servings 8
From Wood Fired Cooking by Mary Karlin, one of my favorite wood fired cooking books.
ingredients
6 ancho chiles 6 slices bacon, diced 1 large onion, chopped 5 lbs beef brisket, trimmed and cut into 3 inch pieces salt and pepper for seasoning 1 habanero chile, stemmed and seeded 6 garlic cloves, peeled 2 tsp cumn seeds 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp ground coriander 2 T chili powder 1 14 1/2 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles 1 12 oz bottle mexican beer chopped stems from 1 bunch cilantro 4 mild green chiles, fire roasted, peeled, seeded and diced for Garnish: 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves 1 cup sweet red onion, finely chopped 1 avocado, sliced shredded Monterey jack cheese wqrm corn tortillas, for serving
preparation
Tear the dried ancho chiles apart. Discard the seeds and stems, and place the chiles in a bowl. Add boiling water to cover, and soak for ast least 30 minutes or for up to several hours. Set aside. Prepare a medium heat fire in a wood burning oven. Fry the bacon in a large dutch oven over medium heat until it begins to brown. Add the onion, and saute for 5 minutes. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the meat. Place the soaked chiles and about 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid in a blender (save the remaining liquid to add to the pot later if needed). Add habanero, garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander, 1 tsp salt and the chili powder. Blend to form a puree, and pour over the meat along with the tomatoes, beer, cilantro stems and green chiles. Stir well to coat the meat and blend the ingredients. Cover pot, and place in the oven. Close the oven door to retain heat, and leave the chili overnight or up to 12 hours until the meat is fork tender. Remove the pot from the oven. Skim the excess fat from the surface of the chili, or chill in the refrigerator overnight, and remove the congealed fat. Season to taste. Reheat the chili over low heat. Serve in bowls with the garnishes on the side and warmed tortillas to roll and dip.