oven), this recipe is sooooo good for the winter and these end of season football games.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 1 medium red onion, diced

• 4 pounds pork shoulder

• 4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 3 tablespoons cumin

• 3 tablespoons chili powder

• 2 cans diced tomatoes

• 1 small can Embassa Chipotle Chilies (*see note below!!!)

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 can black beans

• 1 can kidney beans

• 1 can cannellini beans

Some of my favorite toppings:

• Shredded cheddar cheese

• Red onion

• Green onion

• Cilantro

• Sour cream

Directions:

1. In Dutch oven, sauté onions for 5 minutes.

2. While the onions are sautéing, cut pork into cubes. Add the pork to onions and cook until the pork is browned on each side.

3. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and sauté for another minute. Add tomatoes and chipotle chilies, if using.

4. Pour in the chicken broth, add salt and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to low and simmer in Dutch oven until pork is fork tender and the liquid has reduced, appoxiamtely two hours (but this will vary depending on how much pork you use!)

6. Add beans and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.

Some Notes/Variations:

1. You can use either beef or pork; both are delicious so it's really what you prefer/have on hand.

2. If you have frozen meet (we buy bulk meat at Costco and then freeze it), you can do this entire recipe in the crockpot. Place your frozen meat in the crockpot with lots of seasoning, onions, garlic, tomatoes, chipotle chilies, and 2 cups of chicken stock. Let cook on low for 8-10 hours, until tender. Add beans and cook on low for approximately an hour until ready to serve. (Do not add the additional 2 cups of chicken stock, the meat will make it's own beef broth as it cooks!)

3. In regards to the chipotle chilies: when I saw he used a whole can, I thought "damn that's going to be spicy!" I love spicy, and let me tell you, a whole can is spicy!! If you are not really a fan of spice, just use a tablespoon of the adobe sauce that the chilies are canned in rather than using the whole can. The chipotle flavor comes through, but you don't get the spice. If you fall somewhere in the middle, just add one or two chipotle chilies with the adobe sauce. If you love spicy food, do the whole can!

#chili #winter #beef #pork #cheese #dinner #galley #superbowl