Philly Beer Scene

Homemade Chili & Cigar City’s Maduro Brown Ale.

This winter, when gearing up to make hot sauce, my stomach shrieked with hunger; I knew I had no other option than to stuff it with my favorite chili. In the last year, I discovered the greatness that is Cigar City Brewing Co. and developed a particular fondness for their Maduro Brown Ale. To me, there’s a subtle smokiness which doesn’t take front and center, but envelopes the body of that beer – I had an instinct it would be great in a pot of chili. The result is a sultry chili, fantastic for scooping and has a flavor which evolves to complexity as hours pass.

Total cooking time: 9 hrs

Ingredients
• (1) 12oz. bottle of Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale
• 5 cloves of garlic-minced
• 2 cans of black beans – 1 drained, one eft alone
• 1 can of kidney beans – drained
• 3 red bell peppers- ½ chopped, ½ minced
• 1 onion, quartered, then ½ chopped, ½ minced
• 1/4 Cup of Pacific Natural Foods Organic Creamy Tomato Soup (in most organic grocers and definitely Genuardi’s)
• 12 oz. of tomato paste
• 2 tbsp. of fresh cracked black pepper
• 4 dehydrated, red Chile de Árbol chili peppers
• 1.5 tbsp. of cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp. of Naga Jolokia Sauce** -be very careful and adjust to heat sensitivity
• 1 lb. of thin cut chicken, chopped
• 1 lb. of hot Italian sausage – casing removed
• 8 slices of Danielle Chorizo, chopped
• 2 Anaheim chiles, chopped
• 3 ¼ tsp. of paprika
• ½ tbsp. of ginger
• ½ tbsp. of organic, unprocessed sugar
• ¼ tsp. of cumin
• Slightly less than 1 tsp. of sea salt

Directions:
• First, place chopped onion, all beans, chopped red bell peppers, minced garlic, and tomato paste in your 6 qt. slow cooker. Second, you’re going to add 4 oz. of the 12 oz. bottle of Cigar City Maduro Brown and mix ingredients. Place a layer of milled black pepper, and 1 tbsp. of cayenne pepper. Next, add the 2 tbsp. of Naga Jolokia Sauce and tomato soup. The meat in a chili obviously plays a huge part and is going to be added next. The chorizo, Italian sausage and chicken are now to be included, followed by the Anaheim chiles. Once the Anaheim chilies are in, add the rest of the black pepper, the paprika, and cumin. Finally, add the remaining 8 oz. of Maduro Brown, stir until the crockpot looks like a warzone and cover. Let sit and cook for 6 hours with intermittent stirring.
• At 6th hour, add ½ tbsp. of the following: ginger; natural, unprocessed sugar; cayenne pepper; paprika
• At this point, stir vigorously and cover. After 45 minutes, check the flavor.
• When the 7th hour comes around, add slightly less than 1 tsp. of sea salt
• Come the 8th hour of cooking; the chili has pulled all the flavors together, and is ready to be enjoyed!