For the second episode of my recently created series entitled The Brewed Palate: In The Kitchen, I show you my preparation of a recipe that’s great for the colder months of the year. I prepare my “Craft Beer Chili”, a sweet chili that I add cocoa powder and Stone Brewing Co.’s Smoked Porter to. I hope you enjoy this episode and try making the chili for yourself. Cheers!

Barry’s “Craft Beer Chili”

Base:

2 lbs Ground Beef

16oz Dark Beer (porter or stout) – I added closer to 20oz in this batch

1/2 cup BBQ Sauce

1 large can Crushed Tomatoes

1 – 15oz can Black Beans

1 – 15oz can Dark Kidney Beans

1 – 15oz can Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 – 5oz can Tomato Paste

1 large Onion

2 Bell Peppers

Seasonings:

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Hot Sauce to taste

1/4 cup Cocoa Powder

3 tbsp chopped garlic

2.5 tsp chili powder

2 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar

Preparation Instructions:

1. Chop the onion and bell peppers into medium size pieces (as seen in the above video) and add them to your crockpot (slow cooker).
2. Add the rest of the ingredients for the “Base” and then stir them together. Make sure to save some beer for the next step. Optional: Rinse the beans to remove the starch that has built up in the cans.
3. Add the “Seasonings” over the top of the base and after and after thoroughly mixing them into the chili’s “Base”, top the mixture off with more beer.
4. Plug in crockpot and turn dial to low.
5. Cook for at least 8 hours and stir every couple of hours to ensure even cooking and distribution of flavors.
6. Serve over rice or with any other starch that you like to eat alongside your chili.

Yield: A full 5.5 – 6 quart crockpot (slow cooker)

Enjoy and Cheers!