What does unsweetened cocoa powder, jalepenos and Guinness have in common?

That's easy, Laurie, my chili recipe of course!  This time of year screams chili.  Everyone has their own version of chili, that's why there are so many chili cook offs!  I am not saying mine is the best by any means, but it's pretty good.  I mean - it's made with Guinness for crying out loud.  And did I mention the steak?  No?  I will below. 

Recipe:
Olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic gloves, chopped
1 lb ground beef
3/4 to 1 lb sirloin seasoned with salt and pepper, cubed
1 (14.5 oz) can peeled, diced tomatoes with juice
3/4 can of Guinness (oh yeah!)
1 cup strong coffee
2 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons chili sauce
1 tbl cumin seeds
1 tbl unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
salt & pepper to taste
4 cans kidney beans
2 -3 fresh jalapenos chopped (it's up to your taste whether you leave the seeds or not - I use about half of the seeds)

1. Heat oil (use enough to coat the pan) in a large, heavy sauce pan over medium high heat.  Sear the steak cubes then remove from pan once all sides have a nice caramelization.  Then reduce heat to medium and add onions, garlic and ground beef.  Once beef is browned, add steak back to pan.

2. Mix in the diced tomatoes, Guinness, coffee tomato paste and beef broth.*  Season with brown sugar, chili sauce, cumin, cocoa powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander and salt and pepper.  Stir in 2 cans of beans and jalapenos.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. 

3. Stir in remaining cans of beans (or not - today I actually skipped the last two cans) and simmer another 30 minutes.

4. Serve with grated cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

5. Enjoy yo!

*I only recently acquired a large enough heavy sauce pan to cook this chili.  Before, I used to start with step 2 in a crock pot, then do step 1 in a saute pan.  I would then add the meat, onions and garlic to the crock pot to finish up cooking.  It tasted great that way too.