The peculiarity of this chili is to use a combination of large quantities of four fresh peppers (poblanos, serranos, jalapenos, habaneros), which develop a wonderful flavor, especially if the chili is prepared one day in advance and left in the fridge overnight. I also recommend to use a dry ghost chili, if possible: this is a very hot pepper, with a wonderful smoky flavor: it not only adds heat, but also a subtle smoke different from what you can obtain with chipotles. If you are afraid of heat, you should de-vein and seed all peppers prior to using them. <br /> <br />I am using a combination of ground pork and beef: the pork being slightly sweet, it gives a very complex flavor to the dish. But you can make this with 100% beef as well. <br /> <br />This will not qualify as a Texas chili, since I also use both black and kidney beans. I opted for canned beans for convenience, but by all means, feel free to use dry or fresh beans, if available. <br /> <br />A word to the wise: I have made chili con carne from this recipe at least 20 times, and It comes out slightly differently every time. This is because of the fresh chiles I use: their heat varies enormously, depending on the soil they were grown on, and the time of the year. Sometimes a jalapeno will be so hot that it will be impossible to eat. Some other times, I can eat it raw, no issue. But this is my final recipe for the moment, which gave me a lot of satisfaction also in chili cook-offs.

Share: