Fridays at the Tavern: Tavern Style Chili
Cooking for your players this weekend?
If you want something savory, hearty, and that will feed the whole RPG crew, this tavern style chili is it. While it’s an actual award winner as is, it’s also fully customizable so you can cater to whoever comes to play.
Dish Components:
1 lb. sirloin or stew meat cut into ½-in. cubes
¼ C all purpose flour
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 12-oz. can tomato paste
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 15-oz. cans black beans
1-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded & diced
1 white or yellow onion diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil of your choice
1 lager style beer
1 C water
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp chli powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
½ tsp. baking chocolate (not sweet)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
Garnishes: shredded cheese, sour cream, diced green onion, diced jalapenos, cilantro, avocado, tortilla strips, corn chips
Dish Actions:
Season cubed sirloin generously with salt and pepper. Toss flour into cubes using a fork to lightly coat all cubes. Add oil to Dutch oven over medium high heat, brown flour-coated beef cubes on all sides, and set aside. You may need a little more oil in your Dutch oven. Season ground beef with salt & pepper, cook over medium high heat until brown, and set aside with beef cubes.
In the same pan, saute chopped onion and peppers (if using) until softened, add garlic, and then push all veg to edges of pan. Add tomato paste to center of pan and cook until fragrant (1 minute), then mix with vegetables and stir in beer, water, crushed tomatoes, and apple cider vinegar. Stir in beans and all meat mixture and bring to boil.
Turn heat down to low, add all seasonings, and taste to see if you need to add anything. Simmer for at least 1 hour.
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Chili Your Way:
This chili recipe is thick, beefy, spicy, and fully adaptable. Can’t handle the heat? Leave out the hot stuff. Need to feed more than 6? Add an extra can of crushed tomatoes and beans. Not into meat? Sub it for plant-based alternatives. Gotta be gluten-free? Leave out the flour.