Superbowl Chili

This week I was watching the episode of "Top Chef" where the elimination challenge involved teams making chili for some rodeo cowboys, and I was surprised to see that one of the recipes was similar to a recipe I've been using for my Superbowl chili. It's adapted from a recipe I found in the January 2003 edition of Maxim magazine, and it's perfect for a party to watch the big game Sunday. Go Giants!

Chop 1 1/4 cups of onions; 1 1/4 cups of celery; 1 1/4 cups of bell peppers, 3 jalapeno peppers; and 3 cloves of garlic, and set them aside. In a large pan, brown 2 1/2 pounds of stewing beef. Once done, place the beef in a large stock pot, along with all the chopped vegetables; the entire contents of a can of whole tomatoes; a can of stout (i.e. Guinness, Alexander Keith's Dark Ale); a can of tomato paste; 1 1/4 cups of your favourite spicy barbecue sauce; 2 tablespoons of chili powder; 1 1/4 teaspoons of oregano; 1 1/4 teaspoons of cumin, and a few shakes of Tabasco sauce.. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a low heat, cover, and let everything simmer for at least 2 hours. Stir every now and then.

The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste, so if possible, have everything in the pot and on the stove at noon so you can dig into a hot steaming bowl of chili at kickoff. You can add a can of kidney beans if you want, but I can deal without a bunch of farting football fans during the halftime show, so I usually don't. For an extra bit of flavour, put a cinnamon stick in the center of the chili during the simmering process.