Beef and Pork Roasted Tomato Chili

Fill Up On this Super Bowl of Chili

Folks sure have been talking up the Super Bowl this year and with the Harbaugh teams going against each other, well, the media frenzy is just crazy. Take Media Day for example; the hype for fans to sit in the Super Dome and watch, which they paid $25 to do, show the obsession of fans who may or may not be in attendance to the actual game. To just hang around and watch 3000 plus reporters do their thing to me is plain crazy. Those in the stands could not talk to, solicit autographs from the players, or come in any contact whatsoever. What they could do is sit there for 4 hours and watch, spend their money at the concession stands, which by the way, sells alcohol and which also probably helped past the time. It just goes to show the popularity of the Super Bowl and the NFL and as one Forbes article put it, ‘if the NFL was selling sand in the desert, fans would buy it.’

More popular than the desire to sit and watch Media Day is sitting and watching the actual game. And to me, more popular than that, is eating on game day. This is a chili recipe I came up with a while back, one based on the old southern way of making chili and one we think is a darn right winning bowl of goodness. The richness of the tomato-laden sauce mingles well with the spiciness of chili flavors and blends into a developed meaty base that has a slight fire-roasted savory savor.

Enjoy!

Beef and Pork Roasted Tomato Chili
6-10 servings

2 pounds pork roast, 1/2-inch cubed
salt, pepper and garlic powder
3/4 cup flour
cooking oil
2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
8 oz mini sweet peppers, sliced (or chopped red bell pepper)
2 large onions, chopped
6 garlic toes, minced
2 cups extra rich chicken stock
2 -10 oz cans petite cut tomatoes and chiles (Hatch brand)
1 -28 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 -11.5 oz can tomato juice
1 -29 oz can seasoned pinto beans, with sauce
1 -15 oz can corn kernels, drained
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
4 to 6 tablespoons good chili powder (like Mexene brand)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
grated cheddar cheese

Add the flour to a medium wide bowl and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Toss the pork cubes in the flour coating well.

In a large stockpot over medium high heat, add about 3 tablespoons cooking oil and when hot, add about half of the pork. Brown on all sides and remove to a paper towel lined plate. Brown the remaining pork and put aside.

Add the ground beef and cook until brown. Add the bell pepper, sweet pepper, onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft. Add the chicken stock, Hatch tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, tomato juice, pinto beans, corn, lime juice, oregano, chili powder and cumin. Stir to incorporate and allow chili to come to a light simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook about 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

In a small bowl, make the salsa by combining the onions with the tomatoes. Give it a light splash with salt, pepper and lime juice if desired.

To serve, top each bowl with grated cheese and good spoonful of salsa. Serve with cornbread, saltines or your choice of bread and sour cream is optional too.