Beef & Bacon Chili Verde Recipe

Sep
2011
02

I used to be one of those bloggers who despised other bloggers ahead of the game posting recipes for the upcoming season as a preview of what's to come out of their kitchen and onto their website. Of course what I was feeling is inferiority for being behind the pack posting in season recipes when I should be like the fashion and auto industries always looking ahead and never looking back. I kid, I kid but seriously Foodies & Foodettes while the proverbial ink is still drying on my Summer Lovin', My Ode to Produce post bidding adieu to the hazy summer days, I'm officially ushering in the autumn recipe season with my Beef & Bacon Chili Verde. This chili verde recipe is brought to you in part by the gourmet minds behinds Marx Foods who are hosting the Blogger Chile Recipe Contest.  Be sure to marvel at all of the recipe entries, then vote for my Beef & Bacon Chile Verde Recipe 9/12-9/16.

Dried Chilies from Marx Foods for Beef & Bacon Chili Recipe Contest by Rachel Joyce

For the main source of heat in my Beef & Bacon Chili Verde recipe I chose the Aji Amarillo, Habanero, and Mulato chilies from Marxfoods.com.

Beef & Bacon Chili Verde Recipe {Prep time: 1hr. , Cook time:  30min., Total Time: 1.5hr. , Servings: 6-8.} Ingredients
  • 1lb bacon (slab or sliced)
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 Marx Foods dried habanero chili
  • 3 Marx Foods dried mulato chilies
  • 2 Marx Foods dried Aji Amarillo chilies
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 green tomatoes
  • 2 yellow tomatoes
  • 8 poblano chilies
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 grated carrots
  • salt & pepper
  • olive oil

Directions

Roasted Poblanos & Tomatoes Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Coat poblanos and tomatoes with olive oil and coarse ground salt. Make sure there  is also enough oil coating the bottom of the pan. Roast until the poblano skins blacken and tomato skins split, about 15minutes. The Poblanos will be done before the tomatoes. Remove the peppers and put them in a large bowl and seal it with saran wrap. Let the tomatoes roast 5-7 minutes more. Add them to the bowl and re-seal it.
Beef & Bacon Chili Verde Recipe Roasted Tomatoes by Rachel Joyce

Gems. Roasted green and yellow tomatoes.

Dried Chile Paste Wearing gloves, de-seed and de-vein the dried peppers. Split the cleaned dried chilies open so you lay them flat in a pan. In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the cleaned dried chilies on each side for 20 seconds. Be careful not to burn them! The toast quickly.
Toasted Marx Foods Dried Chilies for Paste Recipe by Rachel Joyce

After toasting my Marx Foods dried chilies, I saved the seeds for when I plan on scorching myself in the future.

Put all the toasted chilies in a bowl with hot water and weigh it down with a plate for at least an hour. After the chilies soak, puree the coached chilies with 1/3 cup of the soaking water in a food processor until the paste is smooth.

The Whole Enchilada, er, I mean Chili

  • In a saucepan, cook the ground beef. Using a slotted spoon transfer the cooked beef into the large pot which will cook the chili together. Take the pan off of the heat, but don't wash it.
  • In another saucepan, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon to the large pot as well.
Beef & Bacon Chile Verde Recipe Meats by Rachel Joyce

Meet the meats of my Beef & Bacon Chili Verde. The ground beef is organic and the bacon was leftover from a Sunday breakfast. Feel free to opt for a slab of bacon and cut it into cubes.

  • Put the beef pan back on the burner and add 2/3 of the bacon grease to the beef pan. Add the carrots, onion, salt and pepper and cook until soft over medium heat. About 15 minutes.
  • Add the entire contents of the pan to the pot with the cooked meats.
  • Add 1 tbslp. of the dried chili paste.
  • De-skin and de-seed the roasted poblano chilies and tomatoes. Cut into 1/4" pieces and reserve as much of the juices as possible.
  • Add the chopped, roasted veg to the chili pot with 2 cups of chicken stock.
  • Over medium heat, bring chili to a bubble. Let bubble 5 minutes then reduce the heat to low. Let reduce for 20-25 minutes more.
Beef & Bacon Chili Verde Recipe Plate by Rachel Joyce

Bread and butter is the perfect companion for the slow burn on my Beef & Bacon Chili Verde.

Notes on Heat: *I was warned by my farmer's market produce vendor that the poblanos I purchased were unusually hot. With that fore knowledge, I started by adding 1tbslp. of my dried chili paste. If your poblanos aren't as hot, start wtih 1 tblsp., taste it for heat, adn then add more if you really want to feel the burn.

Notes on Reheating: **Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water when rehaeting the Beef & Bacon Chili Verde. Like most awesome dishes, this chili tastes better and hotter as it sits and stews in its on juices.

Notes on Voting: *** Visit Marx Foods Blogger Chile  Contest between 9/12 and 9/16 to vote for my Beef & Bacon Chili Verde Recipe. Come on, do it. I'd vote for you, promise.

Share/Bookmark

3 Comments »

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment