Spicy Browned-Beef Chili (Paleo)

    

I kinda sorta made up this recipe from a recipe I found on Pinterest. It was sort of similar except that it used a whole lot of tomato paste, cocoa powder, allspice, and didn't use any chilies or peppers. I pretty much massacred the recipe, but in the end it tasted delicious! I was going for a super spicy chili, but alas - chilis, cayenne, and crushed red pepper weren't enough to make it super spicy. Next time I'll have to add 5 chilis and up the spices if I want it to be spicy enough for my boyfriend. I'm also going to use a leaner ground beef than 80/20, but since I'm super broke I ended up buying the 80/20 and regretting it as I was skimming fat off the top of the chili for 20 minutes. I also absolutely hate taking pictures of soup or savory food in general, hence the super crappy picture. If this chili was a cupcake, it would be much cuter.

Spicy Browned-Beef Chili
yield: a big ol' pot

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp canola oil (coconut oil if you're going Paleo)
2 medium onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 hot chilis, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp granulated garlic
2 1/4 lbs ground beef
1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted, chopped tomatoes
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 tsp soy sauce
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large, deep pot over medium heat, and add the canola oil. Add the onions, bell pepper, and a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the chilis and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the oregano, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, allspice, cayenne, crushed red pepper, and granulate garlic. Add to the pot with the vegetables and stir together until combined and fragrant, another minute.

Add the beef to the pot and crank the heat up to medium-high. Salt to taste. Cook until the meat is completely browned, cutting it up with a wooden spoon so no large chunks form. This will probably take another 5-10 minutes. Once the meat is browned, add the fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, water, beef bouillon, and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and let simmer for AT LEAST 2 hours. Season to taste.

SOURCE
Sarah Cupcake original!