Ruth and Lance's dark chocolate chili
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Chili
- 30 ml neutral high-heat oil rounded
- 900 g boneless beef chuck, cut into 2 cm cubes rounded
- 250 g yellow onion, diced rounded
- 3 garlic, finely chopped rounded
- 40 g tomato paste rounded
- 330 ml lager rounded
- 800 g fire-roasted or ordinary diced tomatoes rounded
- 400 ml low-sodium beef broth rounded
- 480 g black beans, drained rounded
- 15 g ancho chile powder rounded
- 15 g mild North American chili powder blend rounded
- 6 g ground cumin rounded
- 4 g ground coriander rounded
- 3 g smoked paprika rounded
- 0.5 g ground cinnamon rounded
- 20 g chipotle in adobo, minced rounded
- 8 g fine salt, divided rounded
- 25 g 85% dark chocolate, finely chopped; the savory chili must remain not sweet rounded
- 20 ml lime juice rounded
Method
Method
- Keep raw beef and its equipment separate from ready-to-eat food. Pat beef dry, season with part of the salt, and brown deeply in three batches for about 18 minutes total.
- Cook onion 7 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, ancho, chili blend, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and cinnamon for 60 to 90 seconds.
- Deglaze with lager, scraping the fond, and simmer 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, beef, and remaining salt.
- Partially cover and braise at the gentlest simmer for 80 to 100 minutes. Add black beans for the final 25 minutes.
- When beef is fork-tender, remove from direct heat. Stir chocolate in three additions until melted, then cook over low heat 5 minutes. Stir in lime and rest 15 minutes. There must be no sweet chocolate aroma; correct an obvious chocolate note with salt and 5 to 10 ml lime, never sugar.
Ingredient substitutions
- Chuck is preferred. In Germany use Rinderschulter, Bug, or marbled Rindergulasch from the shoulder. In Canada use chuck or blade roast. Lean round is not equivalent and may dry out.
- Ancho provides mild dried-fruit depth. If unavailable in Germany, use 12 g sweet paprika plus 3 g mild ground chile; it loses ancho’s raisin character. In Canada, dried ancho is often available and may be toasted, seeded, and ground.
- Use German Helles or Pils or Canadian lager. For alcohol-free chili replace 330 ml beer with 300 ml beef broth plus 30 ml water and add 5 ml cider vinegar at the end. Beer contains gluten unless labelled otherwise, and simmering does not remove all alcohol.
- Use 85% dark chocolate. Replace it with 15 g unsweetened cocoa plus 10 ml neutral oil only as a calibrated alternative; it is drier and more bitter.
Notes
- Chocolate may contain milk or soy. Broth and chipotle may contain gluten or soy; check labels.
- Scaling above 1.5 times requires a larger pot and batch browning.
- Cool in shallow containers within 2 hours, cover cold, refrigerate at 4°C or below, and use within 3 days. Freeze cooled portions for up to 3 months. Reheat only what is needed to a rolling boil and 74°C throughout; store toppings separately.