Chili Colorado
Description: Chili Colorado means chunks of BEEF in red sauce, NOT pork! Chunks of pork is carne adovado, shredded pork is carnitas. I've seen a couple other recipes here calling themselves colorado but containing pork and this is just plain wrong people. Furthermore, chili colorado is not a "mexican" version of american style chili... meaning it's not a thick, hearty type of chili with chunks of vegetables that can be seen or tasted. If you've ever had chili colorado in a real mexican restaurant, you know that it is simply chunks of beef in a red sauce and that's it. All the spices are ground. A note about chili powder: when you buy the spice labeled "chili powder" in the market be aware that it's not just chili powder, it's a mixture of chili powder, cumin, sugar, salt, etc. If you can, try to find pure chili powder made from new mexico or california chilis (I wouldn't use de Arbol chilis--too hot and wrong flavor). The label will point out what kind you're getting. Oh and one further note about reviews: I very much appreciate all the positive comments, but if you give me a bad review stating that you changed/added like four or five ingredients, then you've basically just made a whole new recipe based on mine, right? So do me a favor and post that new recipe yourself!
Ingredients:
- 2 -3 lbs beef shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 5 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- salt and pepper
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.
