Social media is covered up with everyone declaring their love for fall…the cooler temperatures, the colorful leaves, the sweaters, the campfires, the boots, and the food. Oh, for the love of fall foods. And I’m a sucker for every single bit of it. September 1st, I practically skipped around the farm wearing flannel and decorating with pumpkins and mums and hay bales. If I could whistle, I’d have probably done that too. My name is Brooke, and I love fall.
And last night felt like fall. Rainy, cold, windy….downright perfect chili weather. I have an old faithful chili recipe that I make almost weekly during the cold months, but last night, we had about 4 lbs of leftover brisket trimmings, and I was feeling a little adventurous. Now, I fully recognize, most people don’t have brisket just lying around like we do, but it would be criminal to keep this to myself. So if you do happen to have some leftovers that have dried out a little bit in the fridge or you’re just hankering for the absolute best chili you’ve had in your life, give this a go. You will not be disappointed.
So from our table to yours,
- 4 lbs of fully cooked, Smoked Brisket
- 4 Tbs minced garlic
- 1.5 cups of water
- 15 oz. tomato sauce
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 1/4 c. chili powder
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 29 oz. can pinto beans
1. Chop your brisket into small, bite size pieces and put in large pot or dutch oven. Add garlic.
2. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin and water. It seems simple, I know. But you’re dealing with brisket here….not ground beef like usual. It doesn’t need as much help to be amazing.
3. Let simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Add more water if you need to prevent sticking.
4. Add pinto beans, and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes, still stirring occasionally.
5. Ladle into a deep bowl that you can hunker over to eat. It’s so good just like that. But my never-ending quest for the perfect bite leads me to all the chili fixin’s….cheese, shredded lettuce, avocado, sour cream and jalapeños.
Oh! And cornbread. There’s probably some amazing homemade cornbread recipes on Pinterest. But that 88 cent blue box of sweet Jiffy cornbread is like heaven in an 8×8 pan. So it’s our resident go-to 🙂