Lucy’s Stout Steak Chili

You gotta have some great chili recipes for Super Bowl parties. This recipe is from Lucy Saunders, editor of www.beercook.com, a Web site devoted to craft beer and food. There are many more wonderful recipes in her upcoming cookbook, Grilling with Beer, which offers dozens of ways to use beer as an ingredient. Stout is a strong dark a/e made with roasted barley, which gives it a deep color and rich flavor. This chili cooks almost entirely in a slow cooker, so it’s easy to make for a crowd. Use fresh or pickled jalapeños.

 

SERVES 8

 

1	tablespoon olive oil
3	pounds sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
1	cup chopped yellow onions
2	tablespoons minced garlic
1	15-ounce can black beans, undrained
1	15-ounce can pinto beans, undrained
1	15-ounce can red kidney beans, undrained
1	15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1	6-ounce can tomato paste
1½	cups chopped green bell peppers
1½	cups chopped red bell peppers
2	tablespoons minced jalapeños or other green chiles
1	cube low-sodium beef bouillon
12	ounces stout beer
3	tablespoons chili powder
1	teaspoon cayenne pepper
1	teaspoon ground cumin
1	teaspoon dried oregano
1	tablespoon molasses

GARNISHES (OPTIONAL)

 

	Shredded cheddar cheese
	Minced onions
	Sliced black olives
	Minced red bell peppers

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the steak, onions, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is lightly browned and the onions are just tender. Do not overcook.
2. Scrape the contents of the skillet into a 4½-quart slow cooker. Add the black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans with their liquids, the diced tomatoes with their juice, the tomato paste, green and red peppers, jalapeños, bouillon cube, stout, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, oregano, and molasses. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve with the garnishes suggested above or those of your choice.

EXTRA POINTS If you like, you can make this rich chili a day ahead, refrigerate it, and reheat it at tailgate time. Reheat it on a burner or grill, though, rather than in the slow cooker, which doesn’t get hot enough to reheat food properly. To find a good stout, check out the Brewers Association Web site, www.beertown.org, which offers a directory of craft brewers to help you locate a fresh stout brewed near you.