Beef & Bean Chili

Beef & Bean Chili

2 tablespoons oil, you can use grapeseed, olive oil, or your favorite

1 pound ground beef (we used a 90 % fat blend)

1½ cups white or yellow onion, small diced

1 cup red bell pepper, small diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar

1 bottle lager-style beer

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

4 cups beef broth

2 cups canned pink beans, rinsed and drained

For serving and garnishing:

sour cream

thinly sliced scallions

small diced red onion

your favorite tortilla chips or Fritos

grated cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in a Dutch Oven. Cook the ground beef until no longer pink, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as you cook it. Add the onion, red pepper, jalapeno and garlic. Cook until the vegetables have softened. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the spices, toast until fragrant. Add the brown sugar and the beer. Raise the heat to medium-high and let the beer reduce down half way down. Add the canned tomatoes and beef broth. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 30-35 minutes to marry the flavors. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Stir in the pink beans and cook for 10-12 minutes more.

Serve topped with your favorite garnishes. I love serving tortilla chips on the side for dipping.