Muleskinner's Chili

Cook Time: 2.5 hours

Ingredients

• 2 – 4 strips thick sliced bacon
• 1 pound boneless pork chops, cubed small
• 1 pound round steak cubed small
• 1 pound ground round steak
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (10 ounce) can Spanish style tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• ½ Tbsp or to taste of crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp Tabasco
• 3 Tbsp (heaping) chili powder
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano leaves
• 1 tsp ground oregano
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 12 ounces beer

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a large heavy skillet until crisp.
2. Remove bacon, crumble and set aside.
3. Brown the cubed meat and ground meat in the bacon drippings.
4. Brown the meat in batches to prevent overcrowding.
5. Transfer the browned meat and any juices to a Dutch oven or large pot.
6. In the same skillet, sauté the onions and garlic until slightly softened, adding additional bacon drippings if necessary.
7. Transfer the onion mixture to the Dutch oven and add reserved bacon, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped chilies and tabasco.
8. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to combine well.
9. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook gently for 30 minutes.
10. Stir in all remaining ingredients, including beer.
11. Cover and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the chili has thickened and the meat is tender.