I'll give some advice that I've learned versus a recipe as there are many personal preferences to chili.
I always use left over smoked brisket or chuck that I've removed the fat from for the meat in chili. I put it in in the last 30 to 45 minutes or so of cooking. This gives a really nice depth of flavor to the over all dish. Another thing I do is "bloom" a little dried chili powder (I like Ancho), granulated garlic and cumin with the onions and peppers before I add the tomatos and other liquid.
I also rehydrate dried chili's in simmering water for about an hour before I start making the chili. I use this in place of chili powder. I usually use ancho's or chipolte's depending on how hot I want it. After they are reconstituted, I put them and a little of the broth in a blender and make a puree out of it. But keep the broth to add to the chili later. Then, I saute' the onions and peppers in a good butter versus oil. As the peppers and onions start to soften I'll put in some of the puree'd chili to cook along with it for a few minutes. Then I add the tomatoes and what ever else you want in the chille (I like beans in mine, I'll admit it:icon_blush
. In regards to the tomatos, I use Hunt's fire roasted.
After the chille has simmered a bit I add more of the puree and remaining broth as I need for heat and seasoning. Then, once that is the balance I'm looking for I add the meat to get the smoky flavor in the dish.
Hope this helps a bit!!!
