I made chili colorado from the recipe in "The Complete Meat Cookbook" by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly and it turned out great.

I browned the chuck first for added flavor (a step left out of the original recipe), and I omitted the boiled red potatoes and fresh chiles added at the end of the recipe.

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Chili Colorado from The Complete Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells & Denis Kelly

• 4 ancho or mulato chiles, or other large, dried red chiles (I used "California Chiles" from the ethnic food aisle at Albertson's)
  
• 4 pounds beef chuck, fat trimmed and cut into 3/4" pieces
  
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper to season meat
  
• 1/4 cup chile powder
  
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
  
• 6 garlic cloves
  
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  
• 2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1 cup Mexican beer

Soak the dried chiles in boiling water to cover for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Season meat chunks with salt and pepper. Brown in small batches in dutch oven on the stovetop. Set meat aside.

Drain chiles, remove stems and seeds. Put chiles, chile powder, onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander, and salt in food processor. Pulse to chop the ingredients, then process to a thick paste. Add beer and continue to process to blend.

Put meat and any accumulated juices back in dutch oven, pour in the sauce and stir well.

Cover dutch oven with a sheet of foil, then put the lid on for a tight seal. Bake in middle of oven for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Stir at 1 hour and then every 15 minutes thereafter, cooking until meat is fork-tender and adding more beer if sauce seems too thick.

After cooking, taste for salt and pepper.

Serve with warm flour tortillas, Mexican-style rice and cooked pinto beans. Optional garnishes include chopped cilantro, finely chopped onions, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, salsa or hot sauce.

Serves 8, with leftovers. Reheats well...perhaps better if made a day or two in advance. Reheat in 250*F oven, add a bit of water or beer is sauce is too thick.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Chris Allingham,

quote:

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Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
I made chili colorado from the recipe in "The Complete Meat Cookbook" by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly and it turned out great.

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Pretty much everything I've made out of that cookbook has turned out great. I read that thing cover to cover, like it was a novel or something. Very informative and great recipes!

I've got this in the oven right now. I had all the ingredients on hand. The sauce tasted excellent directly from the processor, and I bought some canned kidneys for my husband to add after the fact if he wants them. I've never made one of Bruce's recipes before. Thanks for posting it.

Update: Yum! Truly rich and didn't turn out spicy, despite using hot NM chile powder.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jane Cherry,

I'm considering doing this with left over brisket. Could one do it in a crock-pot and let it simmer all day? Any benefits or reason not to do this?

The meat needs to be uncoooked for this. The juices are essential so the dish doesn't dry out. Doing it in the conventional oven required me to keep adding beer, in the pressure cooker, it retains the liquid. Don't know about liquid evaporation in the crock pot.