Carne Asada Beer Chili

"Chili in a Red Bowl" (CC BY 2.0) bywuestenigel

Ingredients

For chili:

• 2 pounds carne asada meat or flank steak
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dark chocolate cocoa powder or cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• a good pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can fired roasted diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons apple butter
• 1 (12 ounce) beer
• 4-6 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1-2 ( 14 ounce) cans pinto and or black beans, rinsed or drained
• sliced avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, Fritos, grilled corn, limes, sliced jalapenos + fresh cilantro, for topping

For seasoned potato wedges:

• 4 russet potatoes, cut into wedges
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

For chili:

1. Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet, grill pan or grill to high heat.
2. Rub the steak all over with olive oil and season with salt + pepper. Sear the meat on both sides until, light char marks appear, about 3 minutes. Add the meat to your VitaClay pot.
3. In your VitaClay pot, add all the remaining ingredients except the beans. Cover and cook on “Soup” or “Slow” 1.5 – 2 hours.
4. Shred the meat with two forks. Stir in the beans. If you like a soupy chili, add more chicken broth to your liking.
5. To serve, divide the chili among bowls and top with seasoned baked potato wedges (recipe below), sliced avocado, cheddar cheese, Fritos, grilled corn and jalapeños. EAT!

For seasoned potato wedges:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease with a little olive oil.
2. In a large bowl, toss the fries with olive oil. Add the chipotle chile powder, honey, salt and pepper and arrange the fries in a single layer without crowding them (this is very important - I used two baking sheets). Bake for 20 minutes, remove and toss, then bake for another 15-20 minutes. I like to start checking them at 15 minutes just to make sure that none are burning or getting too crisp.