What's for supper?

Boy, the last time I really made chili was over a year ago. I wasn't on dialysis yet, and I wasn't worrying about phosphorus. Here's the chili as I made it then, tweaked for no beans. It's quite hot - you'd better enjoy the burn for this one. If you want to adjust it to be less hot, drop the chipotles down to just one (not the whole can), use half as many ancho chiles, and possibly replace the poblano chiles with green bell peppers.

I've kinda made some assumptions on skill level in the recipe. It's a lot of work, but makes a really great chili. The idea is to braise the beef until it starts to fall apart into shreds. I'm planning to revise the recipe as I would make it now, and post it on my food blog, which is finally up and running at http://www.crookedkitchen.com. Here's the recipe:

olive oil
~2 lbs beef chuck, 1/2" cubed
2 onions
1/2 head of garlic, plus 4 cloves
1 small can tomato paste
500 ml brown ale
2 cups beef stock
8 ancho chiles (dried)
4 New Mexico chiles (dried)
1 can chipotles en adobo
2 poblanos (fresh)
2 large cans whole tomatoes, no salt
3 Tbsp whole cumin
2 tsp whole coriander
4 Tbsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
juice of 1 lime

Sear beef in dutch oven with olive oil in batches, adding more oil if needed. Set aside each browned batch. Saute 2 sliced onions and 1/2 head of smashed garlic cloves in the dutch oven. When nearly done, add the tomato paste and fry until caramelized. Deglaze with some of the beer. Return the beef to the pot along with any drained liquids. Add the rest of the beer, the beef broth, and any water necessary to mostly cover. Season with oregano, black pepper, bay leaves, and salt. Let simmer on low, covered, while the chile paste is prepared.

Stem and seed the ancho and New Mexico chiles. In a large skillet, toast the chiles (in batches if needed), then rehydrate in hot water. Once soft, put the rehydrated chiles and the can of chipotle chiles in a food processor with just enough of the soaking liquid, and process to a puree. Add this puree to the braising meat, and mix it well into the liquid. Move the dutch oven to an oven set to 250 degrees for two hours.

While the meat is braising, prep the following: slice 4 cloves of garlic, toast the whole cumin and coriander in a dry skillet, then grind them in a spice grinder. Dice the poblanos. Separate, seed, and hand-crush the canned tomatoes. Also, chop 1 onion and some jalapenos, and grated cheddar for individual topping.

When the meat is done, remove from the oven and put on a simmer on the stove. Add the garlic, crushed tomatoes, some of the tomato juice, and the poblanos. Add any water needed, and bring to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and lime juice. Add cumin and coriander, and simmer on low, covered, about 30 minutes more.