If you haven’t cooked with beer before, you should. I’m not a big beer drinker, but I do love the flavor beer gives to food. It adds a rustic touch to my favorite recipes. This chili is so delicious, even though it wasn’t what I had expected.
You can certainly add meat to the dish if desired. I have tried both ways, and they are about the same. Add a half-pound of ground turkey or beef in place of black beans (or kidney beans) for a delicious result.
For convenience and to save money, I like to make chili twice a week. We’ll eat it with cornbread one night and baked sweet potatoes the next. I don’t know which I prefer—I will have to come back to you.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- One large white onion (chopped).
- 1/2 green pepper (diced)
- Four cloves of garlic (minced).
- Black pepper and salt
- 1 Tbsp Chili powder
- 2 tsp hot sauce (optional)
- One 12-oz. Bottle dark Mexican beer
- One 28-oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 1 15.5-oz. Can kidney beans (slightly drain)
- 1 15.5-oz. Can black beans (slightly drain)
- Serve hot sauce with crackers and cornbread.
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot or saucepan.
- Add the green pepper, onion, and garlic. Also, add 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. (Amounts are as written in the original recipe; adjust for changes to batch size).
- Cook with frequent stirring until softened, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in the hot sauce and chili powder, and cook another minute.
- Add the beer, and reduce by half (about 6-8 minutes).
- Add the beans, tomatoes, and juices (if any), as well as 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. (The Amounts are as written in the original recipe; adjust for changes to batch size.)
- Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, breaking up the tomato pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until thickened, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve with crackers, cornbread, or hot sauce. If you are not vegan, add cheese to the mix.