Variations on a theme of chili

I was joking with my sweetie that if I ever published a cookbook, I might not go with Knives, Fire and Fun, but rather "Kate's Throwing Things in a Pot Again."

Today's chili came about because I have homework again, and it's pretty convenient to make chili on Sunday and not have to worry about cooking for a few days. I decided to go  for something a little different and ended up with:

3/4 cup of whole garlic cloves
8 small tomatillos, chopped
4 can tomatoes & green chiles
1 can whole-kernel corn
2 cans low-sodium black beans 
2 pounds of stew beef, cut to bite-sized pieces
2 pork chops, also in bite-sized pieces
1 dried habenero with seeds, minced
1 baseball-sized red onion, diced
.25 cups Cajun Power garlic sauce
1 T Chinese black bean & garlic paste

2 heaping T of chile powder
2 heaping T of cumin
two heavy shakes of smoked paprika
2 heavy shakes of cinnamon

1 bottle of Guinness

I started with my stew pot on one burner and a skillet on another. A little oil (I used a bit of olive and a bit of canola), and pan-roasted the garlic for about ten minutes. In the stew pot, I started adding the canned items, stirring as I went, then the fresh vegetation. In the skillet went the meat and a little salt, a little bit at a time, until brown. The idea was to infuse the meat with the roasted garlic. 

Eventually, everything got into the stew pot. I added the Guinness last, brought the pot to a very low boil, then turned it down to simmer for about four hours, stirring thoroughly every 20-30 minutes. When I say stir thoroughly, I mean really get in there and move the stuff around, scraping the bottom so nothing sticks

I thought it might have needed more onion, but my sweetie convinced me that it didn't. We served it over spaghetti, with some queso blanco and for me, some sour cream.

The sweetie is currently on his third bowl. I was hoping to get another couple of meals out of this (we fed ourselves and my cousin tonight), but at the rate he's going. . .