This is by far, the best Chilli I have ever produced. It has a clean yet spicy smokey flavor that will melt the heart of even the most pickiest chilli eater. The only caveat, is it goes against all of my professional years as a chef (10+) For years I produced soups for celebrities, gourmand foodies and critics in Vancouver, Name dropping would be way too easy, so i'm gonna pass. For years I would carefully build my flavors, sauteing here, caramelizing there and deglazing all its glory into a water color painting for the mouth. The art of slow cooking was always key in building flavor, but it was done in steps. The following recipe was made up and conceived several nights ago at 2 in the morning after putting our new little boy to bed for the 4th time. I figured now I was up, i`d get some chores done. I had just finished washing out a crock pot from the day before (Montreal style Pea Soup - Recipe to follow soon on instructables) and was just about to put it away when I remembered talking to my beautiful wife about how we haven't had chilli in a long time. So I looked in the fridge and pulled out some Chuck stewing meat I was going to do a bourguigon with and decided to go at it. In the past my chilli`s have been, OK, and that's about it. I always over did it, instead of keeping it simple. That I prepared it like a soup, where I should have treated it like sous-vide cooking. Where simple yet quality ingredients are slowly brought to temperature and the flavors meld slowly over time. Prepping this meal took all of 5 minutes, but slow cooked for 12 hours. The result, amazing. I never have tasted chilli so fine as this, you have to try this, just for the easy factor alone. Read on...

Step 1: Ingredients

2 lbs of trimmed chuck stewing meat - large cubes
2 large cans of beans - I used one red Kidney and one white
1 can of diced tomato - Fire roasted is best and adds to the smokey flavor
1/2 can of crushed tomato
1 large onion - diced
3 cloves of garlic peeled, left whole
6 small sweet peppers - chopped
8 mushrooms - quartered
1 tablespoon of oil - I used peanut oil
3 tablespoons of chilli powder
1 tablespoon whole cumin seed
1 tablespoon ground cumin seed
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaf
1/2 tablespoon hot smoked paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon chilli flake
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of all spice
2 chocolate Hazelnut truffles.... It was a couple days after Christmas, what can I say. Chocolate is commonly used to accent the flavor of chilli. I have always found sweetened chocolate not only completes this task, but the sugar content mellows the tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro chopped last minute before serving
- Some grated aged cheddar is nice as a topping, but optional.

Step 2: Prep

Not really much to this step, but here goes

Chop your onions, medium dice
Chop your peppers, kinda chunky
Quarter your mushrooms
Open your cans and your beef packaging (not really much of a step....)
Add all of the rest of the ingredients to the pot except for the seasonings. and the cilantro.

Step 3: Season

Add the remaining seasonings, all except the cilantro.

This is too easy.... criminal

Step 4: Stir

Yup, mix it up... This hardly seems like an instructable at this point, too easy.

Step 5: Forget About It

Turn the crock pot and set it for Low and Slow.

Go away for 12 hours or so, we kept it going for 4 more hours after the first bowl was served and it only got better. See, the dish is so easy its making me choose poor grammar (GOT).

Go Play with your wife, your friend, your little buddy. Not having to think about the food is truly a god send when you have a little one...

Step 6: Mange

12 hours or so later, add your chopped cilantro, scoop into bowls and serve to your loved ones with grated cheddar and nice crunchy bread. Nom Nom Nom...