Spicy Smoked Beef Chili With Chipotles,Chorizo,Beans & Corn,Served W/ Lime Crema

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   ["For chili:

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   If preparing the smoked version of this chili, smoke meat and vegetables, using hickory chips and restocking fuel and chips as needed.**

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   Otherwise, cut and chop meat and vegetables as described.", "Over medium heat, saute chorizo til fat is rendered, about 10 minutes.Remove chorizo from pan. Add some bacon fat to pan and over medium hot heat, sautee onion, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes (longer if onions have not been smoked); add celery for another few minutes. Add chili powder and cumin and cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes. (If you only have plain/unseasoned canned beans for later, add 2 teaspoons of a dried oregano/thyme/cumin mix to this saute.)Add more bacon fat if needed to keep mixture from sticking too much. Add beer to deglaze, stirring up/scraping bottom of pan with straight edged implement to get up all the seasonings.", "If using smoked beef, pulse a few batches of smoked cubed beef in food processor to coarsely shred; add to pot of vegetables. Otherwise, saute cubed beef in medium hot bacon fat til seared and then add to pot, with all its beef juices. Add the cooked chorizo. Add tomato juices, stock, chipotle and more tomatoes and juices as needed. Partially cover, bring to boil, and simmer 1-2 hours until meat is mostly tender.", "Add cornmeal and mix thoroughly. Add beans and corn and simmer 1/2 hour. Taste and add seasoning and/or stock or tomato juices to have the balance you like between liquid and solids.If adding ingredients, simmer another 15 minutes.

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   Flavors improve after a day or more of refrigeration. Serve hot and topped with lime crema.", "Lime Crema:

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   At least 4 hours before serving, combine sour cream, lime juice, zest and salt. Refrigerate", "* If seasoning were to be too hot for you, you could counter that with more corn or peeled cubed buttercup squash that has been roasted til near tender.", "**Double up 2 disposable aluminum sheet pans (11 x 17 "") or other aluminum pans; riddle them w/ holes made with a strong skewer, and place tomatoes next to onions.(This hole-poking is easiest to do on top of a cookie rack or grill grates, or over the smoker grates before it is started.)

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   Smoke onions and tomatoes next to the beef 2 hours. Chop tomatoes( keep any juices) and onions.", "*** pureed chipotles freeze well. For future recipes, just use a fork to scrape out the amount you need."]

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