Chili: Discuss

[ChefRex]

$100 pot of chili!

 

[SeeAliceBrewery]

A good chili needs but a small amount of beans...I have done many cookoffs over the years. My recipe generally either wins or gets second.....

 

[andrhamm]

New favorite chili recipe. Thanks!


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[andrhamm]

International Chili Society says no beans and I agree.

2.5 pounds ground beef
1.5 pound breakfast sausage
2 stalks celery finely chopped (I pulse mine in the food processor)
3 cups worth of onion diced up in the food processor
red pepper flakes to taste
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 cup chili powder, plus more later on if you think you'll need it
two 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes (I like Western Family brand fire roasted tomatoes)
16 ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup TEQUILA! plus a couple shots for the cook
1/2 cup thick and pulpy orange juice
cayenne and paprika to taste
canned chipotles (diced) with adobo sauce to taste

Just brown the meat with a little oil and add everything else and simmer until its done. If you need more liquid use equal parts OJ and tequila. Its a good base recipe that is great to tweak and customize.

i meant this one


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[Setesh]

OK, I"m a brisket chili convert. My wife was pretty unhappy with the $27 for 5 lbs of meat price tag, but damn did it make good chili. All told it was about $45 for one large crock of chili. I used this recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/devons-award-winning-chili-recipe.html
and added black, pinto, and kidney beans. I cooked it in the slow cooker for 10 hours, then mixed in the beans. A little cilantro to garnish and this is really good stuff. I don't see why it wouldn't work just as well with a roast though, and that is a lot cheaper so I will probably try that next time. Here is a pic:

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Hey, I like beans in my chili but if someone hands me an awesome bowl of chili sans-beans... I am willing to have my mind changed.

Just so long as food "arguments" remain civil, I will argue all day long. Just up until I cant eat anymore...

 

[Setesh]

Hey, I like beans in my chili but if someone hands me an awesome bowl of chili sans-beans... I am willing to have my mind changed.

Just so long as food "arguments" remain civil, I will argue all day long. Just up until I cant eat anymore...

I'm with you. I have a lot of family from/in Texas, and Texans don't want beans in their chili as a general rule so I've had quite a lot of beanless chili in my day. My wife however hates the idea of chili without beans, so when I make it I always put them in for her. I'm happy to eat it either way, but I feel diferently about each of them. With beans I'm happy to eat it by itself, kind of like you would a stew, and the spice can be tame too. But if it's sans beans I want it nice and spicy with grated cheddar cheese on top and a thick slice of cornbread on the side. My grandpa use to make it so hot he would serve it with milk, to help put out the fire.

 

[MidTNJasonF]

I am not a chili purist or fanatic but I have some strong personal preferences. I personally feel that ground meat has zero place in chili. Cubed meat is the best choice in my opinion. I also enjoy a really good smoked meat chili. I won a couple contests with a brisket chili.

I lean towards beans although I have certainly had great chili without beans. I pretty much stick to a red kidney although I have also used black beans and had great results. I also enjoy the occasional white chili with chicken and white beans.

I grew up with chili over rice, my wife grew up with chili over spaghetti noodles. I still occasionally have chili over rice for old times sake and enjoy it greatly. I still can not tolerate chili over noodles of any type. Chili over Fritos/corn chips is a popular one in this part of the world and I can tolerate it but do not find it all that appealing.

I have also won some chili cook offs with a mole inspired chili (cinnamon, chocolate, peppers, ect.) and while some chaff at the idea of chocolate or cinnamon the end result is very nice. Life would be pretty boring if I only ate the same version of a dish over and over, change is good.

 

[hunter_le five]

I'm with you. I have a lot of family from/in Texas, and Texans don't want beans in their chili as a general rule so I've had quite a lot of beanless chili in my day.

I've heard that sentiment many times: "Texans don't put beans in chili", but have always found it puzzling. I don't know if it's a regional thing (yes, South/East/West/North/Central Texas are all very distinct places), but growing up (in east Texas) we ALWAYS had beans in our Chili. That was true of our family and other families I knew.

I was surprised the first time I was told (by someone from out-of-state) that we Texans didn't like beans in our chili. That was news to me!
I've since come to learn that many Texans DO in fact have a strong aversion to beans in chili, but I hardly think it's a universal thing.

I don't hate beanless chili, but I do think chili is always better with beans. And ground-beef chili is okay, but using a better cut of meat will always improve things; sirloin, brisket, etc.

 

[Schemy]

I'm late to this party, but am a big chili connoisseur. I love it. We do use beans in our traditional chili. With crushed saltines and cheese, an IPA at hand, it's pretty much heaven.

I also do a chipotle chili w/ black beans. I generally use a stout or porter in the chili. I'll add my recipes once I get home.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm chili.

