Chocolate Chili with Pinto Beans
Submitted by ciel
Hearty pork and beef chili simmered low with cocoa powder, cinnamon, cumin, and chili powder for deep, earthy heat. Pinto beans and cornmeal thicken the pot. Serve with sour cream, Parmesan, and chopped onions for a bold weeknight dinner.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
2 hrsThe secret weapon in this chili isn’t more heat. It’s cocoa powder.
Three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa go into the pot alongside cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and chili powder, giving the broth a dark, smoky depth that straight-up chili powder alone can’t touch.
Pork and beef cook together for nearly two hours, breaking down until the meat is tender and the flavors have had time to get acquainted.
Cornmeal stirred in at the end thickens everything to a spoonable consistency without making it pasty, and two cans of pinto beans round it out into a full meal.
Pile on chopped onions, shredded lettuce, grated Parmesan, or a fat dollop of sour cream and grab a tortilla.
Pro Tips
- Don’t brown the meat at the start. You’re cooking it gently until it loses its pink color, which keeps it tender instead of tough and crusty.
- Taste the chili after the first hour and adjust the chili powder then. The cocoa and cinnamon mellow the heat, so you may want to push it higher than you’d expect.
- Cornmeal goes in during the last 10 minutes. Add it earlier and it absorbs too much liquid, turning your chili into porridge.
- This chili gets better overnight. Make a double batch and freeze half for those nights when you need dinner to just happen.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large sauté pan or flameproof casserole, cook the pork and beef over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until both meats lose their pink color but are not browned, about 15 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Heat the oil in the same pan until rippling and add the onions.
Sauté stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 10 minutes.
Stir the reserved meat into the onions.
Add the tomato juice, 3 cups of water, the chili powder, cumin, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt (optional). Blend.
Turn the heat to high and bring to the boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Stir occasionally.
Taste for seasoning.
Add more chili powder if you like your chili really searing.
Cook 30 minutes longer.
Stir in the garlic, cornmeal, and beans.
Simmer for 10 minutes more until the beans are heated through.
GARNISHES: Chopped onions, grated Parmesan, shredded lettuce, or sour cream may be used to garnish.
Serves 8.
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