Lager Chili Con Carne with Andouille Sausage

Don’t you just hate it when you’ve used a product forever and then it’s discontinued? For years, I have used a specific brand of chili spice mix, then all of a sudden, it was no longer available. Well, there went my “go to” recipe for chili, as it depended on that spice blend. Needless to say, that’s one of the main reasons why I make my own spice mixes now. So, I challenged myself this weekend and played around with spice combinations. I chose this weekend after receiving an invitation from Miz Helen @ Miz Helen’s Country Cottage to her 2013 Chili Cook Off. I knew I wanted to participate (plus, I had a major craving for chili), but I still had not perfected my spice combination. Fortunately, my efforts paid off. I lucked out and managed to put together a perfect blend of spices.Then I made a big batch of chili to test it out. OMG….I couldn’t have been more pleased with the results. Now, once again, I have a “go to” recipe for chili that no longer relies on a discontinued product. I also tweaked my original recipe a bit to ensure that the taste was “spot on,” and it was! Mike and I couldn’t wait to chow down. This recipe combines lots of beef with diced Andouille (but you can substitute any sausage), kidney beans, black beans, jalapenos (seeded to reduce the heat), mushrooms, green chiles, fire-roasted tomatoes, Ro-Tel tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, green bell pepper, my “new” spice blend; and it’s all simmered in lager beer. The malt and hops in beer adds to the bouquet of flavor, but the alcohol itself evaporates during the cooking process. Now that’s a full-bodied, robust chili! 

To vote for my chili in the cook off, please go to this link 2013 Chili Cook Off, then "click on image # 14" (image of my Lager Chili). Would really appreciate your vote!

Toast the coriander. To do this, put 1 Tablespoon of ground coriander in a small, dry skillet. Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it releases a toasty fragrance. Remove from heat. In resealable plastic bag (or jar), combine all spices. I used a combination of chili powders to balance out the flavors. I used 2 Tablespoons of Hot Mexican chili powder, 1 Tablespoon of Ancho chili powder, and 1 Tablespoon of standard mix chili powder. Shake bag well to combine all spices. Put aside.

As I mentioned earlier, I tweaked my original recipe a bit, so I ended up omitting a couple of items I had planned on using, but didn’t feel it needed after a taste test. So I put a red “x” on the items I didn’t use. I also added:  2 cans of tomato sauce.

Add 2 cans of tomato sauce. (I only had one left after making the chili.)

Dice up the Andouille sausage. I sliced the sausages in half lengthwise, then sliced horizontally to get perfect “half-moon” pieces.

In Dutch oven (or stock pot), add 2 Tablespoons canola oil. Add diced Andouille sausage. Sauté over medium high heat until evenly browned. With slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Add the ground beef to the pot and cook until browned, breaking up meat as it cooks. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked ground beef to the bowl with the sausage.

Dice the onions and green bell peppers. Remove seeds from the jalapenos and dice. Add onions, green bell peppers and jalapenos to pot. Sauté until vegetables start to soften.

Return cooked beef and Andouille sausage to pot. Pour the whole batch of seasoning spices over meat and vegetables. Stir well to combine. Add lager (or Amber) beer, tomato sauce, Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chiles, and fire-roasted diced tomatoes. Add tomato paste and stir well to combine.

Add kidney beans, black beans, diced green chiles and sliced mushrooms. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer. After 1 hour, taste chili (to check heat level). If you feel more heat is needed, add hot sauce, to taste. I thought the heat level was perfect, so I did not add hot sauce. It wasn’t an “in your face” overpowering heat, but it did have a nice punch of heat after swallowing. That’s the way we like our chili. After adjusting the heat to your personal preference, continue simmering for at least another hour (the longer you simmer, the better the flavors will develop. If I make my chili early in the morning, at this point I would transfer the chili to a crock pot and just let it simmer all day.

Serve with your favorite garnish. We use shredded cheese and sliced scallions. You can also serve with hot sauce on the side, so everyone can adjust the heat to their own liking. We found that the Andouille sausage, with the spice blend, jalapenos and green chiles added just the right amount of heat. But, if you prefer your chili “fire-breathing” hot, you can always leave the seeds in the jalapenos and add more cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or even add Sambal Oelek or habaneros. And, of course, this chili goes great with Cheddar Cornbread. Be aware, though, leftovers have more of a "kick," as the flavors have had more of a chance to fully meld.

LAGER CHILI CON CARNE WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

Spice Blend:

• 1 Tablespoon ground coriander, toasted
• 4 Tablespoons chili powder, combined as follows:
•    (2 Tablespoons Hot Mexican, 1 Tablespoon Ancho Chili Powder, and 1 Tablespoon standard Chili
•    Powder)
• 2-1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons Spanish paprika

Chili:

• 1-1/2 pounds (about 6 links) Andouille sausage (or substitute any sausage), diced
• 4 pounds lean ground beef (90% or above)
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil             
• 1 large (or 2 small) onion(s)
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 4 large jalapenos, seeded and diced
• 22 ounces lager or amber beer (one large bottle, 1 pint 6 ounce bottle)
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 2 cans (10 ounces each) Ro-Tel tomatoes with chiles, undrained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) dark red kidney beans, drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (4 ounces) fire-roasted diced green chiles
• 1 batch spice blend (ingredients listed above)
• 2 jars (6 ounces each) sliced mushrooms, drained

Optional Garnishes:

• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream
• Scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
• Hot sauce

              
DIRECTIONS:

1. Add Andouille slices (or other sausage) to Dutch oven (or stock pot) with canola oil and brown,
    over medium high heat. Using slotted spoon transfer to large bowl and set aside.
2. Add ground beef to pot and cook until browned, breaking up meat as it cooks. Using slotted spoon
    transfer browned meat to bowl with sausages.
3. Add onions, green bell peppers and seeded, diced jalapenos to pot. Cook until vegetables start to
    soften.
4. Return ground beef and Andouille to pot with vegetables. Add the whole batch of seasoning blend
    and stir well to combine. Add lager (or amber) beer, tomato sauce, Ro-Tel tomatoes, and fire-roasted
    tomatoes. Add tomato paste and stir well to combine.
5. Add kidney beans, black beans, green chiles and sliced mushrooms.
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer. Taste after 1 hour. If needed, add hot sauce (to taste) for more heat.
     I thought the heat level was perfect without adding hot sauce, so I left it out and served it on the side
     instead. Continue to simmer for another hour before serving.
7.  Top with shredded cheese or your favorite garnish. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.