 

[headbanger]

I've heard that sentiment many times: "Texans don't put beans in chili", but have always found it puzzling. I don't know if it's a regional thing (yes, South/East/West/North/Central Texas are all very distinct places), but growing up (in east Texas) we ALWAYS had beans in our Chili. That was true of our family and other families I knew.

I was surprised the first time I was told (by someone from out-of-state) that we Texans didn't like beans in our chili. That was news to me!
I've since come to learn that many Texans DO in fact have a strong aversion to beans in chili, but I hardly think it's a universal thing.

I don't hate beanless chili, but I do think chili is always better with beans. And ground-beef chili is okay, but using a better cut of meat will always improve things; sirloin, brisket, etc.

Beans are irrelevant, good chili is good chili either way. I think a lot of the bean debate bleeds over from competition rules that restrict the use of "fillers" which beans fall into along with almost everything else.

Personally, I can do chili just about anyway as long as I'm not competing and the end result is tasty. Making chili is tricky in a way, it's pretty hard to screw up completely, but it's also very hard to make award winning chili consistently without putting a lot of thought and time into it.

As a good friend of mine used to say "when it comes to good chili it's all in the gravy, everything else will sort itself out".

Cheers to good chili!

 

[unionrdr]

It's def all in the gravy! I'm close to a hot dog chili that tastes like Shelby chili mix. Just some masa before I tweak anything else...

 

[lhommedieu]

My admittedly idiosyncratic rule for chili is as follows:

Chunks of beef = no beans
Ground beef = beans

I like it either way, but I have a preference for Texas Red Chile (no beans).

In either case, saltines and beer are essential.

One of the best chilis that I ever had was not even a chili but Hungarian goulash. The recipe: chunks of beef, paprika. Cooked slow for several hours. I think that the difference was that the paprika came, not in a little jar, but in an unmarked plastic bag in the back of Hungarian grocery on the Upper East Side, NYC. In essence, that's chili!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Beans are irrelevant, good chili is good chili either way. I think a lot of the bean debate bleeds over from competition rules that restrict the use of "fillers" which beans fall into along with almost everything else.

Personally, I can do chili just about anyway as long as I'm not competing and the end result is tasty. Making chili is tricky in a way, it's pretty hard to screw up completely, but it's also very hard to make award winning chili consistently without putting a lot of thought and time into it.

As a good friend of mine used to say "when it comes to good chili it's all in the gravy, everything else will sort itself out".

Cheers to good chili!

I clicked like after reading the last line because I knew I could trust something headbanger posted. Give me a second, I'm going to read the rest...

 

[Setesh]

I think I may have a chili problem now....I just finished my fourth bowl of this brisket chili....and I had eggs and taters for breakfast so I can't even claim to have had only one extra meal! I know one thing, after four bowls in one day I'm going to regret all those beans

 

[Setesh]

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.

 

[thatjonguy]

I tried several of the recipes in the this thread and they were all very good. I also made up a batch with beans that I soaked in Twisted Pine Ghost Face Killa.

 

[ChefRex]

Arise, arise!!
Getting to be that time of the year, started to clean out my neglected garden and always make a chili, 8 different peppers in this one but I controlled myself and it's not smoking just a nice burn.

 

[Melana]

I am in denial that it could be anywhere close to chili season. Please say it isn't so.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I am in denial that it could be anywhere close to chili season. Please say it isn't so.

Leaves are already starting to turn here, Already snow on a few of the taller mountains, won't be that long till the snow flies here in the valley.
Regards, GF.

 

[ChefRex]

I am in denial that it could be anywhere close to chili season. Please say it isn't so.

Only doing what my garden told me to do.
I have to say it's one of my best.

 

[DrunkleJon]

It is once again dark when I leave the house for work in the morning (the most depressing example I know), and when football is back so comes chili. Its okay, just means that it is almost time to turn off the AC and start opening the windows again, be able to light fires in the fireplace and hide under blankets. Evey season has its positives.

 

[Dominic1920]

Purists say no beans, but real chili purists also leave out tomatoes. I like a good spicy chili cooked in beer, a stout makes the best chili base in my opinion. Heres a camp chili recipe I make on hunting trips:

Dice up some bacon and render the fat, add a diced onion and garlic and saute until translucent then brown your meat (1/2 hamburger, 1/2 sausage) then dump in your chili powder, a couple of jalepenos and seasonings, like cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and pepper, and a couple of chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, and a good dose of tobasco hot sauce, stir to coat the meat then cover with beer (whatever your favorite is) and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened.

 

[Limestone_Cowboy]

I'm kinda new here, but I'm not new to chili and have a number of mantras that have been passed down to me, and an equal number of my own rules, which based in taste are purely subjective.

