I watched Labor Day the other night and Frank, an escaped convict played by Josh Brolin, cooked up a pretty awesome chili. (A good coming-of-age movie, by the way, highlighting the importance of fathers.) Here is my take on his recipe which I have dubbed Convict Chili.
Supplies:
- 3 Cans of Beans, Drained. (Kidney or Pintos)
- 1 lb of Ground Beef
- 1 Can of Diced or Stewed Tomatoes, Drained
- Some Red Onion
- Some Butter
- About a Cup of Coffee, Fresh
- Chili Powder
- Salt
How to Make Convict Chili
This is chili, so, like Frank, I am forgoing the exact measurements.
Step 1: Cook yer beef.
My beef was already cooked so I skipped this step. Throw it in a skillet and cook on medium till brown.
Step 2: Add the beans to a pot
Normally I would add the bean juice in the chili, but the coffee is going to act like the liquid. Here I have red and white kidney and pinto beans.
3 Cans of Drained Beans in the Pot
Step 3: Add some chili powder and salt to the beans
Stir in the chili powder and salt. Turn heat on med-low to let the beans absorb the flavor.
Add about this much chili powder
Add about this much salt
Step 4: Drain the beef, add onions, butter, and tomatoes
Drain the beef and add the onions, butter, and tomatoes. Simmer on low until the juice from the tomatoes is about gone.
Add some butter to onions and tomatoes
Beef simmering with the onions and tomatoes
Step 5: Add coffee to beef, onion, and tomatoes
Coffee is the secret ingredient here. Make sure you keep the coffee warm before you get to this step. Stale coffee is just bad no matter what.
Add fresh coffee to the beef, tomatoes, and onions
Step 6: Add the beans to rest of the mix
Add the beans to your skillet mixture and let it all simmer on low heat for a while, covered, until the coffee has evaporated a good deal. The chili should be thick enough to hide a hacksaw blade.
Top with cheese. Eat it from a cup.
Enjoy
Why not have a bowl while watching the movie?