This Guinness Chili recipe takes time, but is worth the effort. The bold flavor of Guinness is prominent and separates this chili from all other chili recipes.

I'm not a recipe person, but more of a fly by the seat of your pants kinda cook. I did however pay close attention when I cooked my last chili, so I could prepare this recipe for you.

Ingredients..

• 2 medium white onion
• 3 celery stocks
• 1 large carrot (or pack of pre-cut celery and carrot - pictured here)
• 5 lbs lean ground beef
• 5 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 cans of Rotel (mild or hot)
• 1 carton of vegetable broth (for liquid)
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp cayenne
• 5 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp pizza seasoning (optional)
• 1 tbsp ground pepper
• 1 tbsp salt (to taste)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 and 1/2 pack of mushrooms
• 2 bottles of Guinness (save some for leftovers)
• hot salsa (to taste) (as much as you like)
• 2 cans of kidney beans
• 2 cans of black beans

Yields 12 servings (or more)

I like to combine my spices first, so I can toss the mixture into the chili with ease. Again, my spices include..

• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp cayenne
• 5 tbsp chili powder
• 1 oz. taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp pizza seasoning (optional)
• 1 tbsp ground pepper
• 1 tbsp salt (to taste)

If you need more heat (spice), I suggest adding them early in the process, so the flavors can marry with the other ingredients. I ALWAYS add more spices, but wanted to keep this recipe low heat. Not everyone wants to feel the burn!

Get yourself a vegetable chopper, slice and dice cutter. They're inexpensive and will save you a lot of time. Otherwise, go old school and chop your produce manually. Sometimes I'm too lazy to use the chopper and clean it, so I chop manually with a ceramic knife - it's therapy!

Prepare your produce..

Cut the celery and carrot into 1/4" dice. Halve and peel the white onion, then slice into strips and cut into a fine dice. Stem, seed, remove ribs and cut the red and yellow bell peppers into 1" pieces. Slice the mushrooms. Remove stem from Jalapeños, half and mince (no need to remove the ribs and seeds). Mince fresh garlic or use minced garlic from a jar (it's easier). Thinly slice the mini chives and set aside for garnish.

Before starting the process, empty the black beans and kidney beans into a strainer, rinse with cold water and set aside. 

Place a large stock pot over med-high heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. Add the Mirepoix mix (celery, carrot and onion). Stir occasionally and cook until tender (4+ minutes).

Add the minced garlic, followed by the lean ground beef and break up the meat until no pink remains. You may want to drain any excess fat from the beef. Simply pour into a large strainer, let the fat drain and put the beef back in the stock pot.

Once the lean ground beef is cooked through, reduce the heat to medium and add the Rotel, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the red and yellow bell peppers and stir. Add the pre-prepared mixture of seasonings and stir. Add the mushrooms, hot salsa and stir.

I know it is odd to add mushrooms, but they add a nice texture and will cook down to half the size. Mushrooms are my favorite AND I usually eat them from the pot, so there's barely any left when I serve the chili!

Add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Add the Guinness beer 1/2 bottle at a time for flavor. If you feel that your chili needs more liquid, add vegetable broth 1/2 cup at a time.

I keep half a bottle of Guinness in the fridge for leftovers - just add the remaining Guinness for liquid and re-heat. 

Lower the heat and allow the chili to summer until the bell peppers are tender. This process requires frequent tastings - you will not be hungry after cooking this chili! I usually allow my chili to simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 

Lastly, add the black beans and kidney beans and allow them to sit in the chili for 30 min before serving. If you are cooking your chili the night before, I would suggest adding the beans when you reheat the chili. These beans are fragile and fall apart easily - you want them to be intact.

I prefer to cook the chili the night before and refrigerate. My large stock pot doesn't fit in my fridge, so I transfer the chili to a smaller stock pot. 

Day 2, just add Guinness beer and re-heat on low-medium.

Sides..

Chili is heavy on it's own, but cheesy garlic bread compliments chili flavors well. Pre-heat your oven to 400°. Using a serrated knife, slice one French baguette into 1/4" pieces, spread an even layer of garlic butter and top with Italian cheese blend. Turn the oven to broil. Place the cheesy garlic bread under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling.

I keep garlic butter in my fridge at all times and use it often. My go-to garlic butter seasoning is Herb Butter Mix from The Oil & Vinegar Store. Just add a few tbsp to whipped butter and you have a perfectly flavored garlic butter that will last in the fridge for months. 

Toppings are up to the individual, so I suggest placing chopped Jalapeño, shredded sharp cheddar, sliced avocado and sour cream on the table. I usually prepare garlic sour cream the night before - 1 large container of sour cream, garlic seasoning (to taste) and thinly sliced green onion. It's delicious. 

This Guinness chili recently won 2nd place at a corporate chili cook-off! It takes time, but the result is super satisfying. Enjoy..