I created this Round-Up Chili recipe in honor of the Red Bluff 21st Annual Chili Cookoff – you see, I’m from Red Bluff, a town that has more cows then people. It’s very hard to describe Red Bluff to anyone here in NYC – but that cow to people ratio is the best I’ve found so far. I guess you could say I’m a country boy at heart. So anyways, the chili-cookoff is held the weekend before the Red Bluff Round Up and 100′s of chili mongers fill the streets of downtown Red Bluff. I used to go downtown first thing in the morning and stay till the last chili competitor was gone – tooling around the streets and tasting everything that was handed to me. This is where I learned to cook chili – you see my Grandmother taught me to bake, my Grandfather taught my to BBQ and my Mom taught me to burn – but the Red Bluff Chili Competition taught me chili. And it’s there I learned that chili is whatever you make it, so in honor of the upcoming competition, I ’rounded’ up all the ingredients I could find and created Round Up Chili.

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Pork
2 lbs Ground Beef
3 Jalapeno Peppers – seeded & diced
1 Red Bell Pepper – seeded & diced
1/2 Large White Onion – diced
1 Head of Garlic – coarsely diced
1 Can Mexican Beans
1 Can Black Beans
2 Cans Tomato Paste
1 Can Tomato Sauce
3-4 Tablespoons Chili Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Makers Mark – Drink while you cook

Step 1 – Brown the meat and prep ingredients

Brown the Pork & Beef and while those are cooking, chop all your veggies and open all the cans – this will make the final steps much quicker. Drink.

Step 2: Saute Onions & Garlic

Once the meat is cooked, remove from pan and drain. Add your onions & garlic to the pot and saute in the little bit of leftover grease from the meats. Drink.

Step 3: Combine

Once the onions are clear, toss the meat back in along with all the remaining ingredients. Mix well and taste test – you may want more heat. Drink.

Step 4: Simmer

Cover (to minimize splashes) and simmer the chili for about 1 hour or until the red bell peppers are soft. Drink.

Step 5: Enjoy!

Eat! Top with sour cream, jalapenos and Fritos if you have them. This chili really picks up flavor the next day as well.

Drink. Fart. Pass out.