A flavorful but not overly spicy pot of chili with dried Mexican chiles and chipotle peppers, blended to a gorgeous chile paste. This hearty meal starts with a bag of dried Pinto beans, so it's best to soak the beans the night before.
Place the pinto beans in a heavy dutch oven and fill with water so that it covers the beans by an inch. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. (Alternately, can do a quick soak method: Bring the beans to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Put the lid on the pot and turn off the heat. Let stand for 2 hours, then proceed to cook as usual)
Make the Chile Paste:
Remove the stems from the chiles and slice them open. Remove the seeds and the membrane.
Heat a cast iron skillet over low heat and rest the chiles one at a time on the skillet, pressing the pepper with a spatula to make sure that all parts come into contact with the pan and wake up the essential oils in the peppers. Heat both sides of the peppers until they just start to turn color -- but don't overcook or they will be bitter.
Transfer peppers to a bowl and cover with hot water. Let the peppers rehydrate for 15-20 minutes before removing them from the water and transferring to a blender. Add the chipotle peppers and garlic to the chiles. Add ¾ cup water and blend to form a paste. Set aside.
Make The Chili:
Rinse and drain the beans. Cover the beans with fresh water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1½-2 hours or until beans are tender.
Meanwhile, place a large (preferably cast iron) skillet over medium high heat add the ground beef and cook, breaking up chunks with the back of a spoon. Add the onions and peppers and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle on the cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Drain the cooked beans and return them to the dutch oven. Heat the pot over medium-medium high heat. Add the ground beef mixture, tomatoes, beef broth, homemade chile paste, 1-2 tablespoons of adobo sauce (depending on how hot you like it) and the oregano, stirring to combine.
Bring chile just to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes for flavors to marry, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve with desired garnishes.
Notes
Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or frozen for 2-3 months.