Bruce Carpenter's chili

Chili Con Carne
(Chili with Beef)
This is a true chili with beef (effectively, beef in mole sauce), relying primarily on its two main ingredients. It uses shredded beef, slow cooked, and a thick chili base without any tomato, but with a hint of chocolate. A little more work than some, but of great flavor.
4-5 lb chuck roast
5 oz dried ancho chilies*
water
1 bell pepper, green or red
1 medium onion
3 large cloves garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbs dried cumin
3-4 cups beef broth
Chili or cayenne powder (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate
Apple cider vinegar (optional)
Beans (optional: pinto, brown, kidney, or black)
Trim the roast of fat and any tough parts (saves time in the shredding process). Place the roast in a large Dutch oven and place uncovered in a 300° oven. Place the dried chilies in a saucepan and add about 3 cups of water. Cover and simmer the chilies for 30 minutes. Remove the stems, place the softened chilies and the cooking water into a blender or food processor, and blend until a smooth paste. Press this through a sieve or strainer with the back of a spoon, working it well to get as much of the paste as you can. Scrape the bottom of the strainer and discard whatever doesn’t pass through the strainer (mostly seeds and skin). Pour this paste over the roast and return the roast to the oven, cooking until the meat is very tender, falling apart with ease (about 3½ – 4 hours total). While the meat finishes cooking chop the pepper and onion, mince garlic, and sauté all in a bit of oil over medium low heat until onion is clear and very tender but not brown (about 15 minutes). Place the meat on a cutting board, leaving sauce and juice in the Dutch oven. Shred the beef (either pulling apart with two forks or with your hands after cooling). After shredding well, chop the beef until fibers are not more than ½” long and return to the Dutch oven. Now add the sautéed vegetables, oregano, cumin, and enough beef stock to thin to stew consistency. If you want beans in your chili, drain excess liquid and add them now (but leave it relatively thick). Usually at this point it will be of mild spiciness, so adjust by adding salt, pepper, and chili or cayenne powder to your taste. [I usually find there is enough salt from the broth, but I add about 2 tsp freshly ground pepper, 1 Tbs chili powder, and ¼ tsp cayenne.] Simmer for about 30 minutes, adding beef stock or water occasionally to achieve your preferred consistency. Chop the chocolate (or use chips) and add to the chili. If you like a bit of tanginess add about ¼ cup of vinegar. Simmer a minute or two more to blend and serve. As with all chilies, it is best reheated after spending a day in the refrigerator.
*Ancho chilies are actually dried poblano chilies. You can also use dried mulato, red New Mexico, or pasilla chilies, each with some change in flavor (all good). They are large and a very dark red-purple, sold in bags or sometimes cheaper in bulk (sold in bulk at Winco). The 5 oz for this recipe is about 6-7 large chilies.