Chili: Discuss

[podz]

Back on topic:

Le Creuset cast-iron dutch oven is the best chili pot ever! I've made more batches of chili in that pan than many of you are months old ;-)

 

[W0GWT]

"traditional" is the key operating phrase. I'm aware of everything middle-easterners have contributed to the culture, but they have nothing to do with German cuisine. I'm thinking limburger, Handkase mit Musik, Schweinshaxe and the like. I'd equally say nothing is more bland and flaccid than traditional British food as well. Kannst du Deutsch?

Na klar kann ich Deutsch!

Man kann aber überhaupt nicht behaupten, daß die Ausländer nichts mit dem deutschen Kultur zu tun haben.

Du hast niergendwo "traditional" gesagt.

Naja, ich stimme dazu, daß britisches Essen das Schlimmste ist. Das Beste Gericht auf dem Insel stammt aus Indien. Ich hatte mal ein englischer Kumpel aus Manchester, der nicht englisches Essen beschreiben konnte. Er mochte weder Bier noch Meersfrüchte, weil er behauptete, es sei kein Teil seines Kulturs. Der schlimmste Engländer- Adam Lewis





*JIST:
Yes, I'll agree that British food is the worst. The best food on the island is Indian. I had an English friend from Manchester once who could not describe traditional English food. He just didn't like beer, nor seafood because he claimed it "wasn't his culture". Worst Englishman ever, Adam Lewis.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Do note, however, that Chli is not a dish that was created by Americans or Mexicans. It was brought to Spanish-owned Texas by people who had moved there from the Canary Islands on the order of the Spanish king.

Only point to that is just saying if you want to get historical about Chili, then you actually need to study Canarian cuisine.

So. Anyone got a line on some good fresh Canaries? I want to make some authentic chili and the people at pet shops all threaten to call the cops on me when I ask about them.

 

[Melana]

Sounds like a lot of work plucking feathers for a 2oz bird.

 

[WesleyS]

So. Anyone got a line on some good fresh Canaries? I want to make some authentic chili and the people at pet shops all threaten to call the cops on me when I ask about them.

If you want a heartier authentic Canarian chili, skip the bird and use dog. After all, the islands were named for them. Surely, they cooked dog from time to time. Of course, getting a dog from the Canary Islands, could be pricey. That could be one expensive batch of chili.


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[Dominic1920]

I love this discussion, its great and some excellent looking recipes. I must say the origins of American style chili as I understand it comes from the method cowboys used for preserving dried meats. They would mix dried beef with chile pods and other spices and pound it flat for the trail, then reconstitute it in boiling water, thus the first pot of cattle trail chili was born. But historians say the concoction of dried chiles, meat, beans, and herbs and spices was well known to the Incas, Aztecs, and Mayan tribes long before that. Theres even one legend that they enjoyed a conquistador cannibal chili. Mmmm Mmmm, spicy long pig.

 

[unionrdr]

I forget the name, but Native Americans in the southwest used to mix chili peppers & fat into a brick to add to beans & such. I think that's one way chili started?

 

[Dominic1920]

I forget the name, but Native Americans in the southwest used to mix chili peppers & fat into a brick to add to beans & such. I think that's one way chili started?

Maybe you're thinking of pemmican? It was animal fat (suet), dried meat, berries and nuts originally, but I've heard of variations that had dried chilies in it too. There actually is a thing called "Brick Chili", which is basically ground beef, suet, onions, seasonings, and chilies that was crumbled into boiling water or tomato paste and beans to make a base for chili on the go.

Brick Chili
1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon powdered or fresh garlic

2/3 cup chopped onion

1 to 1 3/4 ounces paprika (to taste)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon oregano (optional)

2 or 3 teaspoons sugar

1/2 ounce pure chili powder

1/2 ounce cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more, to taste)

1/2 pound suet

3/4 to 1 cup flour

Mix together all but the last 2 ingredients in a large sauce pan or stock pot and cook until meat is almost done. Set aside.

Grind the suet. Cook it over medium heat and stir in -1 cup flour to make a thick mixture. Cook until the suet and flour mixture takes on a dull appearance and is no longer very greasy-looking.

Stir the suet mixture into the ground beef mixture and continue cooking until the meat is done and the mixtures are well blended. Pour the mixture into a mold or loaf pan. Cover and refrigerate. Slice off as much as you need as a base for chili. Heat it and add tomato paste and beans, or whatever, to taste.

 

[unionrdr]

I thought pemmican when I wrote that post, but thought I was misremembering. So that was it. One of my Frugal Gourmet books mentions it.

 

[motobrewer]

making this today. it's my normal "non-texas" chili version. I add beans as well.

Brown 2 pounds of lean ground beef and drain all the grease off and add to the pot.

