In honor of the approaching Super Bowl (and any other football game, especially one the Ducks are playing in), here is yet another option to serve hungry football (or commercial!) watchers. This is an incredibly delicious, spicy chili that’s relatively easy to prepare.

I’d like to emphasize that this is a spicy chili.

Did I mention this stuff is hot?

You can add less spice. But knock-you-out-spiciness is a key ingredient to any football watching event. For more information on this, please see hot wings.

Alright, to start, let’s chop our veggies. First, some onion. I love me some onion.

Then some celery.

Then some green bell pepper.

Aaaand… a habanero pepper. You could totally leave out the habanero pepper if you want a more controlled, subtle spice using cayenne pepper. Which we will also be using. In addition to the habanero pepper. Yep. Just a little.

Also, I forgot to take a picture of it. So pretend it’s here. If you’d really like to see one chopped, head over to my jerk chicken post.

Then in a large stock pot, cook some ground beef. And lots of it. I really wish I would have had hot Italian sausage on hand, but sadly, I did not. You could add it if you like.

Strain it, and set it aside. Without washing the pot, add a tablespoon of butter.

Add the vegetables and cook until edges of the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another thirty seconds.

Add some broth.

A bottle and a half of some nice beer. I intended to use Widmer Brother’s Amber Ale… but I apparently drank the last bottle the night before. So, I used their winter brew instead. Also very tasty.

Some black pepper, paprika, cumin, chili powder, and a little bit of cayenne pepper.

Some chopped thyme.

And a can of diced tomatoes.

And some tomato sauce. Which I forgot to take a picture of. Stir it aaaall up in that stock pot.

Then add the cooked ground beef and some bacon. I also reserved some bacon to put on top of the chili before serving.

Let simmer for about an hour, and then add 2 cans of of chili beans and the sauce. If you wanna be all not lazy about it, you can soak some chili beans over night and add them to the chili from the get go.

Let simmer for another half hour to an hour, or until everything is cooked well and smelling fabulous. Spoon into bowls, top with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and some more thyme. Some bacon if you like. And serve along side corn bread. Oh, corn bread. It really helps cut the spice, too.

And watch your football fans gobble this up. Because it’s deliciously spicy.

Spicy Chili con Carne
Serves 8

Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic
2 pounds ground beef
7 strips of bacon, cooked
3 cups beef broth
12 oz amber ale (1 bottle)
1 can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tsp chopped thyme
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp chili powder
2 cans chili beans

For garnish:
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon
Chopped thyme

Directions
1. In a large stock pot, cook the ground beef. Strain and set aside.
2. In the stock pot, melt the tablespoon of butter. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and habanero pepper. Cook until edges of onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add all other ingredients, including ground beef, except beans and ingredients for garnish.
3. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let simmer for one hour.
4. Add the beans, and let simmer for another half hour to one hour. If the soup is thin, simmer for last hour with the lid off. If not, keep the lid on.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon, and chopped thyme on top.