Fog Burner Chili
December 08, 2008

Yield: Approximately 6 servings

Special equipment requirements: large Dutch oven; parchment paper

Tips:

1. Read through the recipe and have everything prepped before you start!
2. Best made one day ahead of serving; the flavors meld; just reheat gently on the stove or in the oven.
3. Good for a crowd; recipe doubles or triples or...
4. Leftovers freeze well.

Note: Must have go-withs: tortillas (you choose- we like corn); beans (canned black or pintos are OK but making your own pot from scratch are best!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set racks low to accomodate a large Dutch oven or stockpot for braising.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. bulk hot Italian sausage, broken up into small pieces (if using link sausage, remove from casings)
• 3-4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder or butt; trimmed of fat and cut into smallish 1" cubes (Boneless beef chuck is a fine substitute if you'd rather have beef than pork)
• salt and pepper
• 1 large yellow or white onion, diced small
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, diced small (red or orange may be substituted)
• 1 large pasilla pepper, diced small
• 2 jalapeno chiles, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 2 T ancho chile powder (or any other dried mild to medium chile powder; DO NOT use an "enhanced" concoction that incorporates other ingredients!)
• 2 T dried crumbled oregano leaves
• 1 T paprika
• 1 T dried cumin
• 1/2 t ground cayenne pepper
• 1 12 oz. bottle of beer (ale, lager, or pilsner will do nicely)
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 16 oz. jar tomatillo salsa
• 2 chipotle chiles (canned), minced + 2 T adobo sauce

• Saute sausage in a very large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat until evenly browned. Remove cooked sausage to a paper towel lined plate and reserve.
• Discard all but a couple of tablespoons of fat from the pan, and saute the pork with a few generous pinches of salt and and several twists of ground black peppercorns (in batches if necessary so meat sears, not steams) until seared and browned evenly. Remove browned pork from pot and set aside.
• At this point, be sure that your pan has a nice "fond" to work off of without being burned. (The fond in essence is a nice coating of caramelized stuff stuck to the bottom of the pot.) If it seems as if it might burn before continuing, "deglaze" with a cup or two of hot tap water; reserve deglazing liquid, wipe out the pot, and add a touch of olive oil before proceeding. (Deglazing means nothing more than adding some liquid to the fond in the pot and scraping up the browned bits.)
• Saute onion, peppers, and garlic until they take on some color and become fragrant.
• Stir in dried chile powder, oregano, paprika, and cumin.
• Add beer, reserved deglazing liquid, tomatoes, salsa, and chipotles.
• Return meats to pot stirring to combine; bring to a simmer. Cover the chili mixture with a large sheet of parchment paper that just barely touches the top of the stew with tabs that hang out over the rim of pot. Cover the pot with a lid or foil, and transfer pot to warm oven. Braise for 2 hours. Let rest for 1/2 hour and adjust seasoning before serving with the following condiments:

Condiment Suggestions: Use any (or all!) from the following list-

• shredded cheddar and/or Jack cheese
• diced avocado
• sour cream
• green onion, thinly sliced
• minced onion
• snipped cilantro leaves
• jalapeno peppers, diced or thinly sliced
• hot sauce

- Renee Kroeger

Wine Suggestion: 2005 Mt. Aukum Petite Sirah Reserve, Mt. Aukum, El Dorado County, Sierra Foothills - $33.95 - The "Black Hummer" has the fruit and structure to quench the heat, but warm the soul! ES