Found this on Reddit years ago, and it’s been my go to since.

Ingredients:

2 lb 80/20 ground chuck

1 lb 90/10 ground sirloin

1 lb smoked sausage

½ lb thick cut bacon (optional)

1 Tbsp butter (optional)

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, diced (w/seeds)

4 serrano peppers, diced (w/seeds if you want it hot)

2 red bell pepper, diced (remove center and seeds)

6 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Ancho chilies

1 Pasilla chile

1 Costeña chile

1 guajillo chile

1 New Mexico chile

Small can of chipotles in adobo sauce

Small can of sun dried tomatoes

29 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 Tbsp cumin

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar

½ Tbsp red pepper

~12 oz Young’s chocolate stout beer

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Seed and stem the dried chilies (anchos, pasilla, costena, guajillo, and NM). Heat them in enough water (or chicken stock) to cover the chilies and let them soak for 15 minutes.
2. If including bacon, slice the bacon into squares, and fry in a large pot. When finished, remove the bacon leaving the rendered fat.
3. Over medium high heat, (melt butter if not using bacon) add onion (let onions caramelize for a bit), jalapenos, serranos, and red bells peppers (they should sizzle when you add them) to the bacon fat (or butter) and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions start to turn translucent. Add the garlic about halfway through this step.
4. Add the meat and sausage and cook until fully browned.
5. At this point the chilies should be soft. Remove them from the water (discard water, it will be bitter), and place them in a blender along with the chipotles in adobo sauce and sun dried tomatoes (tomatoes added toward the end).
6. Maybe add some beer to help move everything around.
7. Puree until nice and smooth and then add to chili pot along with crushed tomatoes, spices and everything else. Stir well. Cook at a low simmer for 2-4 hours.