Remember last week when I said Mother Nature doesn’t care about you. Well, I’m changing my statement. Not only does Mother Nature not care about you, she straight up hates you… or maybe she just hates me. I’m trying to write this post before the next winter storm hits. This week’s storm will be a combo of snow, rain, thunder and wind. No breaks from Mother Nature by any means.
Last week when we got snow, my husband was asking for chili. Who am I kidding, he’s always asking for chili. But this request was as man as it gets. He said, “Meghan, can you make chili? But not girly soupy chili. More like traditional meat chili..but I also wants beans.” I’m sure I shot him a you-think-my-chili-is-soupy-and-girly-look. Then I realized that most of my chili recipes have been more on the healthy & girly side. 1 point for the husband.
I think I met my husband’s request by “manning up” my recipe. For starters, I doubled the amount of meat I usually use. You can use any kind of ground meat — I picked ground turkey. I added a lot more heat by fire roasting jalapenos. (ahem, fire roasting as in blistering the skin with a gas stove burner.) And instead of using stock as my main form of liquid, I used beer. It doesn’t get any more manly than that.
I must say, I loved this chili. It was beefy and spicy. This chili is very versatile. It can be eaten as a chili or you can use it to make nachos or chili cheese hot dogs. Or maybe chili burritos. The recipe variations are endless!
My husband was very happy with the Fire Roasted Jalapeno Turkey Chili. He had two helpings on Friday night and finished off the rest Saturday afternoon. (this recipe makes 6 hearty serving.) I’m sure he’ll be asking for this chili after shoveling the latest havoc Mother Nature drops on us Tuesday afternoon. Riley is already surveying what’s fallen in the past hour.
Ingredients
- 2 Jalapenos
- 2 lb Ground turkey, beef or chicken
- 1 Onion, diced
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 6 oz beer, any kind you like to drink
- 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes with chili peppers, drained
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
- Shredded cheese, for garnish
- Diced onions, for garnish
- Chips
- Crackers
Instructions
- Over a gas burner or under the broiler, char the skin of both jalapenos. When charred, put jalapenos in a ziplock bag and set aside till cool. When cool, chop jalapenos. Keep seeds and ribs if you like spicy chili. Set aside.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, brown meat along with the onions and garlic. Drain excess liquid when cooked.
- Add to the meat mixture - chopped fire roasted jalapenos, tomato sauce, Rotel, beans, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and white and black pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add beer, Worcestershire sauce along with another 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin and chili powder. Simmer for 2 hours.
- Serve with your favorite toppings - shredded cheese, chips, crackers, and onions
