Food Network: Chiarello Chocolate Chili Con Carne

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Chiarello Chocolate Chili Con Carne
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

Ingredients
3 pounds beef chuck
Freshly ground black pepper
Gray salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon ground cumin, plus 2 teaspoons
2 tablespoons chili powder, plus 2 tablespoons
Masa harina (Mexican corn flour)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lard (Manteca)
4 red onions, peeled and minced
6 cloves garlic, minced

4 jalapeno peppers, sliced thin with seeds, stems removed
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 to 3 (12-ounce) bottles beer
1 (12-ounce) can diced tomato in juices
1 quart chicken stock
3 (12-ounce) cans black beans
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into large chunks

Instructions
Cut the chuck into ¾-inch pieces, or, to save
time, have your butcher do this for you. Place the chuck in a large bowl. Season
liberally with pepper (about 20 turns of the pepper grinder) and grey salt to
taste– remember half of this will come off in the pan. Season with 1/2

teaspoon of the cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of the cumin, and 2 tablespoons of the chili
powder. Mix this well and coat the meat with the masa harina (this is a ground
hominy flour common to Mexican cuisine and easily found in the Mexican food
sections of many grocery stores). The flour will thicken the sauce and give it a
specific, Mexican taste.

Preheat a cast iron Dutch oven on the stove over medium high heat. Add the olive
oil and then the coated meat, spreading it evenly so it covers the bottom of the
Dutch oven in 1 layer. Leave it alone, without turning it, so the meat will brown
and caramelize. Meanwhile, add the lard. The meat has a lot of moisture in it, so
a good amount of steam will come from the pan before it is caramelized. As it
browns, slowly turn each piece with tongs. Once all sides are caramelized, remove
the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a cookie sheet to cool,
leaving juices in the Dutch oven to saute vegetables. Add the onions and garlic

and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until they start to caramelize and get
soft. Add the jalapenos and allow to cook for 2 more minutes until soft. Add the
tomato paste. Some of the same spices as were used on the meat will be used in the
sauce. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, the
oregano, and 2 heaping tablespoons of the chili powder. Add beer. Stir to
incorporate everything. Add diced tomatoes, and stir. Then add the reserved meat.
Add chicken stock. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours until meat is wonderfully tender. Strain
juice from the black beans, add the beans to the chili pot and bring up to simmer.
Then add chunks of bittersweet chocolate. Stir until it melts. Serve immediately
or store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.