Clilli Con Carne - Adapted from The Homesick Texan

We have been looking for an authentic chili con carne recipe for some time. We found it on the blog below. We couldn't find all the peppers mentioned in the recipe so we used the ones we could find, i.e. jalapenos, pablanos, anaheims and chipotles.

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2009/02/more-precise-texas-chili-recipe.html

Start by browning two strips of bacon in an oven proof pan. Remove the bacon and add 1 lb. of beef stew meat that has been cut into bite sized pieces. Brown the meat and then add 1 medium diced onion. When the onion gets soft, add one clove of minced garlic and stir for another minute or two. To this mix, add your diced peppers. As stated above we used jalapenos, pablanos, anaheims and chipoltes, which had been seeded. At this point, unlike the original recipe we added the spices:1/8t each of ground cinnamon, clove, allspice and cayenne. Also add 1T ground cumin. Stir until the spices become fragrant. Add 1/4C brewed coffee, 1/2C water and 1/2C beer. After the liquid has been added, stir in 2T unsweetened cocoa. We also added a small can of red enchilada sauce because it had some peppers incorporated that we couldn't get. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in a 275 degree oven until the meat is fork tender, about 2 hrs. We thickened the dish a bit by adding about 1/4C mesa flour (finely ground corn meal) mixed with water. Bring back to a boil and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with your choice of condiments, including beans, on the side. As a friend used to say "anyone who knows beans about chili con carne, knows there are no beans in chili con carne. The slow cooking and the complex mix of spices is well worth the effort.