Papa's cooking tonight, so that means chili

Mrs Monkey was gone when I got home from work. Off running the little monkeys around, or something. So this means dinner is in my hands (well not literally, it eventually ended up in a bowl). As a chef, I don't have a huge repertoire, but what I do make I think is pretty good. The kids eat it and the complaining is minimal. Tonight I decided to make my Beer-Chili.

My Beer-Chili is not fancy, but it is easy. Basically it's a recipe of necessity using cheap and easily obtainable ingredients. To start off with, grab a big-ass onion, or a couple of smaller ones if that's all you have, and dice it up. Crush a handful of garlic cloves and throw those into a skillet or pot with the onions. Add a few drops of cooking oil

Once the onions and garlic have browned I add a quick pour of beer. Maltier beer work best, I would avoid hoppy beers. I would recommend a stout, porter, brown ale, or a Belgian Dark Ale. I have had a lot of success with an Odell Cutthroat Porter. Tonight I'm using a utilitarian Guinness. The browned onions soak up the beer quickly and contains the flavor.


Next step is to brown the hamburger. If the burger is thawed, great. If you are in a rush, or kind of lazy like me, throw the frozen meat right on the skillet and shave off the parts that are cooked with a spatula until it is all cooked. I also drizzle some beer over the frozen part. That helps thaw the meat a little faster and adds some additional flavor. Once the meat is browned, drain any excess grease.

I have a trick to drain the grease and save on plumbing expenses. Instead of pouring the grease down the drain, place a large bowl in the sink with a colander in the bowl. Dump the meat into the colander, and drain the grease into the bowl. From the bowl drain the grease into a drippings container. Mmmmmm, drippings.

Dump the meat back into the skillet and pour the in the remaining beer. Now it's time to add the spices and the canned goods. This is chili so the main spice is chili powder, and I use quite a bit. Other dry spices used are oregano, basil, black pepper and crushed red pepper. I also add a cap-full of Liquid Smoke and a couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce. If I'm using a Smoke Porter, I'll skip the liquid smoke

I like beans, so I use three different kinds. There is can of Red Kidney Beans, two cans of spiced Mexican Chili Beans, and a can of Frijoles Negros. The beer adds enough liquid, so I drain the beans and a can of diced tomatoes. Toss those into the pot with the spices and let it simmer. It really doesn't take a lot of time until it's done, just heat it up to your liking. When it's done, I like to scoop the chili over a bed of corn chips and a bunch of cheese on top. Like I said, it's not fancy, it's super easy. And great with a beer.