Vegetarians beware! This recipe is all about the beef; and it is delicious! The ingredient list is long, but you might have some of the spices in your pantry leftover from holiday baking.

The secret ingredient is ground ancho chiles. Mercado Latino on Montreal Road in Vanier can hook you up. It lends a deep flavour that is spicy without being hot.

Ingredients
2 lbs. of ground beef
Cooking oil (canola)
2 large onions chopped
1 head of garlic (I used a container of garlic already chopped up from Bryson Farms to save time)
1/2 c. ground ancho chilis
2 tbs. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 bottle of beer
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice (or container of Bryson’s oven roasted tomatoes)
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp salt
2 tbs. tomato paste

Guidelines
Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat
Add 1/4 of beef with a little salt and brown the beef
Remove the beef when brown to a bowl and repeat until all the beef is cooked
On medium heat cook the onions until soft (adding more oil if necessary)
Add garlic and cook for a few minutes stirring occasionally
Add anchos, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves and cook for a minute or so
Add the beer and stir scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot
Add the cooked beef with any juices
Add tomatoes, 2 c. of water, oregano and salt
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer
Partially cover the pot and cook for an hour or so for the flavours to combine
Remove from heat and let cool
Fat will rise to the top as the chili cools
Use paper towels to dab excess fat from the top (or refrigerate so that the fat hardens on the top and then remove)
Reheat chili and serve garnished with guacamole, salsa, corn chips, cilantro or sour cream