It's a little late to start this but here's my recipe for Snakebite Chili, developed over many, many years of trial and effort. I've already got four gallons made for Super Sunday:
Snakebite Chili
Chili Rub (recipe follows)
2-3 lb. Beef Shoulder 2-3 lb. Beef Tri-tip 2 lb. Pork Shoulder 1/4 c. flour 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 1/4 c. Manteca lard (or 1/4 lb. pork fat or suet) 1 large Onion, chopped 2 cloves Garlic, minced 1 1/2 c. Beef Broth 1 c. pureed garden Tomatoes, strained (or 1 sm. can Tomato Paste) 8-10 tomatillos, peeled, stemmed & coarsely chopped 4 Chili Ancho (dried Pablano pods) 1 Chili Pasilla (dried Chilaca pod) 1 Chili Cascabel, Catarina or Guajilla Pepper (dried pod) (*Note: the above 3 items can be found in the dried Mexican spice section of most large local supermarkets) 1 (for mild chili) to 6 (for spicy chili) fresh Jalapeño Peppers, seeds removed and finely chopped 1-2 Serrano Chills, chopped (optional - CAUTION! These are the hottest peppers on Earth!) 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh Cilantro 1 tsp. chopped dried Oregano 1 Tbsp. crushed whole Cumin Seed 1 tsp. ground Cayenne 1 tsp. Paprika 1 12-oz bottle black beer (London Porter, Stout or seasonal microbrew Bock) 1 dash Heradura Tequila (optional)Chili Rub:
1/4 c. ground red chili pepper or cayenne 1/4 c. Paprika 1/4 c. dry mustard (Coleman's) 2 Tbsp. dried minced onion 4 tsp. crushed whole cumin seed 2 tsp. dried oregano 2 tsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. garlic powder (or Garlic Salt, but reduce salt above by 1 tsp.) 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes Blend all ingredients and store for use in chili, tacos, fajitas, burritos, beans, tostadas, BBQ ribs, and many other really spicy dishes.Trim excess fat from Beef and Pork roasts. Rub whole roasts thoroughly with generous amounts of Chili Rub. When no more rub will adhere to the meat, let the roasts stand at room temperature while you prepare the fire in your BBQ smoker.
Smoke all meats slowly 4-6 hrs in a conventional BBQ smoker over a hickory or mesquite fire according to mfr.'s directions. Do not allow your smoker's temperature to rise above 250° F for more than a few minutes. Remove the roasts from the smoker when your meat thermometer registers 120-130° at the thickest part of each piece. Meat should be quite rare but not raw on the inside, and well done, preferably black and crunchy, on the outside. When roasts are done, seal each one in a plastic freezer bag (remove excess air from bags before sealing) and allow them to marinate, refrigerated, in their own juices overnight.
[Roasts can also be pre-cooked in a conventional oven. Trim fat, rub as above, then roast slowly at 250° F on a meat rack over a roasting pan containing 1-2 tsp. Liquid Smoke and 1 cups beef broth or water until meat thermometer reads 120-130° F. Marinate overnight as above.]The next morning, dice meat into 1/2" cubes. Mix together flour, kosher salt, ground pepper and 1 Tbsp. Chili Rub. Place flour mixture in large paper bag along with the cubed meat. Shake bag to coat each piece of meat lightly with flour & spice mixture.
Melt lard in a heavy 7-quart cast iron Dutch oven over high heat. (If pork fat or suet is used, discard rinds after fat has rendered out. Do not skimp on the fat. You will need at least 1/4 cup of fat or lard to brown all of the meat, and later the onions & garlic. Add more fat or lard if necessary.)
Add beef and pork cubes to the hot fat. Stir frequently to brown on all sides but do not cook completely through (remember that the roasts are already partially cooked), about 15 minutes. Flour coating should be moist but not gummy or stringy. Some of this coating may adhere to the bottom of the best-cured cast iron Dutch ovens, and it may even begin to burn. Do not worry as long as it does not char completely black or smoke profusely (adjust heat accordingly and scrape bottom of Dutch oven with a wooden spatula to prevent such a tragedy). This coating will dissolve into the Chili later, during the lengthy simmering process, and it adds considerable flavor to the finished dish.
Remove the browned meat from Dutch oven and set aside. Add chopped onion and minced garlic to the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until it becomes golden and translucent (onions should be tender but still crunchy; not brown or caramelized), about 5 minutes.
Return meat to Dutch oven. Add 1 cup beef broth, 1/2 bottle beer, pureed tomatoes or tomato paste and chopped tomatillos. Bring to full boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
While meat simmers, trim stems from Ancho, Pasilla and Guajilla chili pods. Slit each pod lengthwise. Remove seeds and internal pith where the seeds are attached. (Do this under running water. Use caution when handling these chilies; keep your fingers away from your eyes and mouth. Wash hands thoroughly before handling any other foods or touching any remotely mucous vertebrate membrane. Unlike other Mexican dishes involving chilies, do NOT attempt to remove the outer skins.) Bring the cleaned chili pods to a full boil in 1-2 cups water. Turn off heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
Strain chili pods from water. Reserve the liquid for later use. Puree the rehydrated pods in a blender or food processor until the outer skins are reduced to large molecules invisible to the naked eye. Add pureed chili pods, chopped Cilantro, chopped Jalapeños, chopped Serranos (optional), crushed Cumin seed, Cayenne and Paprika to the simmering meat.
Simmer Chili (Yes! It's really Chili now!), covered, until meat is fork-tender or beyond, AT LEAST four hours.
Taste frequently. During the simmering process you can adjust consistency (if chili is too thick) by adding equal parts reserved water from chili pods, beef broth and beer, or (if chili is too thin), by adding a Tbsp. of flour or cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup of water/broth/beer mixture. Adjust spiciness (if too mild) by adding Jalapeño or Serrano chilies. Or (if too spicy), ?well, if it's too spicy, too bad, there's not much you can do about it now but enjoy this new intriguing flavor. So sue me.
Immediately prior to serving, for extra bite, add 1 dash of Heradura Tequila to Chili, blending well. (This is optional -- purists will add Pulque, a beverage that is somewhat difficult to find north of Peru.)
Although it can be served immediately, this Chili benefits from being refrigerated and reheated as many as three or four times. This process forces all the flavors to blend thoroughly, and it breaks down the chunks of meat even further for a more authentic Mexican shredded meat consistency.
Serve with grated cheese, red beans, sliced jalapeños, corn bread and generous quantities of your favorite beverage. Serves a whole bunch of people, most of whom will require esophageal reconstruction afterwards. Check with your HMO for co-payment details and permissible surgical procedures. Check with your attorney for civil liability protection.
And remember to invite me to the party.
-Frank