Now add one 14.5 ounce can of beef broth and one 8 ounce can of salt free tomato sauce.

Add 1 hot pepper (Serrano, Jalapeno) of your choice to the and bring to a boil. When the boil starts add drop 1.
Drop 1:

1 Tablespoon of onion powder
2 Teaspoons of garlic powder
1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder

Cover the pot and reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour. Remove the pepper and crush the juice into the pot. Now its time to add Drop 2 to the pot.

Drop 2:

2-1/2 Tablespoons light chili powder
2 Teaspoons cumin
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
1/4 Teaspoon white pepper
1/4 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cube beef bullion
1/2 cube chicken bullion
1/2 Teaspoon brown sugar
1 pk Sazon Goya

Continue boiling with lid on for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes add the last drop.

Drop 3:

2 Teaspoons Mexene Chili Powder
1 Teaspon cumin
Salt to taste

Cover it up and simmer for 15 minutes more

 

[podz]

I made the first batch of chili for this autumn; used ground lamb instead of ground beef. Turned out awesome!

 

[ndinh]

Yesterday I made another huge crock of chili. This time instead using brisket I used chuck roast. It was much better than with brisket! Instead of 10 hours to get tender it was tender in 6 and was almost falling apart by 8. Here is the recipe if anyone is interested.

5.5 pounds of chuck roast, cut into 1/2" cubes
Oil for skillet if required
2 cups chopped onion (Red or Yellow preferred)
6 large cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes crushed
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 green peppers seeded and diced (I left these out as my wife hates them)
1 bay leaf
3 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup black beans
1 cup navy beans
1 cup pinto beans
1 cup kidney beans
(could just use 2 cans of your favorite beans)
2 tablespoons chopped basil
Light american lager

Brown the meat cubes well in batches in a hot skillet, de-glaze the skillet between every couple of batches with some lager and dump that in the skillet, that's where a lot of your flavor is. Saute the onions until translucent, then add garlic and cook another minute, add that to pot. Dump everything else besides the beans into the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Check to make sure meat is tender, add beans and cook another hour. Serve in your favorite style, with cornbread, loaded with cheese, with fresh cilantro, sour cream, what have you. Adjust the chili powder and cayenne to your liking. It takes a large crock pot to handle all this. Our crock pot is 6 quarts and this fills it to the top. If yours is smaller either shrink the recipe or use a pot.

Made this over the weekend and it turned out fantastic. This was my first 'chili from scratch' attempt and it turned out great. Thanks!

 

[Setesh]

Made this over the weekend and it turned out fantastic. This was my first 'chili from scratch' attempt and it turned out great. Thanks!

I'm glad you liked it!

I just picked up 8 pounds of freshly roasted hatch green chilies so I plan on making this again soon and adding some hatch kick.

 

[Dominic1920]

I'm glad you liked it!

I just picked up 8 pounds of freshly roasted hatch green chilies so I plan on making this again soon and adding some hatch kick.

You have got to make green chili with roasted hatch chilies. Its the only way to use them properly:

Sauté some ground pork or a good pork sausage until the fat is rendered.

Brown a diced yellow onion in the rendered fat until translucent then add 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, diced roasted green chiles, cumin, chicken stock, and bring to a boil, add some cubed Yukon gold potatoes, and simmer for half an hour on low or until potatoes are tender, top with cilantro, some lime juice, or sour cream, serve with sopapillas.

 

[Setesh]

You have got to make green chili with roasted hatch chilies. Its the only way to use them properly:

Sauté some ground pork or a good pork sausage until the fat is rendered.

Brown a diced yellow onion in the rendered fat until translucent then add 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, diced roasted green chiles, cumin, chicken stock, and bring to a boil, add some cubed Yukon gold potatoes, and simmer for half an hour on low or until potatoes are tender, top with cilantro, some lime juice, or sour cream, serve with sopapillas.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I've never been a huge fan of green chili. It's not bad, but it's not what I would choose to eat if given other options if you know what I mean.

 

[Dominic1920]

Made this chili colorado today with new mexico dried chili:

4 table spoons new mexico dried chili powder
1 pound boneless beef chuck
3 tbs flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbs olive oil
1 yellow onion
1 cup beef stock
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add beef chunks a few at a time, so as not to overcrowd the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Remove cooked meat, and continue browning remaining meat. Return reserved cooked meat to the pot. Stir in chile powder. Add beef stock to just cover beef chunks, or to personal preference. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to lowest setting, and simmer for 3 hours, or until meat is tender. If necessary, adjust with more stock during cooking.

 

[lhommedieu]

Making a red chile sauce today to add to browned meat. I'll post the results later


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[jcoxen]

I make a variation of this recipe - http://www.food.com/recipe/the-best-chili-you-will-ever-taste-73166

I cut back on the brown sugar, substitute 2 cans of black beans for 2 cans of the kidney beans, use chipotle peppers instead of canned chili peppers and use a LOT more cumin. It makes a nice, flavorful chili that my wife and I can both enjoy although I usually end up hitting mine with a few dashes of hot sauce - I like hot/spicy foods and she doesn't.