First, beans are ok, so long as it doesn't contribute toward a large portion. A single small can of red kidneys will typically suffice. The family roots didn't have beans.. any. But I enjoy 'just a few' here and there. My grandmother was a no-electricty Czech Ohio farm girl; her's was usually brown and with cinnamon. Go figure.

Second, tomatoes are a no-go. I'm not sure where this ever came into being from a region/style standpoint, but it's a stone duck at my house.

Third.. powder? what is powder? I feel like Dave Chappelle asking "what is juice?... I want drink, its greeeeen". Any chili I make starts with dried chilis. This is a moving target depending on mood. I always have some ancho in there, but will combine with guajillos or pasillas, and dried chipotle or moritas.

Forth, the more things it has the better and when random becomes truly organic. A chili is an experiment and an excellent opportunity to clean out the veggie drawer, tapping into some bases usually found in other peoples' sofritos. Carrot.. celery, etc. egad.. rutabaga. Sure, why not.

The last part is left to technique, timing and spice. Chili is like a mole in some ways.. it needs a savory component, a little bit of sweet, and pinch of bitter, etc. It needs an umami, a unique subtle tang. My personal secrets at times dip into the Italian and Far East kitchens... with minute additions of things like anchovy paste, crushed dried shrimp, fermented black bean paste, bittersweet chocolate, minced salt-cured black olive, fish sauce or tomato paste (ok, I admit this tomato influence in small quantity) Any of which are dependent on mood or what protein is in the pot. Above all, I always add more cumin to taste after a good simmer. There's no point trying to nail this one early on in a single shot..

 

[podz]

I've been waiting and waiting to make some chili but the warm weather just keeps hanging on.

My basic chili recipe has evolved over the years since things like chipotles became generally available outside of Mexico and I stopped buying other than red onions.


1 kg of ground beef, less than 10% fat
1 large red onion, diced
2 packs of dried chili spice mix (Old El Paso, Santa Maria, who cares - just pick your favorite brand)
2 cans / boxes of crushed tomatoes
2 cans of kidney beans, drained
1/2 bottle of chipotle sauce
1 can of La Costena chipotles in sauce, or similar
6 dried red peppers (rawit or apache)
200 grams of grated cheddar cheese


Pull out the big cast-iron pot and put it on the burner, maximum heat. Toss in the ground beef and chop-fry with a wooden spoon. Toss in the onion and fry until no more pink beef. Add both packs of dry chili spice mix and stir well. Add both boxes of crushed tomatoes. Reduce the heat to very low. Drain the beans and then add those, too. Stir well. Next, add 1/2 a bottle of chipotle sauce and stir. Dump the can of chipotles on top of the chili (don't stir it in) and cut them one by one into smaller pieces with kitchen scissors. Again, use the scissors to cut the dried chilis into pieces and let them drop straight into the pot. Stir well, remove from heat and put on the lid.

Take the grated cheddar to the table and use it as a topping, if you want. My wife even puts a little bit of creme fraiche on top of hers. I like fresh sliced jalapenos on top of mine.

If you follow this recipe and it takes you more than 15 minutes to prepare it from start to finish then you need more practice!

I like a hoppy lager with my chili.

 

[Dominic1920]

I'm kinda new here, but I'm not new to chili and have a number of mantras that have been passed down to me, and an equal number of my own rules, which based in taste are purely subjective.

First, beans are ok, so long as it doesn't contribute toward a large portion. A single small can of red kidneys will typically suffice. The family roots didn't have beans.. any. But I enjoy 'just a few' here and there. My grandmother was a no-electricty Czech Ohio farm girl; her's was usually brown and with cinnamon. Go figure.

Second, tomatoes are a no-go. I'm not sure where this ever came into being from a region/style standpoint, but it's a stone duck at my house.

Third.. powder? what is powder? I feel like Dave Chappelle asking "what is juice?... I want drink, its greeeeen." Any chili I make starts with dried chilis. This is a moving target depending on mood. I always have some ancho in there, but will combine with guajillos or pasillas, and dried chipotle or moritas.

Forth, the more things it has the better and when random becomes truly organic. A chili is an experiment and an excellent opportunity to clean out the veggie drawer, tapping into some bases usually found in other peoples' sofritos. Carrot.. celery, etc. egad.. rutabaga. Sure, why not.

