Slow Cooker Chili Recipe (courtesy Alton Brown and foodnetwork.com)

As fall is upon us, and winter swiftly approaching, I figured it was time to try out a few comfort food recipes. Of course, my favorite comfort food of all time has to be chili!

A friend of mine is vacationing in Romania for five weeks, coming back at the end of October, and the one thing he says he misses most (besides his dog) is good chili! A day after he and his wife return, I'll be having them over for dinner, so I figured I would try out a few recipes in the mean time, figure out which one I like best, and have some ready for dinner that night when they arrive!

This recipe comes courtesy of Alton Brown, from Food Network's Show "Good Eats." (for the original listing on the Food Network Website, click here ) Good Eats is most definitely my favorite cooking show, so I figured this would be a good one to start with. The only variation......since I don't have a pressure cooker, a stock pot will have to do, and instead of cooking 25 minutes, it will have to go for much longer, of course. Other than that, I have included the recipe verbatim the Food Network site.....

Ingredients

• 3 pounds stew meat (beef, pork, and/or lamb)
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer, preferably a medium ale
• 1 (16-ounce) container salsa
• 30 tortilla chips
• 2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt. Set aside.

Heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pressure cooker over high heat until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl.

Once all of the meat is browned, add the beer to the cooker to deglaze the pot.

Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back to the pressure cooker along with the salsa, tortilla chips, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and ground cumin and stir to combine. Lock the lid in place according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the steam begins to hiss out of the cooker, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a very weak whistle. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully release the steam. Serve immediately.

Please let me know if you like this recipe! I will post others in the coming weeks, and update the blogs with my thoughts on each.

~Matt