Do you use ancho chilies in chili?

[flars]

I'm making a pot of chili today. Five quarts of chili usually has five large cloves of garlic. I bought some ancho chilies. Never cooked with them before. Do you think replacing the garlic cloves with the ancho chilies would produce a chili with good flavor? Replace two garlic cloves with two ancho chilies to avoid a ancho dominant chili?

 

[botigol]

Never replace garlic!!! Besides they are completely different ingredients. Why not just add some of the anchos?

 

[flars]

Good point. Would you use the same amount of garlic and add another layer of flavor with a couple of the anchos?

 

[botigol]

Exactly, although I would probably start with one ancho and then after it simmers a while check the flavor before adding another. They're not spicy, so you don't have to worry about that, but the flavor is quite earthy, so while it is a great addition, you don't want to go too far with it either.

 

[WSB-MBC]

I use Ancho, New Mexico, California and Cayenne. - all powders.

I tend to avoid Chipotle because it can easily overpower the profile but keep Jalapeno power on hand as well as smoked-paprika for the smokiness

If using dried, I'll take Guajillo chilies (1lb), reconstitute in 2 qts of beef stock along with 2 cloves of garlic, a tiny bit of cinnamon, some red-hot finger peppers (Thai) and cook for 10 minutes.
I'll then blend the **** out of it (in batches) and strain through a find sieve strainer. This takes awhile but you're left with a fantastic, deep red chili base

 

[slym2none]

Anchos are not that hot. Don't replace any garlic, just add the chiles.

 

[flars]

It'a in the pot. I went with two rehydrated and minced anchos. Lightly sauteed with the onions. This pot will be different. Had no red beans or whole tomatoes left in the pantry. Substituted light red kidney beans and diced tomatoes with added tomato paste to boost the flavor. As long as it is has a pepper kick my wife will be satisfied.

 

[iijakii]

It'a in the pot. I went with two rehydrated and minced anchos. Lightly sauteed with the onions. This pot will be different. Had no red beans or whole tomatoes left in the pantry. Substituted light red kidney beans and diced tomatoes with added tomato paste to boost the flavor. As long as it is has a pepper kick my wife will be satisfied.

Sounds good to me. As far as I'm concerned anyone that follows a chili recipe is doing it wrong. I wing a mix of peppers and then adjust with smoked paprika and cayenne as necessary.

 

[slym2none]

As far as I'm concerned anyone that follows a chili recipe is doing it wrong.

I follow a recipe - my own. I have made many, found the one I like, reproduced it & wrote down the ingredients so I can make it the same way every time. I used to work in a restaurant, and consistency is a key in bringing people back, so that carried over to my home-cooking. I find something that works, and works better than anything else, & I write it down so I can make the same greatness again.

 

[iijakii]

I follow a recipe - my own. I have made many, found the one I like, reproduced it & wrote down the ingredients so I can make it the same way every time. I used to work in a restaurant, and consistency is a key in bringing people back, so that carried over to my home-cooking. I find something that works, and works better than anything else, & I write it down so I can make the same greatness again.

Chili is to be made mad-witch style over a large kettle adding "a dash of this! and a dash of that!" while half drunk.

It's in the by-laws.

 

[slym2none]

I scoff at laws, much less bylaws.

 

[Yooper]

Normally, I rehydrate the dried anchos, then scrape the pulp into the pot. An old Texan taught me that. It gives a real depth of flavor that you can't get anywhere else.

I use a mix of peppers, hot mostly, since we're mad spice lovers, and always garlic and onion.

 

[hunter_le five]

My senile grandmother once made a cake for a potluck. She didn't have any eggs, so she substituted with a few scoops of mayonaise. Later she realized she didn't have any sprinkles, so she crushed up some stale Fruit Loops and dumped them on top of the cake. She was honestly perplexed why nobody wanted to try a slice of her cake.

Still made more sense than subbing anchos for garlic.

 

[gspot]

Sorry to revive an aging thread, but I wanted to add that the best chili I ever made was when I subbed rehydrated chilis for dried chili powder. I learned this technique one day while making homemade enchilada sauce: rehydrate a few ounces of whole dried chilis in a couple cups boiling water until soft (remove the stem and seeds first by cutting them open with scissors and scraping them out). Puree the softened chilis along with a couple cloves of garlic, salt, and a little cumin, adding some of the steeping water to thin it out. If you make it thinner you can use it as enchilada sauce. I think this came from Rick Bayless' Mexico One Plate At A Time, but I can't remember. At any rate, used in place of chili powder made the best chili I've ever eaten. I was shocked at the depth of flavor compared to powdered spices.

 

[beergolf]

Yes, Re- hydrated dried chilis run through the blender add a nice depth to any chili. Last night I used guajillo and anchos. Soak in hot water for a while. pull them out, add to the blender with some garlic and some liquid so it blends up. Add to the chilli and you will make a great chili.

 

[kaffeenjunkie]

Now that you have discovered how amazing dried chilies are, next up is pollo rojo and posole rojo.

 

[gspot]

Whoa! Baby steps, man, baby steps!

 

[slym2none]

I make my own chili powder, made from either store-bought or home-dried chiles.

It's awesome. I like to sprinkle it on popcorn, even.

 

[gspot]

Sounds great! Might have to give that a try. Do you have a recipe or just wing it?

 

[slym2none]

I just wing it until it smells & tastes right. Onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried cumin, S&P, and of course, lots of dried chiles. I use mostly pasilla peppers as the "base" dried chile, but add lots of others. Cascabels, chipotles, even habaneros if I want a hot chili powder.