Chunky Chili v 1.0

Wicked Hot!!! I don't recommend this for the faint of heart. While I really enjoy hot spicey food, this may be a bit over the top even for me. Following is my recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs stew meat

• 2 14 oz cans (or equivalent) tomato sauce

• 1 regular can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles

• 1 can Rotel with lime and cilantro

• salt, white pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to taste

• chipotle powder to taste; caution this is where the bulk of the heat comes from

• olive oil or your favorite cooking oil

Instructions

• brown the stew meat in a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven

• add the seasonings and continue to cook on high heat until the seasonings are well incorporated into the juices from the meat

• add the canned ingredients, stirring thoroughly

• bring to a boil then simmer, simmer, simmer

I like to simmer and reduce for at least several hours giving the flavors time to develop and to cook off some of the excess liquid (makes a thicker chili).

Things you could add to this recipe include diced onion, minced garlic, Mexican oregano, cumin. I wanted to keep this chili simple so did not include any of these; the majority of the seasoning comes from the Rotel and the chipotle powder.

What I don't put into my chili -- beans of any kind. If you want beans with your chili, cook them separately. Chili is also good as a pasta sauce, served over rice, or as a baked potato topping. I generally serve with a healthy dollop of Crema Mexicana -- a tasty version of sour cream.

11:40AM

It's on the stove now. Thus far it's a bit spicier than I originally intended -- too much chipotle powder. I'll be back closer to serving time to report on the final results.

3:30PM

The chili simmered for about 3 hours before lunch. Thick and chunky as I hoped. The meat is tender and the spice has mellowed somewhat. Still hot enough to get your attention. Good with crema.

Next time: less chipotle powder and maybe only one can of Rotel -- substitute a can of diced tomatoes. Otherwise, I consider this chili a success. (I've been told it makes very good chili cheese fries.)

12:40PM 25 Oct 2025

Contrary to expectations, heat has mellowed. Chili is wonderful! To borrow an expression...

So thick you can eat it with a fork; so good you'll use a spoon to get every bite.

dks, 24 Oct 2025