Three kinds of chiles add Southwestern flair to this smoky barbecue chili. You can substitute ancho chiles for pasillas, and a combination of jalapeños and Anaheim chiles for New Mexican chiles. Garnish with fat-free sour cream and chopped green onions.
Don't eat pork, so used all beef and coarse ground beef instead of stew beef. I think the level of heat and the flavor really depend upon the chiles you use, as well as their size. I had access to poblano and ancho, so that's what went in, along with ground dried chipotle chili rather than canned. The flavor was delicious, but I think we prefer a chile with more chunky vegetables in it like the fabulous "All-American Chili" recipe on the CL site. The pureed vegetables were good, but more like a thick gravy. I'd say, sure, a good solid recipe, but personal preference would take me toward our old standby, the All-American Chili.
One of our favorites! I've substituted different meats (chicken instead of beef this time). We typically add more of the chipotles in adobo sauce to zip it up a bit, and 1T of bitters (accidentally mistook it for Worcestershire) turned out to be a great addition. We served it over baked sweet potatoes tonight and it was fabulous. You can also put it in a slow cooker all day. When I brought it to a neighborhood potluck, people were scraping the bottom with chips to get every last bit!
My husband and I LOVE this chili recipe. The only adaptation I have made is to use ground beef instead of top round. Makes the dish a little easier to make.
Good tasting chili, however to my father, wife and myself there was no wow factor. We used the jalapenos and Anaheims with the pasillas. To make cutting dry peppers easier use your kitchen shears instead of a knife.
