Help with a chili recipe

[rhianna813]

I don't really have a chili recipe, except for whatever comes on the chili seasonings packet. I found this one on Allrecipes and it looks good! It has cocoa in it and I've always wanted to try that.

I want to make some changes to recipe but don't want to mess up the taste. Here is the recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chili-i-2/detail.aspx

Change 1: It calls for 14.5 oz can of beer. DH is gluten free so beer is off limits. I don't want to skip the liquid so should I just add beef stock? Any other recommendations?

Change 2 (possible): it calls for 1 cup strong brewed coffee. We are not coffee drinkers and do not have it in the house. I am especially reactive to the caffiene in coffee but doubt 1 cup in a whole pot of chili would be a concern. I can bring home a cup from work - would that be ok? Would decaf be ok?

Change 3: It calls for beef sirloin, which is too expensive for us. we use stew meat which is like top or bottom round I think. Is that ok? It usually needs a long cook time and I use my crock pot for all beef stew recipes. Can I use my crock pot for this chili recipe? I would brown the meet with the ground beef first.

Thank for the feedback :-)

Rhianna

[ollyoxenfree]

1. Beer substitute - extra beef stock should work, or some tomato sauce. I've been thinking about trying a little apple cider in my chili recipe, but I don't think I'd try it in a recipe with coffee and cocoa.  

2. Decaf coffee should work. If you are very sensitive to caffeine, there is still a bit of caffeine even in decaf, so beware.

3. I substitute different cuts of beef in recipes and I'm usually happy with the results. The tomato should help tenderize stewing beef, and a long slow cook would be best. I haven't used a slow cooker in a long time, so I'm not an expert, but I can't see any problem with using one here.  

Good luck with it, good chili is yummy.