While I don’t think there’s every been a time in my life that I didn’t like chili dogs, I’ve never beeen big on eating just chili. I realize that puts me in the minority, of course, but it means I usually don’t make chili unless I need to feed a crowd.

Of course, Super Bowl is the perfect time to make a big vat of chili — so I decided to try a new recipe, from Food & Wine.

This recipe incorporates beef, bacon, beer, coffee, and three kinds of dried chilies, for a rich and delicious chili that is awesome even without the hotdog. Don’t worry if you don’t like the flavor of coffee or beer, though. You won’t be able to taste them.

All of the ingredients add layers of flavor, but they also make it slightly more involved than typical chili. You’ll need 30 or 45 minutes at the beginning to get the chili going, but after that it just cooks for several hours — without any additional work from you.

We set this out with shredded cheese, sour cream, Fritos, tortilla chips, cilantro, hot sauce, and chopped red onion, so everyone could add whatever they wanted. I had planned to make some cornbread, too, but (as usual) I was running behind. Luckily, the chil was so good that no one seemed to mind.

Beef, bacon, and beer chili (Serves around 10, adapted from Food & Wine)
2 ancho chiles
2 dried New Mexico chiles
2 dried chipotle chile (use 3 if you want the chili spicier)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 whole garlic cloves, plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 28-ounce cans peeled whole tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons canola oil (or other neutral oil)
2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, diced
6 ounces meaty bacon, diced
3 cups beef stock + 3 cups chicken stock (or 6 cups chicken stock)
2 cups stout beer
2 cups brewed coffee
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
Kosher salt
Three 15-ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Cover the chiles with boiling water (either in a heatproof bowl or in the pot you use to boil the water). Let them sit in the water for 15 minutes, until they’re soft (you may have to sort of stir/poke them with a spoon occasionally to get them to stay down in the water). Let them cool a little, then carefully remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and put the chiles in a blender. (Pro tip: If your fingers feel like they’re burning now or later, put them in a bowl with some milk or sour cream to take the burn out). Toast the coriander, cumin, and mustard seeds in a small dry skillet for a minute or two, then add them to the blender. Dump one of the cans of tomatoes into the blender, then blend everything up.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven that has a tight-fitting lid. Brown half of the meat, then spoon it onto a plate and brown the other half.

Take the rest of the beef out of the pot, the add the onion and diced bacon and cook for 5-10 minutes (until the onion looks golden and the bacon is cooked through). Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then put the beef back in the pot, pour in the blended chili-tomato puree, then stir everything up and cook for a minute or two.

Pour in the beef and/or chicken stock, beer, coffee, and remaining tomatoes and stir well (using the spoon to smoosh up the tomatoes a bit), then add the crushed tortilla chips and a little salt and bring the mixture to a boil.

Turn the heat back down to medium and put the lid on the pot. Cook for an hour (or a little more), then add the beans, stir, and cook uncovered for another hour. Serve the chili hot.