4 large  or 6 medium ancho chiles

2 dried california chiles

2 dried whole red chiles

5 pounds ground beef

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2 large yellow onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

1 12-ounce bottle lager

Toppings as desired 

Preparation

Step 1

Remove seeds from chiles and place in a blender. Pour in 3 cups boiling water and cover blender with lid & let sit until chiles are softened, 20–25 minutes. Blend on high until smooth & transfer to crock pot.

Step 2

Heat Cutco 11 1/2" Skillet over medium heat. Working in 2-3 batches, season ground beef with salt & pepper and cook until browned. Transfer to crock pot.

Step 3

Keep heat on medium and add onions & garlic & a few tablespoons of olive oil to Cutco 11 1/2" Skillet. Cook, stirring often to loosen browned bits from bottom of pot, until onions are translucent and very soft, 6–8 minutes. Add cumin and oregano and cook, stirring, until spices start to stick to pot, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes (we prefer to blend the tomatoes first, but this is optional)  and scrape bottom of pot to loosen spices, then add lager. Bring to a lively simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until beer is almost completely evaporated, 10–15 minutes. Add to crock pot.

Step 5

Add 2 cups water to blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds or so. This will not only help make cleanup easier, but also prevents wasting ingredients that didn't come easily out of the blender. Add water to crock pot.

Taste chili and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Divide chili among bowls and top as desired.