It's Getting Chili...

On one of the first chilly days of the year, PID and I ventured North to get even chillier.

Market Districts all throughout the Pittsburgh Region hosted their second annual Chili Cookoff and we were lucky enough to be asked to judge in Township of Pine! Um...talk about a tough job.

Every single entry basically blew me away. So much flavor! There were two categories: Vegetarian and Meat. One winner from each category was chosen via a rating system by myself and the other judges, and one "People's Choice" was crowned  by the folks in attendance. I was especially impressed with how delicious the veggie entries were! Typically, I'll admit it, I consider Vegetarian Chili to be an oxymoron. But these folks certainly knew how to change my opinion.

You can find the winning recipes on the market district website, but PID and I both really favored one of the runners-up! So much so that we decided to go ahead and make an unnecessarily enormous batch for just the two of us tonight!

Here's the recipe you CAN'T find online for Joel's "More Chili Please":

Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 3-5 hours

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. bacon grease or vegetable oil
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 jalapenos, minced
3 Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled and chopped
3 poblano chilies, roasted peeled and chopped
2 yellow onions, diced
1 yead garlic, minced
1 lb. boneless chuck, cut in to 1/4 cubes
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb hot turkey sausage
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
3 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. hot paprika
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp.ground coriander
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp.pepper
29 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. tomato paste
12 oz. lager beer
1 c. chicken broth
2 cans black beans (with juice)
2 cans kidney beans (with juice)

Garnish: 
scallions, thinly sliced
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
saltines

Directions:

1. Melt butter and bacon grease in large pot over high head. 
2. Add bell pepper, jalapenos, chilies and onions. Cook until carmelized (about 5 minutes)
3. Add garlic and saute 1 more minute
4. Add chuck and brown.
5. Add ground beef and sausage, stirring gently.**
6. Cook until meat is nicely browned (about 7-10 minutes), then add all seasonings and cook for 1 minute.
7. Add tomato sauce and paste, stir for 2 minutes.
8. Stir in beer, chicken broth and beans.
9. Lower heat and simmer for 2 hours or until chili reaches a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
10. Serve hot with your choice of garnish!

**If you're looking to create a crock pot meal like PID and I did, at this point add these and the rest of your ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

After the cookoff, PID and I wandered about this Market District in complete awe. We'd been to Market Districts before, but this one just took the cake!

My very favorite part? A glorious wall filled with every imaginable type of sugar, flour, sprinkle and flavoring. I was in baker's heaven. We can't wait to go back!

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