This hearty Five-Alarm Chili is loaded with enough spice to call in the fire department. The spice comes from 5 different sources: jalapeno, chipotle in adobo, chili powder, cayenne, and ancho. That’s a whole lot of spice!

 
I?ll admit I chickened out a little when making this recipe and toned down the quantities of spice some. The resulting chili had a complex spice flavor, but didn?t stimulate my tear ducts. Don?t get me wrong, I like my chili spicy. But the amount of spice seemed so excessive I felt a little moderation was called for.

In addition to the spices, this chili is also flavored with beer. It’s best to go with just a plain ole beer here. I used Budweiser. A dark, strongly flavored beer could give the chili a bitter taste. Some crushed tortillas are added to the chili and they really help thicken it up and give it a corn flavored taste in much the way that adding masa does.
 
Top with a little sour cream and avocado to tame the heat and you have a delicious cold weather meal. And don’t forget your side of cornbread!

 

Five-Alarm Chili

This hearty Five-Alarm Chili is loaded with enough spice to call in the fire department. The spice comes from 5 different sources: jalapeno, chipotle in adobo, chili powder, cayenne, and ancho.

2 ounces died ancho chiles stems and seeds removed and flesh torn into 1-inch pieces ((4 to 6))
3 1/2 cups water
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
3/4 cup crushed corn tortil...