Hank's Not-Necessarily-Venison Chili

Based on Hank Shaw's Venison Chili recipe.  I take no credit for the original recipe.

Recommended Equipment

• Blender or food processor
• Enamel cast iron Dutch oven with lid (at least 6qt)
• Wooden spatula

Ingredients

• 16-20 dried ancho, guajillo, pasilla, or mulato chilis (use a mix of varieties)
• 1/2 pound Mexican chorizo
• 3 pounds meats of your choice (ground or bite-sized chunks)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6 cloves to 8 garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika 
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 tablespoon chipotle powder (optional - you can use more or less)
• 2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup of black coffee
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 quart beef broth (may not use all)
• 1-2 large cans of beans (optional - we use pinto, but your choice)
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Break up and seed the chilis and cover with boiling water.  Let stand for about an hour, until softened.  
2. With a blender or food processor, grind into a puree with the consistency of gravy, adding about 1 cup of the soaking water and the coffee to do so.  Set aside.
3. Brown the chorizo in the Dutch oven over medium heat.  Use a wooden spatula to scrape off any spices that stick to the pot (see tips).  Remove from the pot and set aside when done.
4. Brown the other meats in ~1 lb batches, removing from the pot and setting aside with the chorizo until all are done.  Lightly salt the meat as it cooks. 
5. Return all meat to the pot and add the onion.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
6. Add the garlic.  Stir and cook for 1 minute. 
7. Add the paprika, cumin, coriander, and chipotle powder one at a time, stirring to combine each time.
8. Add chili puree, tomato paste, and molasses, stirring to combine well. 
9. Add enough beef broth to cover everything and thin the mixture to a soup-like consistency.  This typically takes between a pint and a quart of broth.
10. Add salt to taste, keeping in mind that the beans will add a little salt later.
11. Bring to a bare simmer and cook gently for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.  Put the lid halfway over the pot as it cooks.  You want it to eventually cook down and be thick.  Remove the lid, increase heat, and stir frequently to cook out some liquid faster, if needed.
12. If using beans, drain and rinse them and add them to the pot. 
13. Once the beans are heated, make your final salt taste test and adjustments if needed.

Serve topped with cheese (I usually add cheese as I go) and with fresh bread.

Tips

• This recipe benefits from having multiple sets of hands.  One person can prepare the chili puree and measure/cut up ingredients while the other browns the meats and starts putting things together.
• The spices from the chorizo will probably stick to the pot and char if left alone, but you can use a wooden spatula to scrape them off.  This will both add some richness to your chili and reduce the cleanup effort (getting that off later is a pain).
• I have used several meat combinations with this recipe and have found that two ground meats and one chunked meat is the way to go.  I also recommend not using all lean meats since some fat will make the chili richer.  For the chunked meat, make sure pieces are bite size.  
• I haven't tried this, but I see no reason why you couldn't brown the meat in multiple pans to speed up the process.  
• You can use dry beans instead of canned, but you will want to soak them ahead of time and probably delay adding the tomato paste.  Tomato tends to prohibit beans from cooking well.  Canned beans are just easier, honestly.
• Getting the salt just right is critical for this chili (as it is for most dishes, honestly).  Too little and it will taste bland like something is missing.  Too much is obviously not great either.  

Differences from the original recipe

• The original recipe calls for 12-16 dried chili peppers, but we have upped that to 16-20 because we're excessive Americans or something.
• It calls for chorizo OR bacon, but in our experience bacon ends up being extremely disappointing.  Chorizo is a much better choice.  
• The original recipe is tailored to dried beans but we had significant trouble ensuring the beans were cooked well even after three hours.  We just use canned beans instead.
• I rewrote several of the steps for added clarity.