Name: Ding Dong Eight-Alarm Chili
Cook time: 1 3/4 hr
Total time: 6 1/2 hr (plus 1 to 2 days for flavors to develop)
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 oz dried ancho chiles (4 large), stemmed and seeded; 6 large garlic cloves, 3 of them finely chopped; 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste; 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin; 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder (not pure chile); 4 lb well-marbled beef brisket or boneless chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces; 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 (28- to 32-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice; 1/4 cup canned chipotle chiles in adobo; 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro; 1 1/2 lb white onions, chopped (4 cups); 1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled; 1 to 4 fresh serrano or other small green chiles, finely chopped, including seeds (1 is fine for most tastes; 4 is the eight-alarm version); 1 (12-oz) bottle beer (not dark); 2 cups water; 2 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans (optional; 30 oz), rinsed if canned; Accompaniments: cubed avocado; chopped white onion; shredded Cheddar; chopped fresh cilantro; sour cream

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Ding Dong Eight-Alarm ChiliRomulo Yanes

'80S THE COSBY SHOW

In the well-appointed Huxtable kitchen ("The Drum Major" first aired on February 4, 1988), Cliff explains to his family why it's essential to wait three days before eating his famous chili: "If you tasted this on the first day, you'd say, 'What can did this come out of?' If you tasted this on the second day, you'd say, 'Oh my goodness, somebody's grandmother got up off her chair and just took this to the mountain!' But on the third day you don't even have to taste it. You just walk by the pot and something says, 'Hey, come here!'" Although this chili can be eaten the same day it's made, it really does taste better if you wait another day or two.

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 6 1/2 hr (plus 1 to 2 days for flavors to develop)

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