Guest Post from Jenn's Food Journey: Big Red Chili

I can't tell you all how happy I was when Mary emailed me the other day and asked if we were going to keep up our tradition of a recipe exchange in honor of the Nebraska vs. Michigan football game! She and I have both been quite busy and I really thought we might pass on it this year, but some things just can't be passed by ... and this is one of them!

We have had two great years of recipe swapping which have included two different cornbread recipes from Mary on my site - Cheesy Cornbread and Amazin' Maize 'n' Blue Cornbread - which, by the way, I have made and they are both DE-Licious!!

This year, I had a hard time trying to come up with something that was traditional for Nebraska, so instead, I decided to showcase a chili recipe that I came up with a few years ago that I believe is a good tribute to Nebraska and its football fever. If you have never been to Nebraska, let me just tell you that there isn't a lot to do - not that it's a bad thing, it's just the truth. I believe that is why Nebraska football is so loved and so very big in the state. We have no professional teams and no inner state rivals, so our love does not have to be divided! Although Nebraska has not done very well in the last two years against Michigan, I am still hopeful that they will surprise everyone and pull out an upset!!

So, here is my tribute to all things Nebraska - football, beef and more beef (the only thing missing is the corn)! And here's to another great year of recipe swapping and rivalry!! Thank you, Mary for this fun tradition!!

Nebraska at Michigan
Saturday, November 9
3:30 p.m. EST on ABC



Big Red Chili

Created by Jenn's Food Journey

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and stem removed, chopped
1 pound boneless bottom round steak, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup beer
3/4 cup beef broth
2-3 Tablespoons chili powder (add two, taste, add more if needed)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used chili garlic Cholula)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon tomato paste OR 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 teaspoon beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 8-10 minutes on medium low or until the onions are tender. Add the jalapenos and saute another 3-4 minutes. Add the steak and turn up the heat to medium. Cook for 2 minutes and add the ground beef; stirring occasionally. Cook until the steak and beef are no longer pink. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the beer and beef broth, stirring to combine. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne, hot sauce and tomato sauce. Stir until everything is well combined. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add the tomato paste or cornstarch slurry and stir. Cover and allow to simmer another 2-3 hours or until the steak becomes tender and the chili has thickened. Enjoy!