3lb beef roast or brisket
6 strips pepper bacon – chopped into approx 1/2 pcs
20 roma tomatoes (from the garden!)- pealed and crushed (or 28 oz crushed tomatoes)
1 sweet onion – rough chopped
6 cloves garlic – minced
3 poblano peppers – medium dice
2 cup red kidney beans (sacrilege, I know!)
1 cup black beans (in Texas chili?!? Oh the horror!)
1 pint beef broth
1/2 cup coffee
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp fresh oregano – chopped
1 tbs fresh thyme – chopped
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
chili paste
– 3 dried ancho chilis – stem and seeds removed
– 3 guajillo chilis – stem and seeds removed
– 2 chili de arbols – stem and seeds removed (use 1 or none to reduce the heat, but hey, this is chili!)
– 1 chipotle in adobo sauce

Chili paste
Cut the dried chilis into large strips and toast them in a dry pan on high heat. About 2-3 minutes.
Rehydrate the peppers, placing them in a pot, covering them with boiling water for about 10 min.
Let the water cool a little.
Add the rehydrated chilis and the chipotle to the blender.
Add enough of the water from the peppers to allow them to blend.
Blend everything into a nice paste.

The BEANS!
Yep, I’m adding beans to “Texas” chili. Get over it.
If the beans are dry, rinse them and add them to hot water for about an hour. If canned, just rinse and use.

The Meats
If using brisket, you’ll likely only need the flat to get to 3 lbs. If that’s the case, might as well smoke the point while your making the chili and then top the chili with the brisket later on…
Grab a dutch oven, start preheating the oven to 275*F.
Render the bacon slowly to get all of the fat in the pan and the bacon is crisp.
Remove the bacon and set aside. Keep the fat in the pan.
Kick the heat up to high.
Salt and pepper the beef.
Brown all sides of the cubed beef, working in batches to get a good crust and avoid steaming.
Once it’s all browned, set the beef aside.

Veggies
Bring the heat back down to med-high.
Add the diced onions to the pan.
Salt the onions.
And…. wait. Let the onions carnalize. About 15-20 minutes. Don’t rush this.
Once the onions are nice and brown and sticky and sweet, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 in.
Add the poblanos.
Deglaze the pan with beef broth.

Bringing It All Together
Add the bacon and beef back to the pan.
Add the dried spices.
Add the tomatoes.
Add the chili paste.
Add the beans.
Add the coffee.
Add the cocoa powder.
Add additional beef broth as needed.

Put it in the oven for about 4 hours.