Australian Chili
Purists insist the beer in this thick, meaty chili has to be an Australian brand.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8
1 pound top sirloin roast
⅓ cup flour
¼ pound fatback, diced
1 onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
5 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
1 (12-ounce) can beer
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon molasses
Water
Salt to taste
Trim roast; cut into 1 cubes. Coat cubes with flour; set aside. In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, add diced fatback. Stirring, cook over medium-high heat until bits are browned and oil is released, about 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove fatback bits; reserve.
Brown beef cubes in pork fat; set aside. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño peppers to pot; sauté, stirring constantly, 3 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium; return beef to pot with fried fatback bits.
In a separate skillet, cook ground beef and pork until no longer pink; drain fat and add meat to soup pot. Sprinkle meat with chili powder, cumin, and oregano; toss to blend seasonings.
Add beer, tomatoes, molasses, and enough water to cover meat by 1. Simmer 3 hours, stirring often. Add small amounts of water if needed to keep chili from sticking to pot.
Just before serving, add salt.
Hopping-Good Chili
Australians enjoy a good kangaroo chili. The marsupial is hunted Down Under and the meat is considered a delicacy, with a taste similar to venison. Kangaroo is extremely low in fat and almost always served braised or stewed, often with a wine or fruit-based sauce. If you live outside Australia, kangaroo meat is available via online vendors.
