Colorado Buffalo Chili Recipes

CHILI COLORADO - RECIPE

Steps:

• Make the sauce first by dry toasting the dried peppers in pan about a minute per side, until the skins blister a bit.
• Set them into a bowl and cover with hot water for 20 minutes, until they are very soft.
• Transfer the peppers to a blender with oregano, cumin, a bit of salt and pepper, and 1 cup of the soaking water. Blend until nice and smooth.
• Strain the sauce and set aside.
• Heat a large pot to medium heat and add the olive oil.
• Add the onion and peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Toss the cubed chuck roast in the flour with a bit of salt and pepper to coat them.
• Add the garlic and coated beef to the pan. Brown the beef on all sides, about 5 minutes or so.
• Add the red sauce and stock and bring to a quick boil.
• Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors develop. Longer is better.
• If you'd like to thicken the chili, remove the cover and increase the heat. Cook until the moisture cooks out and your preferred thickness is achieved.
• Serve!

CHILI COLORADO

Steps:

• Spread the flour out on a plate and coat the beef cubes one by one in it, dusting off the excess. Don't skip this step because the flour also helps to thicken the sauce at the end.
• Brown the beef in a heavy-bottomed pot in the oil over medium-high heat. You want a lot of color on them because color equals flavor.
• Pour in all the spices, the tomato paste, and the water. Bring this to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and cook low and slow for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the beef is tender and falling apart. A good test is to take a piece and try to mash it on your cutting board with a fork. If it falls apart, you are golden.
• Serve it just by itself with mexican rice and refried beans or use it as a burrito filling.

COLORADO BUFFALO CHILI

Steps:

• Brown the buffalo in a skillet over medium heat; season with 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste. Drain excess grease.
• Combine the buffalo, tomatoes with green chiles, tomato soup, kidney beans, chili beans, onion, garlic, Anaheim chile pepper, poblano chile pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low overnight or 8 hours.

CHILE COLORADO

Steps:

• Cut the tops off of all the chilies with kitchen shears. Cut chilies along one edge to open like a book; scrape out all of the seeds. Reserve some of the seeds to finish the soup if you want more heat.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chiles and briefly toast until fragrant, Cover the chilies with enough water so that they aren't touching the bottom of the pan (careful it will steam a lot). Simmer for 5 minutes, then turn off heat and let the chilies soak to soften while you prep the beef.
• Trim the beef of excess fat then chop into 1-inch pieces. Whisk together the flour, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper in a plastic bag or large bowl. Add the beef and toss to evenly coat; set aside.
• Remove chilies to blender along with 1 cup of the soaking liquid and the can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. Process until smooth, leaving a corner of the blender open so steam can escape; set aside. If you don't have a high-powered blender, then strain the chili sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, using rubber spatula to push the mixture through and discard the solids.
• Rinse and dry the Dutch oven. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef in an even layer and sear; flip the beef over and sear the other side then stir to evenly brown all sides; remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining beef.
• Add a drizzle of olive oil if needed to the now empty skillet. Cook the onions over medium heat until softened, scraping up the brown bits, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ground cumin and sauté 30 second
• Add the beef back to the pot followed by the chile sauce and rest of the ingredients (oregano, coriander, smoked paprika, bouillon, cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, bay leaves and broth).
• Cover and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer over LOW for 45 minutes or until the beef is tender, stirring every 10 minutes or so and replacing the lid so the bottom doesn't burn. Uncover, increase heat to medium and simmer an additional 15 minutes (uncovered), or until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt if desired or some reserved chili seeds or cayenne pepper for heat.
• Discard bay leaves and serve with Mexican rice, beans, tortillas and desired toppings.

CHILE COLORADO

Steps:

• Remove meat from fridge and cut into ½ inch cubes. Set aside.
• Remove the stems (and seeds if you want, for milder heat) from the dried chiles while rinsing them under cold water. Place chiles in a saucepan and cover with broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the meat. Season on all sides with salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour. Add oil to a skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add meat and cook until browned on both sides. Depending on the size of your pan you will need to do this in a few batches to keep from overcrowding.
• Remove meat to a plate and set aside. Add onion and jalapeno to the pan and saute for several minutes.
• As the onions cook, pour the softened peppers and the broth into a blender. Add the sautéed onion and jalapeno and blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Return browned beef (and accumulated juices) back to the pot. Strain the chili sauce from the blender through a fine mesh strainer, into the pot. Add oregano, cumin, paprika, garlic powder and stir well. Add bay leaf.
• Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about an hour, or until the meat is very tender.
• Uncover and stir in lime juice and cornstarch slurry. Cook for a few more minutes, until the sauce has slightly thickened.
• Serve as a stew with tortillas for dipping and a side of Mexican rice and beans.

BEEF CHILE COLORADO

Steps:

• In a large sauté pan or wide bottom pot, toast the chiles over medium heat for 1-2 minutes to bring out the flavor of the peppers. Remove from the pan until needed.
• Add olive oil to the hot pan and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes then add in the garlic and continue to sauté for 1 minute.
• Add the toasted chiles, fire-roasted tomatoes, seasonings and beef stock to the pan.
• Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Turn off heat, cover the pot and let it steep for 45 minutes.
• Reserve one cup of the stock. Add the remainder of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth at the highest setting. Add additional liquid if the mixture is too thick for your blender. Reserve the remainder of the liquid till needed.**Depending on the power of the blender it may completely puree all the ingredients. If it has bits and pieces remaining, run the sauce through a sieve to take out and pieces that didn't get pureed.
• Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil and half of the meat and brown on all sides so they have a good sear, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the browned beef into a bowl and repeat the process with the remaining uncooked meat.
• When all the beef has browned, return all the meat to the pot. Add in the red chile sauce, and reserved beef broth. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Once the mixture has begun to boil, reduce the heat to simmer. Cover the pot and continue to simmer for 2 hours.
• Uncover, taste and reseason as necessary.
• Mix the masa harina with 2 tablespoons of the broth from the pot to make a slurry. Add the slurry back into the pot and mix well.
• Raise to medium heat and cook for another 15 to 30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. If you prefer a thicker sauce, cook longer.
• Serve with rice, tortillas and beans and enjoy!

SPICY BUFFALO CHILI: A TWIST ON A CLASSIC

Steps:

• Cook the ground buffalo in the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until browned and broken into small pieces.
• Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Add all remaining ingredients except the beans and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Add the beans and cook for 15 minutes more. Water can be added during the cooking to adjust for thinner or thicker chili.