Chili con carne (y frijoles)

Okay so I have been kinda busy lately and haven't posted, but I'm back now and that's all that matters.  Jam Fest  of August 2012 didn't really happen, but I've still made some headway and have gotten very high marks on the green chile apple butter I made.

Speaking of chiles though, I just want you to read this and trust me.  Go to your pantry and throw out your bottle of chili powder.  It's that stuff that has cayenne pepper and cumin and garlic and maybe some oregano and salt.  Just go and throw it in the trash.  I'll wait a moment so you can do that...

Did you do it?  If not, that's okay.  I'm sure it will be fine for putting on popcorn or french fries or something.  But from this day forward I want you to promise me that you will never ever again use chili powder for making the delicious spicy stew known as chili.  What you will be doing instead is this:


Chili
Ingredients:
-For venison chili use 2 lb ground deer breakfast sausage or ground venison seasoned with Rachel's yummy breakfast sausage seasoning.  You will need to double the recipe for 2 lbs of venison. If you have to season the meat, cover and refrigerate it for an hour or overnight
For beef chili use 2 lb ground beef, preferably something not extra lean and mix with 1/2 tsp salt
-4 tbsp bacon grease (or olive oil if you must)
-2 of each of the following dried chilis (you can order most of them from Penzey's or purchase at your local Latino grocery store):
Ancho
Pasilla
Guajillo
Cascabel
Chiles de Arbol
-2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
-4 cups beef, veal, or venison stock
-1 small onion
-1 tbsp minced garlic
-1 4 oz cans chopped green chiles (preferably Hatch chiles)
-1 cup dark lager (such as Shiner Bock), drink the rest while you cook

-2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
-1 7.75 oz can El Pato Mexican Hot Tomato Sauce (optional)
-1/4 c masa
-kosher salt
Directions:
1)Heat a dry skillet over medium high heat and toast dried chiles on each side so that the chiles puff and change color but don't burn. Remove and submerge in hot water for 30 min-1 hr. Remove and discard stems and seeds from rehydrated chiles and place chiles in a blender.  Add the 2 chipotle chiles and 2 cups of broth and blend until smooth.

2)Heat 2 tbsp grease or oil in a dutch oven and brown all of the meat, breaking it up into small bite size pieces.  Remove meat from dutch oven and set aside.
3)Heat the remaining oil or grease in the dutch oven and cook the onion until it is softened and just starting to brown.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant.  Add diced chiles and the browned meat.  Mix well and add the chile mixture, the remaining broth, and the beer.  Add the tomato sauce if using.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer.
4)Add masa and stir quickly.  Break up any lumps that form and simmer until thickened.  Add in beans if using and continue to simmer until heated through.  Add salt to taste.