Chili with Cocoa

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs beef stew meat or boneless Chuck roast, cubed
• 1/2 lb bacon, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 seeded jalapeño peppers, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, divided 2 and 1
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 10-15 oz can Rotel, or diced tomatoes with green chilis
• 2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed
• 2 cups beef broth or stock, + a little extra to keep vegetables from sticking to the pan (water or beer can be used instead)
• Fresh cilantro
• 2-3 tablespoons flour to coat meat
• Kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder for seasoning meat (Paula Deen’s House seasoning)

Directions

1. 01

   Lay meat out on a baking pan and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sprinkle with flour and coat well. Set meat aside.

2. 02

   In a Dutch oven pot, cook bacon until crisp, not burnt. Remove bacon and set aside. Using the bacon grease, brown meat in 2 batches. Remove meat and set aside. In the same pot, sauté the onions, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeños until soft, about 3 minutes. Use small amounts of broth or water to unstick meat bits. Try not to add more oil. Add chili powder, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, cumin, cayenne, and oregano. Mix, cook until it looks like a roux, adding very small amounts of liquid, to keep from sticking. The cocoa will look thick, like syrup, that’s what you want. Keep an eye on the heat- don’t burn the chocolate! Add meat, diced tomatoes with chilis (Rotel) and beef stock. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 1 hour. I the last 20 minutes of simmering, add the rinsed black beans. After simmering for an hour, remove from heat and let sit for at least an hour. The flavors will get better the longer you let it sit. When ready to serve, bring back to a simmer. While re-heating, add the last tablespoon of cocoa powder and cooked bacon pieces. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro.