" Bowl Of Red " Chili Con Carne

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

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) cans tomatoes, undrained
• 4 cups water
• 5 lbs coarse lean ground beef
• 2 large onions, diced
• 5 tablespoons shortening
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 bay leaves, broken
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
• 6 tablespoons chili powder or 6 tablespoons cayenne or 6 tablespoons black pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro or 1 teaspoon fresh coriander
• 3 -5 tablespoons flour

Recipe

• 1 in a blender, puree tomatoes.
• 2 in a 2-gallon kettle, pour water & tomatoes & begin cooking over medium heat.
• 3 in a skillet, brown beef & onion in shortening.
• 4 in kettle with tomatoes, add beef, onions, garlic, bey leaves, oregano, cumin, salt, chili powder / pepper.
• 5 bring to a boil & reduce heat to simmer for 2.5 - 3 hours.
• 6 add water if chili gets too thick during cooking.
• 7 add cilantro 30 minutes before chili is ready.
• 8 mix flour with cold water or tomato juice to form a paste & add to chili to thicken.
• 9 stir thoroughly.
• 10 chili is best made at least 1 day before serving.