Beef Chili Stew

This is my absolute favorite chili recipe. I didn't even like chili until I made this recipe. I adapted it from The Food Charlatan. The stew meat tastes so much better than ground beef. The flavors are so authentic, especially because of the mas harina corn flour. This is altogether to die for.

Beef Chili Stew

Ingredients 

 3-4 pounds beef stew meat   
 1 tsp salt + Pepper (to taste)
 1 T Oil, for browning meat
 2 very large onions, or 3 medium onions, chopped
 6 cloves of minced garlic (I get the already minced kind from a jar)
 1/4 cup chili powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 2 tablespoons cumin
 1 tablespoon oregano 
 1 and 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 
 1 tablespoon brown sugar 
 4 cups beef broth
 1/4 cup masa harina 
 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
 1 (28 ounce can) diced or crushed tomatoes  
 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans

Directions  

• Begin by browning the meat. Sprinkle all over with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
• Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat. 
• Brown the meat in batches. Place each piece in the skillet with about an inch of space around it. Do not crowd the meat or they will steam each other, which will not give you that sear you are going for. Sear=flavor! After 1-2 minutes, when it is nice and brown on the bottom, use tongs to flip each piece of beef. Sear the other side for another 1 minute or so, until brown.
  
  
• Remove the beef to a large crockpot. Continue searing the rest of the beef, adding more oil to the pan as necessary. Adjust the heat lower if the pan starts to get black on the bottom, but keep it above medium. 
• Once all the beef is seared, add more oil to the pan if there is not enough, you need about a tablespoon. Add the chopped onion. (Turn the heat off and remove the pan from the heat if your onions are not chopped yet. 
• Saute the onions over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften. They should be all brown and delicious looking, picking up all that beef flavor. 
• Add 6 cloves of minced garlic.
• Add chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin or powder, oregano, garlic powder, and brown sugar.
• Stir it all together and let the spices toast into the veggies for a couple minutes.
• Add the beef broth and scrape up the bottom of the pan. 
• Slowly pour in 1/4 cup of masa harina, stirring constantly. Break up any lumps right away. 
• Pour the mixture into the crock pot.
• Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste, the can of crushed tomatoes, 2 cans of drained kidney beans, and 3 bay leaves to the crock pot. Stir it all together.
• Put the lid on the crock pot and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8-10 hours. The longer you leave it in, the better, because the beef will just get more tender and delicious. 
• When it's time to eat, use a wooden spoon to break up the chunks of beef. Or you could remove it to a plate and shred with a fork, then return to the pot. 
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Serve with your favorite toppings along with cornbread or your favorite cinnamon rolls! I tried it once with my cinnamon rolls IN the chili, and I really loved it. However, my husband thought it was weird to do that. On the side or for dessert is also delicious. For some reason, the flavors of the spicy chili and the sweet rolls go very nicely. 

Our favorite chili toppings!