Firehouse Buracho Chili

Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (to brown the meat)
• 1 1/2 lbs lean stewing beef
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder, blend (your standard stuff in a jar)
• 1 tablespoon new mexico chile powder
• 2 tablespoons dried ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle beer
• 1 (14 ounce) can black beans or 1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• masa harina, enough to thicken,to taste

Recipe

• 1 in a large soup pot, heat the oil and brown the stew beef.
• 2 add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the chili powder, the new mexico and ancho chile powders, paprika, cumin and bay leaf; cook, stirring frequently, another 5 minutes.
• 3 add the broth, tomatoes and beer and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
• 4 add the beans, cilantro, lemon juice, molasses, oregano and thyme and simmer another 30 minutes.
• 5 stir in enough masa harina (to which a little water has been added to make it blend well) to thicken and simmer just long enough to absorb the masa and thicken up a bit.
• 6 serve with chopped onion, some grated cheddar cheese and some fresh cilantro.