 

[unionrdr]

We grew New Mexico chilis. When they're red, they don't have any heat. But the green ones are spicier, so dried, crushed & mixed is better imo. The red ones taste a little like fresh chili powder off the plant.

 

[DromJohn]

Terlingua Advance Research Chili for tomorrow's cookoff

1 Aji Amarillo pepper
1 Aji Panka pepper
4.91 lb Beef brisket
1 Bell pepper, green
1 Chile de árbol
1 Chipotle pepper
500 ml Drom John Cherry Porter
1 head Garlic
1 tbs Hatch Green chile
1 Negro Pasilla pepper
1 New Mexico pepper, dried
1 medium Onion, red
1 large Onion, yellow
3 Unidentified farmers market chiles

 

[corkybstewart]

We grew New Mexico chilis. When they're red, they don't have any heat. But the green ones are spicier, so dried, crushed & mixed is better imo. The red ones taste a little like fresh chili powder off the plant.

I can get you some New Mexico red chile powder that will burn you from one end to the other.

 

[unionrdr]

I've heard of those. They must have hot & mild ones with the same name?

 

[bford]

I'm in Texas, so no beans for me please......

I've successfully raised two Texas kids now who also think anything with beans in it is soup... (and soup can be delicious! but it ain't chili in Texas if it has beans in it)

 

[bford]

I can get you some New Mexico red chile powder that will burn you from one end to the other.

That sounds awesome to this guy!

 

[corkybstewart]

I've heard of those. They must have hot & mild ones with the same name?

Barkers are the hottest green chile, then Sandia, then down on the mild side are Big Jims, unless you buy them from the farm I go to in Artesia NM. Their Big Jims are almost as hot as the Sandias some years.
You can buy dried Barkers at some stores here, or the chile powder of various heat levels, mild to extra hot.

 

[Dominic1920]

Barkers are the hottest green chile, then Sandia, then down on the mild side are Big Jims, unless you buy them from the farm I go to in Artesia NM. Their Big Jims are almost as hot as the Sandias some years.
You can buy dried Barkers at some stores here, or the chile powder of various heat levels, mild to extra hot.

Ah, New Mexico chiles. How I miss them. They are some of the best in the world. I do miss going into a restaurant and ordering a bowl of chili and having them ask "red or green?"

 

[lhommedieu]

I made this chili sauce recently, and then added it to onion, garlic, and browned meat to simmer for a few hours. My wife said that it was a more complex, nuanced chili and that the heat came up from beneath rather than hitting you all at once.

I wanted to make a base-line sauce with very little heat for my friends who don't like spicy foods. For those who enjoy spicy chili I plan to use different peppers and include more veins and seeds. Using gloves is recommended.

 

[Dominic1920]

I made this chili sauce recently, and then added it to onion, garlic, and browned meat to simmer for a few hours. My wife said that it was a more complex, nuanced chili and that the heat came up from beneath rather than hitting you all at once.

I wanted to make a base-line sauce with very little heat for my friends who don't like spicy foods. For those who enjoy spicy chili I plan to use different peppers and include more veins and seeds. Using gloves is recommended.

Hey, thank you for this Ihommedieu, that looks great.

 

[unionrdr]

Being retired & broke from emergency repairs this month, my son made hot dog chili last night with black & pinto beans, bell peppers, onions, etc. Actually was pretty good on a cold, blustery night with some homebrews!

 

[lhommedieu]

It was an easy sauce to make - although a bit labor-intensive to cut and scrape the chilies, sear them in a cast iron pan, blanch them, and then simmer to soften the flavors. The recipe gave me about 8 cups of sauce, and I used 2 cups of sauce with some added water in which to simmer meat (I used 1" cubed flank steak).

I didn't used many seeds or veins, and the Scoville scale says that these are mild chilies. Consequently, the sauce had very little heat, and so I'll use this as a base sauce for those who don't like spicy chilies, enchiladas, tacos, etc. It is very warming, however, and as said earlier the heat comes up from underneath the flavor, which is excellent. I imagine that one could use a similar technique to make a mole poblano sauce.

It occurs to me that one could make very hot sauce and blend a proportion into the sauce just prior to adding it to the meat.

 

[Dominic1920]

Time to revive this chili thread, its a cold dia here today. I made verde chili with eggs this morning. Plenty of New Mexico green chilies roasted with garlic, and olive oil. Seasoned with cumin, Mexican oregano, and salt. Served over eggs and bacon. Yumm....

