Autumn Chili - Spicy & Sweet

This evening all 3 of my kids came for dinner. I made a big pot of my Spicy & Sweet Autumn Chili and my Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits for dinner. Normally when I make it, I cook it on top of the stove. Today I decided to make it in the crock pot so I wouldn't be tied to the kitchen for a few hours while it cooked and could get some other things done. It turned out great. I doubled the recipe which made a humongous pot of chili. The only other change I made besides cooking it in the crock pot and doubling it is that in today's batch, I used all diced/cubed beef instead of half ground beef, half cubed beef. Also, instead of using regular sharp cheddar cheese, I grated Kerrygold's Ballyshannon (a strong white cheddar cheese). It turned out awesome! In my Autumn Chili, I don't add beans, I roast cubed butternut squash and add it to the bowls when I serve it (it's natural sweetness helps balance the spiciness of the chili -- and it screams AUTUMN is here). I also heated some beans separately for my kids to add to their chili, too. I'd like to share my experience and windfall with you while shopping at Costco yesterday. 

I had originally planned to buy a roast and cut it up myself...but in looking at their "beef for stew" packages, I asked the butcher what kind of meat they used (it looked nice). He said that it could be anything or most of the time Top Round. I asked him what he meant by "anything" and he said that if they were cutting a better cut of meat and had small pieces that they could use for stew beef that they frequently used that too. Then he said...for instance, those 2 packages of meat you have in your hand...the one in your right hand is all beef tenderloin/filet mignon. I said ALL of it (it looked really good and different than the other packs). He said yes....so guess which package I picked up??? LOL I made 8 quarts of chili using 4-1/4 pounds of beef tenderloin!!! It was the same price per pound ($3.89/lb) as the regular stew beef -- so for $16.38 I walked away with that much well trimmed, beautiful beef tenderloin! I felt like a thief...LOL. I have to tell you...I may never make 8 quarts of chili again using over 4 pounds of beef tenderloin...but it was some of the BEST chili I have ever eaten! After slow cooking for 8 hours, it was so tender, but still intact. So, for all you Costco shoppers out there...keep a close eye on the "beef for stew" as its labeled...you may stumble upon a windfall like I did. You can bet that I will be checking it out each time I go now...I'm thinking beef stroganoff, beef burgundy, beef kabobs...the list is endless. I snapped a few photos for you to see below. Enjoy!

It was in larger chunks before I cut it down for chili here

My "beef for stew" was all beef tenderloin...can you believe that?

Right before the lid went on to slow cook for 8 hours...

I filled my 8-quart crock pot with chili -- I usually use this one for cooking turkey breasts

BOOM!

Spicy & Sweet Autumn Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground sirloin
1 lb. boneless beef chuck arm roast, diced into 1/2" cubes
2 - 3 tablespoons oil, to saute vegetables and brown beef
1 cup onion, diced
1-1/2 - 2 cups red, yellow or orange sweet bell peppers, diced
1 Poblano pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
5 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
Spices:
   1 tablespoon chili powder
   1 teaspoon "chipotle chili powder" (or regular chili powder to reduce heat)
   1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika (or sweet paprika to reduce heat)
   1 teaspoon ground coriander
   1 teaspoon cumin (or roasted cumin)
   1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
   1 teaspoon oregano
   1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
   1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 14.5-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (including juice)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 6-oz. tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1-1/2 cups water (more or less, depending on preferred thickness)
4-6 cups cubed and peeled butternut squash, roasted

Directions:

In a large stockpot, add a couple tablespoons of oil and quickly saute onion, sweet bell peppers, Poblano and jalapeno peppers until almost tender; add minced garlic and cook a couple more minutes, stirring frequently (covering the pan for a bit helps speed up cooking the veggies).   Using a slotted spoon, remove the veggies and set aside on a platter.  Add additional tablespoon of oil and brown beef cubes well, until almost done.  Remove browned beef cubes and set aside on the platter along with the cooked pepper and onion mixture.  Add ground sirloin to the pot and brown quickly, breaking up and crumbling the beef as it cooks.  When the ground sirloin is cooked, add the platter of cooked beef cubes and pepper mixture back to the pot.   Add all the spices, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chicken broth and water and stir well.  Bring to a medium boil and taste to adjust seasonings, if necessary.  Cover the pot and turn heat to low and simmer for 2 to 2-1/2 hours on low (if desired, at this point the chili can be placed into a crock-pot and cooked on low for 8 - 10 hours instead of simmering on top of the stove).  

Ladle chili into bowls and top with roasted butternut squash cubes (click here for recipe); top with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.  Serves approximately 6.