Barbecue Journey with Dan ‘The Man’ — Chocolate Chili

When Lewis and Clark traversed the great American landscape, they must have encountered similar obstacles that I did while making this week's Barbecue Journey.

I realize how hyperbolic that may seem to you. But after you screw up a recipe so badly, and you have the pressure of the Journey bearing down on you, it becomes all too real.

The initial goal was to make "Big Pot Chili," from Dr. BBQ's "NFL Gameday Cookbook." It is enough chili to feed a small army (25 people). I do not have the budget nor a pot big enough for this recipe, so cutting the recipe by 5 was the goal.

And it was a good goal until I misread 0.8 oz of chocolate chips as 8 oz. of chocolate chips. Suddenly, and I had beefy dessert instead of something that passed as chili.

Mistakes were made, and I accept them now.

I've heard that a sign of a good cook is being able to improvise and "save" a mistake. Now, I'm not saying that I'm a good cook or even close to a chef, but what resulted out of a pool of beef chocolate was a smooth, spicy and, I dare say, delicious pot of what I now call "Chocolate Chili."

It's pretty spicy, so reduce the heat by reducing the number of jalapenos. It has a unique, but tasty flavor. Big Chuck even liked it!

Here's what you need:

4 strips of bacon
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1.5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground chuck
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
12 oz beef broth
3 Tbs pickled sliced jalapenos, drained
2.5 Tbs chili powder
1.5 Tbs brown sugar
1.5 Tbs chocolate chips
1 Tbs cumin
Black pepper, to taste
1 tsp salt
9 oz dark kidney beans, drained
9 oz pinto beans, drained
32 oz V8 Juice
6 oz. your favorite hot sauce

Directions

1. Cook Bacon

Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel. Pour grease into soup pot.

2. Sautee Vegetable

Add onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic to pot and mix well. Sautee on medium head for 15 minutes, or until soft.

3. Brown Meat

In a separate pan, brown 1/3 of the meat. Add to pot. Brown the rest of the meat and add to pot.

4. Add tomatoes, broth

Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add broth and bring soup to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer.

5. Add rest of ingredients

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Bring whole pot to a simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour. Remove cover and cook for another hour.

6. Plate

7. Take a bite shot