 

[Brew_Dude41]

Mmmm chili......
My best chili is a five bean blend, but that is a huge recipe that i only break out for deer camp (nothin better coming to camp to that chili pot simmering on the stove-well other than coming back with a buck) and competitions.
Regular crock pot version is pinto and dark kidney beans w/hot sausage, ground beef, and marinated London broil that has been seared and finely diced. The base is a blend of stewed and crushed tomatoes, diced and pureed peppers (jalapeños blended with some dried habeneros and tobasco chilis from the garden-just for that little bit heat in the back of your throat), and a nice big red onion diced. Personally i like to let the base simmer the night before adding the meat to let the acids bring out the heat a bit more, then add the meat in the morning to simmer all day. finally an hour before serving i add the beans and some diced red and green bell peppers just for some color and texture. I hate when the beans get over cooked and are too soft.

 

[Wolfbayte]

I put my tomato sauce (or broth of a white chili) in the blender with mild green chilies, a hot pepper, and about half as much hot spices as usually called for first. Then add to beans and browned meat in the crock pot.

This makes it sweet, tangy, and hot (but not too hot) and the kids can't pick out the peppers.

Now that the kids moved out, we add a layer of onions and red/green/yellow bell peppers on the top to add color. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1420783966.482962.jpg

 

[Wolfbayte]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1420784150.356623.jpg

 

[fantomlord]

You have got to make green chili with roasted hatch chilies. Its the only way to use them properly:

Sauté some ground pork or a good pork sausage until the fat is rendered.

Brown a diced yellow onion in the rendered fat until translucent then add 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, diced roasted green chiles, cumin, chicken stock, and bring to a boil, add some cubed Yukon gold potatoes, and simmer for half an hour on low or until potatoes are tender, top with cilantro, some lime juice, or sour cream, serve with sopapillas.

I thought chili verde was typically made with tomatillos

for my green chili, I fire roast (over an open fire whenever possible) tomatillos, poblanos, some jalapenos and/or serranos, maybe a bell or 2, also if I have them. Then, toss in a paper bag (or covered bowl) until cool, then remove charred skin and seeds, and blend up to make the sauce base. Then, I typically sweat some garlic and onions, add the sauce, some mixture of cured and uncured pork that I smoke for a bit first (good use for country style ribs), some chili seasonings (cumin, cayenne, etc), and possibly a little chicken stock, cilantro, and simmer for a few hours. I like to serve with some cornbread, and possibly top with a dollop of sour cream.
Usually turns out fantastic :rockin:

 

[FatDragon]

Soak ~ 1/4 crock pot dried black and/or crazyhorse kidney beans overnight.

Toss a couple jalapenos, couple serranos, and three or four large, mild Chinese red peppers in a skillet and roast them over a low-medium flame, turning a couple times before adding a bit of water and putting the lid on to steam them. Blend.

Chop up an onion and two or three tomatoes.

Hand-pluck the kernels off of one or two ears of corn.

Dry-fry a pound of chopped beef belly with salt and pepper in a well-seasoned wok, with any large chunks of fat cut off but still in the wok for greasing purposes.

Toss everything but the beans together with a couple chopped garlic cloves, some salt, pepper, chili powder, and other spices if desired.

Drain the beans in the morning, mix everything together in the crock pot, pour in a homebrew and top off with water if necessary (my buddy tops off with coffee and says it's amazing as well), set the crock pot to slow, and go to work.

Come home in the evening to amazing aromas, eat the best chili in China, expel horrible aromas, and call it a day.

 

[podz]

and three or four large, mild Chinese red peppers

Cool, but could you please lead me to understand what is a Chinese red pepper?

 

[Dominic1920]

I thought chili verde was typically made with tomatillos

for my green chili, I fire roast (over an open fire whenever possible) tomatillos, poblanos, some jalapenos and/or serranos, maybe a bell or 2, also if I have them. Then, toss in a paper bag (or covered bowl) until cool, then remove charred skin and seeds, and blend up to make the sauce base. Then, I typically sweat some garlic and onions, add the sauce, some mixture of cured and uncured pork that I smoke for a bit first (good use for country style ribs), some chili seasonings (cumin, cayenne, etc), and possibly a little chicken stock, cilantro, and simmer for a few hours. I like to serve with some cornbread, and possibly top with a dollop of sour cream.
Usually turns out fantastic :rockin:

Yeah chili verde is made with tomatillos, big difference between New Mexico green chili and chili verde though. In New Mexico you order a bowl of chili at a restaurant and the waitress will ask "red or green?".

 

[grrickar]

Chili without beans is meat soup

 

[BigJack]

Made a batch tonight with a blend of four meets- a pound each beef, buffalo, and breakfast sausage, plus 1/4 pound of bacon. Tossed in some tandori spice on the onions while they cooked down. It was a bit different, but it sure tasted good.