Spicy Pumpkin Ale Chili

This pumpkin chili has it all. Beer, pork, beans, peppers, and that Thanksgiving spice that makes everything nice. A dollop of pumpkin yogurt adds the perfect balance of sweetness to the chili, which pairs perfectly with your favorite porter.

Battered Boar Brewing "Chucks Pumpkin Ale"

 Ingredients:

4 lbs pork shoulder, trimmed and cubed into 1/2" pieces
24 oz of your favorite pumpkin ale
1.5 cans pumpkin puree or pure pumpkin
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
2-3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and diced
3-4 chipotle peppers, diced with adobo sauce
1/3-1/2 cup fresh ground shili powder (adjust to your taste)
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp mexican oregano
1 Tbsp pumpkin spice
1/2-1 oz bakers chocolate, finely chopped
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
pinch of cayenne
flour for dusting

Place a large dutch oven over med-high heat. Add a bit of oil. Dust pork with flour. Toss pork into dutch oven and brown in batches.

Drain. Add pork back in the dutch oven. Add in the beer, 1 tsp mexican oregano, chile powder, and chipotle peppers with sauce. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

 While pork is simmering, in another skillet over med-high heat, add in the poblano, serrano, garlic, onion, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 7-8 minuntes, until soft. Add in tomatoes and pumpkin puree. Cook for another 5-6 minutes.

 Dump veggie mixture into pork mixture. Add in remaining oregano. Simmer for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, add in all the beans and most of the pumpkin spice. Then add in 1/2 oz of chocolate. Cook for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust. Both chocolate and pumpkin spice go a long way. So add in a bit at a time after, taste, and adjust if you need.

Ladle into bowels. Garnish with a dollop of pumpkin yogurt (mix 1 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, pinch of cinnamon). And remember, chili is always better the next day.