Smoked Brisket Chili

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 slices of bacon, diced

1 white onion, about 2 cups, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 chipotles in adobo sauce, diced

3 cups leftover smoked brisket flat, 1-inch cubes

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon Mexican oregano

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 12 oz bottle beer, room temperature and poured into a glass

2 1/2 cups beef broth

2 cans (15-oz) fire-roasted tomatoes

1/2 cup strong black coffee (leftover morning coffee)

Fine sea salt to taste

Directions

Prepare all of the vegetables and meat by dicing as instructed. It helps to have everything ready before cooking.

In a large pot with a lid, or Dutch oven, add the diced bacon and turn the heat on to medium heat. The bacon will slowly start to render out the fat as it warms up. Stir the bacon until it’s crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and leave the grease in the pot.

Add the onions and jalapenos into the pot and stir to cook for a few minutes until they are slightly softened. Add in the minced garlic and diced chipotle peppers. Stir to combine everything and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add in the cubed brisket and all of the spices. Stir the meat to coat completely with the spices. The spices will start to give off a stronger smell, which is important for developing flavor. Some of the spices will also stick to the bottom, don’t worry about that yet. Keep cooking for about 2-3 minutes until you notice most of the liquid is gone.

Pour in the room temperature beer and scrape the bottom of the pot. Loosen up everything that has stuck, and stir gently. Allow the beer to come up to a low simmer for a few minutes.

Add in the beef broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, bacon, and coffee. Stir gently to mix everything and bring the liquids to a low simmer. Scrape down the sides if needed, and place the lid on the pot. Allow the chili to cook for about 60 minutes.

Lift the lid to stir the chili and taste the sauce. Adjust with a little fine sea salt if needed, but realize that the flavors will continue to concentrate as it reduces. Continue to cook with the lid for another 30-45 minutes until it’s as thick as you’d like.

If the chili is not thick enough, mix a teaspoon of corn starch with 2 tablespoons of the broth. Stir to dissolve the starch, and add it back into the chili. Allow it to cook with the lid off for 10 minutes to thicken up.

When ready, you may serve immediately. The chili will be best the next day when it has a chance for the flavors to develop.

Serve warm with your favorite toppings!