KPK COOKS!

I usually just resort to the chile mix in the grocery store, but this time I decided to make it from scratch.  For super bowl, our friend Paul took a corn muffin and crumbled it into a bowl and put this chile over it. It was “YUMMY.”

Ingredients:

• 6 slices of bacon
• 2 lbs. ground beef 
• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped 
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 chile powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin 
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 12 oz bottle amber beer 
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 
• 1 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1 1/2 c. low sodium beef broth 
• 2 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (more if you like spicey)
• Shredded cheddar cheese and or sour cream for topping

Instructions:

Cook bacon in a large saucepan until over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towel and let cool, crumble and set aside. Pour off and save all but 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings. Add ground beef and cook breaking into smaller pieces. Transfer cooked beef out of pan and add 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings back to pan. Add onion, bell pepper and cook until soft. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon salt and cook another 2 minutes. Add chile powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and tomato paste and cook, stirring until tomato paste is brick red, about 6 minutes. Add a splash of water if it begins to stick. Add beer and simmer until almost completely reduced, about 3 minutes. Stir in beef and any juices from the plate; add cocoa powder, tomatoes, beef broth and beans and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook stirring occasionally, until chile thickens slightly, about 1 hour and half.  Stir in hot sauce and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and top with crumbled bacon, cheese and or sour cream.