A couple of years ago, my 10 year old son and his friends decided they wanted to form a chili cook-off team for the local 4-H and FFA Youth Fair.  They were gung-ho about boys  cooking chili.  Well, like any good recipe-writing mom would do, I set out to write them a recipe that no other team would have. Because of scheduling conflicts, the boys’ team never formed, so the recipe was filed away for later use.

Then, in 2014, I got the wild idea to enter the Riunite Ultimate Chili Challege Ultimate Chili contest, and surprise! I was a regional finalist invited to cook at a Jacksonville Jaquars game. Woohoo! I didn’t win the regional, but it was one of the coolest things I’d ever been asked to do, and since the recipe was originally written for my son, I took him to the cook-off as my sous chef.  He loved it!

The chili may take a bit longer because of the chipotle peach sauce, but if you make the sauce a day or two ahead, the actual chili will be quick.  The days are getting colder in some parts of the country, so ENJOY!

Chipotle Peach Sauce

1 lb frozen sliced peaches

1 pkg dried ancho chiles (2-3 oz bag)

1 pkg. dried guijaro chiles (2-3oz bag)

½ can chipotle peppers in adobo

2 cups water

4 cloves garlic

1 medium size onion-chopped

Soak dried peppers in water for 30 minutes to an hour to soften. Remove stems from peppers. In a medium sized sauce pan, combine peaches, peppers, water, garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. With an immersion blender or traditional blender, puree peach & pepper mixture. Set aside.

Pork Chili

1 pound fresh ground pork–not sausage

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped white/yellow onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper

2 garlic cloves–diced

1 15 oz canned pinto beans

1 15 oz can kidney beans

28 ounces crushed tomatoes (large can)

½ small can tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

4 c. chipotle peach sauce

In a large pot, brown pork in olive oil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute 5 minutes or until onion becomes translucent. Be careful not to burn garlic. Add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Stir until tomato paste is incorporated. Add canned beans, spices, and chipotle-peach sauce. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning or sticking.