Ancho Bacon Chili Recipe
This Saturday (2/24/23) is the annual Del Ray Citizen Association’s Chili Cook-Off, so we thought we would share our recipe for this year’s entry. This year we are going in the more traditional direction by using ground beef, however with the addition of bacon, poblano peppers, and a flavorful spice mix we aim to finally bring home a trophy.
Ingredients:
2.5 lbs Ground Beef (We use 80/20)
8 Strips of Bacon
6 Poblano Peppers
1 Yellow Onion
4 Garlic Cloves
3 Cups Beef Broth
28oz Fire Roasted Tomatoes
3 Tbsp Ancho Chili Powder
1.5 Tbsp Cumin
1.5 Tsp Paprika
1.5 Tsp Cayenne
1.5 Tsp Oregano
1 Tsp Salt
0.5 Tsp Baking Soda
Directions:
In a large bowl mix the ground beef, salt, baking soda, and one tbsp of water until evenly mixed. Set aside for 20 minutes. The baking soda will lock in the moisture of the beef and aid in the browning process later.
Dice the strips of bacon and cook in your Dutch oven/large pot. Once the bacon has almost finished cooking, remove it and set aside. Drain half of the bacon grease and reserve the other half in your pot.
Cut up the onion, garlic cloves, and poblano peppers. Use a food processor preferably, otherwise dice up veggies.
Heat pot with remaining bacon grease over medium heat until hot. Add veggies and stir frequently until soft 5-7 minutes.
Add beef to pot and increase heat to high. Cook until beef browns 10-12 minutes.
Combine Cumin, Paprika, Ancho Chili Powder, Cayenne, and Oregano in the pot. Stirring until mixed well around 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and beef broth to the pot and bring up to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for at least two hours. Optional: After two hours skim any excess fat off of the surface of the chili.
