2 lb. ground beef chuck (I use 80/20)
1 lb. beef stew meat, cubed
1/2 cup diced onion (I use red)
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
3 habanero peppers, diced
2 ghost peppers, diced (an Indian chili pepper aka "bhut jolokia")
3 garlic cloves
1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste
2 cups beef stock (Swanson)
1 tbsp. Kosher Salt
2 tbsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup chili powder (more or less to taste)
6 tbsp. butter, divided
2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

INGREDIENT PREP:

Dice the onion, green pepper, and habanero peppers and set aside. Dice the 3 garlic cloves. Cut the steak into 1/2-inch cubes.

In a small pot, heat 4 cups water to just before a boil. Submerge 2 dehydrated ghost peppers in the water for about 20 to 30 minutes (make sure they are submerged completely under water - you'll probably have to get creative on how to do this - I use the bottom of a strainer).

Prepare ghost peppers by removing stems and seeds, be careful not to remove the "meat" of the pepper. Dice and set aside for later.

COOKING:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in frying pan. Once melted, add steak cubes and cook over low-medium heat until about 50% browned, carefully avoiding charring the meat. Drain and remove from pan and store for later.

In the same pan, melt another 2 tablespoons butter. Add ground chuck and cook over low-medium heat until browned all the way through. Drain all but about 25% of the stock, and store with steak cubes for later.

In the same pan, melt the final 2 tablespoons butter. Add onion, green pepper, habanero and garlic and sauté over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes, mixing frequently to prevent burning.

CROCK-POT:

Add all cooked ingredients from above to the Crock-Pot. Add all other ingredients except the vinegar to the Crock-Pot. Stir to ensure a good mixture.

Set Crock-Pot on LOW and cook for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar about 20 minutes before serving and stir.

TO SERVE:

Surprisingly, this chili is not as hot as you might think it is, especially with the ghost peppers. I like to add sharp cheddar cheese to my bowl of chili and occasionally add some oyster crackers. If it is too hot for you, then add dairy sour cream, but only if its too hot.

Hope you enjoy!

Submitted by: Scott Archer