The last part is left to technique, timing and spice. Chili is like a mole in some ways.. it needs a savory component, a little bit of sweet, and pinch of bitter, etc. It needs an umami, a unique subtle tang. My personal secrets at times dip into the Italian and Far East kitchens... with minute additions of things like anchovy paste, crushed dried shrimp, fermented black bean paste, bittersweet chocolate, minced salt-cured black olive, fish sauce or tomato paste (ok, I admit this tomato influence in small quantity) Any of which are dependent on mood or what protein is in the pot. Above all, I always add more cumin to taste after a good simmer. There's no point trying to nail this one early on in a single shot..

I don't know what you're making with shrimp, fish sauce, rutabagas, carrots, bean paste, olives, but I don't think its chili.... Now chocolate, thats different, mole's been around since the Aztecs started drinking chocolate, mixing chili peppers and chocolate was one of the first things they did. I like a little bitter coco powder in my chili on occasion, theres nothing wrong with that at all, but don't go mixing shrimp or fish sauce in there. Nah, you do what you want, more power to you cowboy. I actually might try the anchovy paste, I do love a salty fishy anchovy on my pizza one in a while. Now I'm just going to have to try it in my next pot of chili.

 

[Orthobrewsky]

Mmmm...chili...

I make mine with V8 juice.

 

[Limestone_Cowboy]

I don't know what you're making with shrimp, fish sauce, rutabagas, carrots, bean paste, olives, but I don't think its chili.... Now chocolate, thats different, mole's been around since the Aztecs started drinking chocolate, mixing chili peppers and chocolate was one of the first things they did. I like a little bitter coco powder in my chili on occasion, theres nothing wrong with that at all, but don't go mixing shrimp or fish sauce in there. Nah, you do what you want, more power to you cowboy. I actually might try the anchovy paste, I do love a salty fishy anchovy on my pizza one in a while. Now I'm just going to have to try it in my next pot of chili.

be very careful with these little 'secrets'. If anybody said, dude, you got fish sauce in this thing?! You put too much..

In all seriousness, I would not put fish sauce in a beefy chili. I would probably lean on the anchovy, tomato paste, black bean, etc. Pork, chicken or seafood? I might reach for the fish sauce (viet style, like a 3 crabs brand). These things are basically MSG substitutes.

Chili is a beautiful thing, and for the most part I tend toward a conventional presentation, but by no means should a person handcuff themselves to pure tradition. Whole carrot is something I would associate with a stew, and taking a page from some other sofrito-borne cultures, some of this stuff 'disappears' or cooks down by the time it's all done. That's getting into the technique realm. Like, the chili started waaay before onions and peppers hit the pot, with shredded other 'things'. It's about building up a flavor base, and adding to it at the right time, so everything else finishes evenly. Like I said, when it's pulled off just right, you'd have no idea some of this stuff was even in there.

 

[passedpawn]

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.

First cold day in FL and I'm making this. Might not be until December, but it's a gauranteeee.

 

[Setesh]

First cold day in FL and I'm making this. Might not be until December, but it's a gauranteeee.

Let me know how it turns out, you won't be disappointed!

 

[passedpawn]

Let me know how it turns out, you won't be disappointed!

I'm holding you responsible for whatever happens

 

[Setesh]

I'm holding you responsible for whatever happens

Fine by me, I'm always happy to take responsibility for delicious food!

 

[podz]

Now chocolate, thats different, mole's been around since the Aztecs started drinking chocolate, mixing chili peppers and chocolate was one of the first things they did.

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.

 

[passedpawn]

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.

Mmmm, k. podz, you are one of my favorite posters, and this one didn't let me down! Now, where'd I put that book on historical Canary Island cuisine...

 

[bob1852]

Got a deer hunt and an elk hunt coming up; and a half a freezer full of elk from last year. Must. Make. Chili.

 

[podz]

Mmmm, k. podz, you are one of my favorite posters, and this one didn't let me down! Now, where'd I put that book on historical Canary Island cuisine...

Hehe, to make it even more interesting, chili pepper plant belongs to nightshade family which has it's origins in the amazon jungle. The European empires were responsible for spreading them around the world and what would Korean cuisine be today without heat? ;-)

 

[W0GWT]

what would Korean cuisine be today without heat? ;-)

Russian food?

 

[RachmaelBenApplebaum]

Russian food?

Possibly traditional German food

 

[W0GWT]

Possibly traditional German food

Geographically not analogous; plus let's not drag my people into this.

I grew up in Germany and believe me, the Turks add enough spice on Döner Kebap. Not satisfied? Grab some China Pfanne with Sriracha.. No Koreans needed. However, bolgogi is one of the best floccing foods there is...

 

[RachmaelBenApplebaum]

Geographically not analogous; plus let's not drag my people into this.

I grew up in Germany and believe me, the Turks add enough spice on Döner Kebap. Not satisfied? Grab some China Pfanne with Sriracha.. No Koreans needed. However, bolgogi is one of the best floccing foods there is...

"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?