New Mexican Beef and Beer Chili

I wanted to post this recipe in October for both Oktoberfest and Halloween festivities.

In honor of Oktoberfest last month, our local paper published quite a few wonderful sounding beer-based recipes.   I could not resist the title of the recipe:  New Mexican Beef and Beer Chili.

Although I didn’t get this posted in October, it is still a perfect recipe for November as the temperatures drop, families come together, and delicious hearty meals are needed.

I used a Santa Fe Brewing IPA and Hatch green chilis that I had frozen to amp up the New Mexican vibe here.

New Mexican Beef and Beer chili

A Tulsa World recipe  (October 4, 2019) adapted by me

Use real New Mexican Hatch chilies, Mexican chocolate and a craft beer from the Land of Enchantment for this perfect fall dinner.

Ingredients

  • 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 Lb. boneless short ribs, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 T. dried Mexican oregano
  • 2 t. ground cumin
  • ¼ t. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ t. ground cloves
  • 3 T. chile powder
  • 2 T. finely chopped bittersweet Mexican chocolate
  • 1 (12 oz.) can pale ale (made with Santa Fe Brewing Happy Camper IPA)
  • 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles (I used frozen.)
  • 4 c. low-sodium chicken stock
  • ¼ c. masa harina
  • Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, sour cream, chives and warm corn or flour tortillas, for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef well with salt and pepper and add a third of it to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Remove from pot with slotted spoon and repeat in two more batches with remaining beef; set beef aside.
  2. Add bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, chile powder and chocolate to pan. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add beer, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add meat back to pan, along with tomatoes, green chile, beer and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook until beef is very tender, about 2 hours.
  3. Ladle 2 cups of the sauce into a heatproof bowl and whisk in the masa harina. Whisk the mixture back into the pot and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls and top with cheddar and onion. Serve with tortillas.

Yield: 6-8

One could easily (I think) adapt this for the instant pot.   I was going to and had a plan to brown the beef in the IP, remove it and saute the vegetables and spices and seasonings, add the rest of the ingredients and the browned meat, and finally cook it on high pressure un-vented for 30 minutes.   I might try it next time but I decided to go all traditional and use my Staub pot.  (I had a lot of plans that didn’t come to fruition with this post.)

This recipe is fantastic.

I topped it with Colby Jack, a dollop of sour cream, chives, and red onions with warm flour tortillas on the side.

This is a thick enough chili that you could almost make a taco.

I highly recommend you try this as soon as you are able.

I’m linking up with Deb’s Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.

5 comments to New Mexican Beef and Beer Chili

  • Mae

    That looks like a fantastic recipe! All the flavors are so tempting. I have a deep suspicion that recipes like this are really better cooked the conventional way.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

  • I love chili! And have it often at this time of the year. So you can guess that I’m always looking for new ways to make it. This looks really interesting. And I love the flavor that beer gives chili! Really nice — thanks.

  • What a rich bowl of soup. Love using beer in a stew and the IPA and beef looks like a wonderful combo. thanks for sharing this. It’s a keeper!

  • Oh my gosh, this chili sounds awesome! short ribs, chocolate, and beer, yum!

  • I was going to make chili this week for a cookbook review but I am going to make it next week. Your chili has me craving some! 😉 Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays this week.