Now that football season is well underway and the weather, in some parts of the country anyway, is cooling down, chili season is in full swing!

The recipe I’m sharing with you today is one I created for a Chili Cook Off in the summer. I actually took the time to think about what I wanted to do. I even did a dry run before the event at my husband’s office! We invited a friend over to help be another set of taste buds, too.

My beef and chorizo chili was a huge hit! There weren’t even leftovers. It was determined that I didn’t need to make any changes. (And we definitely didn’t need the back up plan of “order a pizza.”)

Unfortunately round one of my chili was better than the round that went into the competition. Though, my husband takes full blame for not setting the slow cooker on high to warm the chili through before people would be digging into it. I didn’t bring home a victory like my last chili cook-off experience, but even still, there weren’t any leftovers.

I will definitely make this chili again, and happily serve it to guests. Some mini cornbread muffins are a perfect accompaniment to the subtle smokey chili.

Let me know what you think of my original creation!

Beef and Chorizo Chili

Ingredients:

• 3 links chorizo sausage, casings removed
• 1 lb top round roast, cubed
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Santa Fe pepper, deseeded and diced
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 C beef stock
• 2 cans (4 oz) diced green chiles
• 1 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• scallions, chopped for serving
• shredded cheese, for serving

Steps:

1.  Brown chorizo in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking up as it cooks. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.
2. Season the beef with S+P. Sear on all sides in the chorizo fat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on the plate with the chorizo.
3. If needed, add a couple of teaspoons of oil to the Dutch oven. Saute the onion, peppers, and garlic until tender. Season with salt.
4. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
5. Return the chorizo and beef to the chili and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer uncovered 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Garnish with scallions and shredded cheese. Serve with cornbread.