Firehouse Chili

Firehouse Chili
- Misty Delgado

This is a recipe I saw in the paper once and copied it down; it literally can be SUPER HOT. So I will
give you the full directions and make a note of what I usually do to make it a little bit more tolerable
for our family’s taste buds.

Ingredients:
1lb. diced bacon (slightly frozen=very easy way to chop)
2 med. onions chopped
6 cloves of crushed garlic
2 jalapeño peppers (seeded and diced, depending on size of pepper I sometime only use 1,
to add more heat leave in the seeds)
1 habanero chili seeded and diced (I don’t use this when I make it)
3lb. beef chuck small cubes (also can use stew meat; again slight frozen can make life very easy)
4-5 Louisiana spiced sausage links (I just use a medium heat ground sausage for this and guess at the amount)
3 cups of beef stock
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
28 oz diced tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
8-10 T. chili powder (I use 6)
2Tbsp. cumin seed
1Tbsp. oregano
1Tbsp. Thyme
2Tbsp. sugar
3 15oz. can pinto beans
1 can Hormel chili with beans
2Tbsp. mesa flour (I just use regular all purpose flour)
1Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Step1: ***Ok, I chop everything ahead of time to make this go a little faster; sure it is more dishes but
way less stress. In a large pot fry the bacon till done, drain off all but 2 Tbsp of fat. Add onion garlic
and chilies and cook until soft (10-15 min). In a skillet brown the chuck and sausage together, use 1
cup of the stock to deglaze the pan.

Step 2: When veggies are soft add meats (this is where I split into two pots and when adding things just
divide them in ½ to keep it simple), add all but flour bring to a simmer and then add flour to pot. Cook
over low heat for about 1 hr. and serve.

**We love this with some fresh cornbread or a baguette. This chili also gets a little hotter the longer it
sits together. Since you have had mine you can decide if you want it hotter or not as a gauge for what
amount of ingredients you will use.
(Note – I would probably add even less chili powder – it was a bit hot for us: - Julie)