I made some serious kick-butt chili yesterday. I used chuck cubes (as per Forreste's suggestion) and I'm so glad I did! Very yummy. I browned the meat first (in batches) then sauteed onions and garlic, then added tons of cumin & chili powder, deglazed the pan with red wine, added my tomatoes, tested for seasoning again, then added the meat back in and let the whole thing braise in the oven for about 2 hours, until the meat was super tender. Then I added the beans and let it sit with the top on for another 20 minutes or so, until the beans were flavored slightly. I also used some chipotles that I dried myself, and I'm really impressed by the layer of flavor they added. The chili powder gave an up front spiciness, but the chilis gave a little warmth in the back of your throat, so it was well-rounded, in my opinion.

I'm going to serve it over kamut, which is a whole grain with a texture similar to brown rice. It's much healthier than rice, so I'm hoping it'll make the meal more complete, along with a salad. (It takes 2 hours to cook, though, I understand, so that's annoying.)

I'm going to try chocolate with my next batch; we'll see how it turns out.