Buffalo Chili

Kehoe Buffalo Chili

Years ago, BC (before children) my hubby and I entered into the Steve Otto's Chili Cook-off.  I thought I had a unique chili recipe that would catch the eye and the palate of pleasantly surprised judges.  Ha!  Little did I know about the world of chili cook-offs.  We were competing against people named Chuck Wagon Charley, who was 4x champion.  What was the most interesting part, was that the winning chili looked more like ground beef in gravy than chili.  In the world of chili fame, the use of beans was blasphemy and vegetables were voided from even being called a chili.  We were dead in the water.  Although we did not come away as chili champions, we did try a lot of different chilis that day and my vote is still on mine.  
Now we Kehoe's like our buffalo.  It is probably one of the healthiest, naturally organic, renewable sources of red meat a person could eat.  It is lean and full of protein, so I use it in our chili. But what also makes this chili different, is that I use a lot of vegetables and only black beans.  No, not your traditional kidney bean but the black bean.  

What are those vegetables doing in a chili?

Here is how it goes.  
INGREDIENTS
 1 1lb ground buffalo meat
1 large sweet onion, diced
4-5 carrots, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium red or yellow pepper, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 32 oz cans of fire roasted tomato puree (Muir Glen brand)
1 lb bag of dried black beans, cooked - I like it beany but you can use less
2 teaspoons-ish dried oregano
2 teaspoons-ish dried cumin powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Sea salt to taste
5-8 splashes of McIhenny’s chipotle Tabasco

Start by cooking your onions and vegetables in olive oil, at medium temperature, in a large pot with some sea salt.  Cover the lid until the moisture is released from the vegetables and they are softened. Add the ground buffalo meat. Stir until cooked.  Next add the canned tomatoes, spices, hot sauce and garlic.  Add the cooked black beans and stir until mixed.  Cover and cook until it comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook for a minimum of 2 hours with lid off the pot.  Stirring occasionally. 
Serve with your favorite chili garnishes like sour cream, yogurt, cheese or avocado.