Steak Chili

If you read this blog, you're already aware of my fondness for chili; heck, it was the subject of my very first post. I've been a little freaked out about the e.coli and ground beef problem, and, even though I would certainly always cook beef bound for chili all the way through, I was nevertheless inspired to make a chili from a cut of beef rather than ground, which is the original form you'd find beef in chili in the olden days (though perhaps not as nice a cut or condition than we moderns tend to use).

That was the first criteria of this batch of chili; the other was to make this a slow cooker dish, so would have time to enjoy it on a weeknight. I chose a pound and a half chuck steak, a cut that already needs marination or slow cooking to make it palatable, so it's cheaper than a sirloin and perfectly serviceable for my purposes. First, I seared and browned the steak with a little olive oil. Then, once browned, I submerged it in three cups of beef broth, adding a couple tablespoons each of cumin and chili powder, and a dash of salt and pepper. I let it cook slowly overnight.

In the morning, I smoked a couple tablespoons each of cumin, chili powder, and paprika for a couple of seconds in high heat. I added three tablespoons of olive oil and a finely diced red onion all at once and turned the heat down. In the meantime I blended a large can of whole plum tomatoes. Once the onion was soft, I deglazed with two cups of water and added the tomatoes, stirred it up and put it in the crock pot. I added a cup of dry pinto beans and left the beans to cook most of the day. In the end we added some sugar (I prefer molasses but we're out of it) and salt to taste.

Ultimately, pretty easy, and tasty. Most importantly, each and every kid enjoyed it, no small feat for a homemade weeknight meal. We'll be making this again!