Bison Chili

Fall is starting to make its presence known; even in these temperate parts we're having intermittent showers and gusty winds. Around this time one of my favorite comfort dishes is chili. The problem is, it's usually chili prepared by someone else because I'm usually too squeamish to cook with any uncooked meat besides bacon. So I decided to get over that today by cooking my own chili. This chili, based off a recipe I got from allrecipes but heavily modified, contains, not one, not two, but THREE ingredients I've never cooked with before. Pretty crazy huh? I've pointed them out in the pictures below. This recipe also uses beer, so I picked up a smoked porter from Stone Brewing Company. This brew has a smoky aroma, and is rich and sweet in flavor with a rather dry finish.

Unfamiliar ingredient #1: Lard!

1 tbsp lard
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 head of garlic or 6-7 cloves, minced
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 lb cubed beef/bison stew meat or ground meat
1 lb sausage (I used a smoked jalapeno bison sausage)
2 slices bacon, cut into inch-long pieces
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can diced tomato
3-4 dried chipotle peppers, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
6-8 oz dark beer, such as a doppelbock, porter, or stout
2-3 dashes Red Rooster or other hot sauce
2 tbsp dried oregano
1-1.5 tsp black pepper
1 oz dark chocolate

Unfamiliar ingredient #2: Bison!

Start by heating your lard, or any fat of your choice, in a large stockpot. Add your chopped onion, garlic, and bell pepper and cook through until onion is transparent. Then add your ground meat and bacon. If your sausage is uncooked, add it at this time as well, otherwise, you can add it with everything else. Cook until meat is evenly browned (bacon may take a while longer to curl, but you'll give it lots of time later).

Unfamiliar ingredient #3: Chipotle!

Once meat is ready, add everything else. Simmer for 1-2 hours and serve hot!

I didn't include a picture of the chili itself, because all chili more or less looks the same.