It’s the most magical time of the year again! No, not bloody Christmas– Blizzcon! For Blizzard Entertainment fans around the world, it’s our gentle reminder that we’re not allowed to have money… and you know what? That’s okay. It really is. I’ll be pre-purchasing Legion any day now. Seriously, I am excited for all the things. ALL. THE. THINGS. Don’t ask me why, but I’m only able to play games produced by Blizzard relatively well. Don’t even get me started on my Spirit Beast collection. If you can’t tell, I love Blizzard. Like, A. LOT. Anyway.
For a good portion of the US, temps are starting to fall and leaves are changing color. Fall is here which means comfort food time.So really, it was a wonderful convenience that my work is having a chili cook-off tomorrow. What did I decide to make? Well…

Incidentally, WoW’s Dragonbreath Chili recipe calls for a 200 cooking skill to make and the skill cap is currently 700. That’s about how difficult this is to make IRL- 200/700. And really, that’s because of the peppers. Those damn peppers… I don’t want to talk about it. Nope. This is not your momma’s chili. This is not your daddy’s chili. There are no beans in this chili, because beans have no business in chili.
Ready? Leeeeeeeeeeeroyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…… JEEEEENKINSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! (For the uninitiated, educate yourself:)
Gamers, grab your mats:
Mystery meatSmall Flame Sac- 6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
- 6 habanero peppers, seeded and chopped
- 8 Anaheim peppers, seeded and diced
- 2 green bell peppers (or one red and one yellow if budget permits)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 cans beer, one of which is for DRINKING. (I used MadTree Happy Amber because it’s local and pretty damn tasty, as far as beer goes. Don’t have MadTree? Try Honey Brown. Great cooking beer.)
- 1 package (at least 1/2 pound or better) bacon
- 1 pound chorizo (you could use ground pork, but that’s boring)
- 1 pound ground round
- 1 pound steak (You know the stir fry strips you see in the meat department at the grocer’s? Get that.)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons beef or chicken bouillon
- 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (16 oz.) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained
- 6 ounces (1 small can) tomato paste
- 3 ounces chili paste (check the Asian foods section)
- 2 cups water
Optional: homemade chili sauce for garnish. I drew a dragon!
DISCLAIMER: WEAR GLOVES WHEN CHOPPING PEPPERS. THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL. I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL.

Start by chopping, dicing, and mincing all of your veggies. This will take a while, but hey. Take your time, do it right, you won’t regret it.
I repeat, for the last time: If you chop and seed these peppers without gloves you are going to have a bad time.

Cut steak into 1/8-1/4″ cubes.

In a large soup/chili pot, cook bacon on medium-high heat until bacon is browned.

Remove bacon from pot, leaving as much bacon fat/grease/artery clogger as possible in the pot. Drain bacon and set aside.

Chuck your ground round, chorizo, and steak into the pot and get everything nicely browned.


Once the meats are browned, stir all of your veggies into the pot.

Add all of your other ingredients to the pot.



Turn the burner down to low and cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally. I might have gotten caught up watching a couple shows and mostly forgot and nothing bad happened. Just make sure nothing sticks, really.
Once that time has passed, chop bacon up and chuck it in the pot, stirring to combine. Cook for an additional 30-60 minutes. Whatever looks right. It’s about two hours of cooking time. No, this isn’t an exact science. Does it look suitably thick and chili-like? Does it smell like delightfully spicy doom? Then it’s ready.

For an added bonus, use a condiment bottle to make a hot sauce dragon.


Goes great with a beer, but keep a glass of milk handy. You’re gonna need it. Now, the wait for World of Warcraft: Legion begins.Your move, Blizzard.
See you tomorrow evening for a special top-secret feature (or two)!
Coming Up Next: November’s Featured Recipe- Bombchu Lemon Bars!
Cheers,
Leisel
Remember, cooking IRL doesn’t have to be a Feat of Strength!
Hi, your chili looks good and oh so spicy! I found you on Mostly Blogging and have stumbled your link for you. Have a great day. 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by! Glad to have you.
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Love the different varieties of chillies that you have in here and have never seen beer used so would love to try this although I wouldn’t be drinking any, more of a cider girl;-)
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Personally, I’m not a huge fan of beer either. I think there are something like four different beers I’ll actually drink, and that’s once in a blue moon.
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At first I read this as “only blue moon (the beer).” Lol! I might try this recipe with a hard cider since I’m not a beer fan either. Either way, thanks for sharing! Looking forward to trying a vegetarian version of this recipe!
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Ewwwww, Blue Moon! I have no idea what would go into a vegetarian version, but I’d like to see it.
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The gloves for peppers are no joke!! I got chemical burns one time from jalapenos. I shudder to think about the habaneros!!
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We won’t discuss what happened for the first batch, before I bought the gloves. >_>
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Experience points!!
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I like that one beer can is for drinking!
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After chopping the peppers, of course. Alcohol after sharp objects.
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I loved this! Mainly because I used to play WoW! Matter of fact, I ran a guild for 7 years 😀 This made me super nostalgic and just loved it, thanks for that!
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My pleasure! The Boy and I have run our own guild for about 4-5 years now, but he’s been playing since the beginning.
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I dread to think how many times I’ve seen that Leeroy Jenkins clip… This chilli looks amazing, I really want some now!
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It never gets old! =D
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Reblogged this on Dream Big, Dream Often and commented:
Introducing Skill Up Skillet, one of the most creative cooking/food blogs on WordPress!!
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Thanks for the reblog!
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It is my pleasure!
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Love your stories. keep it up.
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/bows
At your service. Thanks!
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Loving the Leeroy Jenkins. 🙂 Been so long since I’ve played WoW. Makes me a bit nostalgic. 🙂 Loving your chili sauce garnish too! Thanks for sharing this chili with us on Five Friday Finds!
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