The Great Chili Thread

[Nix]

We need a chili thread. A few of us started talkin’ chili in another thread, but I think the subject deserves it’s own conversation.

Chili is the multitool of great dishes. It can be eaten alone or used with crackers, tortillas, tortilla chips, or a roll or bun. It can be ladled over hot dogs, or hamburgers, or spaghetti, or rice, or enchiladas, or…..more chili. How many dishes are so versatile?

Chili has no one perfect recipe; it can be modded to suit the user's needs. It’s more of a concept. John Thorne described it as an argument:

Chili, chili con carne, Texas red—whatever you call that savory concoction of meat, grease, and fire—is the natural child of the arguing state of mind. There’s no recipe for it, only disputation, and almost anyone’s first thought after a taste of somebody else’s version, no matter how easily it slides down the throat, is that they themselves could make it better.

So, let’s talk chili. Post up shots of your own chili. Post up reviews of the various permutations of chili that you encounter. Post up your recipes and questions. Post up advice. Red, green, beef, or vegetarian…weigh in on this weighty matter!

Let’s talk chili…..

[Nix]

I'll start with this shot of my most recent batch of Red:




I didn't use a recipe, per se. I started with a couple slices of chopped bacon. It was made with equal parts ground beef and pork, browned in the pork fat. Then I added chopped onions, garlic, and chile powder. I made my own chile powder from New Mexico and Ancho chiles. Then added cumin and Mexican oregano (not the same as Italian Oregano). When all that smelled good, I added in some crushed tomatoes and small red beans.

The beans had been soaked, but not cooked.

Right before it was ready to serve, I added a bit of paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder to pump up the spice flavors. And salt. got get the seasonoing right.

Was this my best chili? Probably not, but it was darned good. Because chili always is, even if it could be better. 

[Ron Who]

The last time I had chili was two weeks ago. I did make a pic though.

[Ron Who]

Nobody demonstrating how to eat your chili.

[Nix]

Looks good, Ron! 

 

[Nix]

Here is an old Army recipe for chili:

U.S. Army Chili Con Carne (c.1896)

Per soldier:

1 Beefsteak
1 tablespoon hot drippings
2 tablespoons rice
1 cup boiling water

2 large dried chili pods, seeds and veins removed
1 cup boiling water
Flour
Salt
Onion (optional)

Cut steak into small pieces and put into pan with hot drippings, hot water, and rice. Cover and cook slowly until tender.

Soak the chile pods in the second cup of hot water until cool. Mash chili pods and water by hand until thickened. Add flour as needed to form a thick mixture. Season chili sauce with salt and onion as desired. Pour chili sauce over meat and rice. Serve hot.

I got that from a John Thorne essay on chili. While historically interesting, I have to say it doesn't look very tasty. Maybe I need to try it before judging..... Perhaps it's all in the method? 

[Ron Who]

Looks good, Ron! 

 

Thanks. I cheated a little on this one  The beans come with bell peppers, onions, carrots and peas, all I had to do was add some meat.

[Nix]

 

Still, sounds better than old Army chili........

[ThePeacent]

Looks good, Ron! 

 

Thanks. I cheated a little on this one  The beans come with bell peppers, onions, carrots and peas, all I had to do was add some meat.

well as it's written in that label that mix it's "Voor [For] Chili con carne" which literally means "for Chili with meat" in Spanish.
They're incredibly common and used here, but mostly as a homemade mix or "vegetable soup" with spices

Popular in Mexico as it is here, we have dozens of recipes with chili, chili powder, chili peppers, and other ways of added chili in our meals. I in fact (as many people here) have a string with hanging chili peppers, habaneros and/or guindillas (small, red super spicy peppers) to dehydrate and dry on plain air and heat in our kitchens      to add to our meals



I am not that much of a meat eater, but most of my legume based meals include chili of some sort, and bell peppers, onion, potatoes and other greens.

My mother prefers to use chorizo, botifarra, salchichón, llonganissa and other typical Catalan/Spanish cold meats in those type of dishes 

[Nix]

Nice!

 

[Kev D]

My go to chili recipe is....

1. Onion and garlic in a pan and soften it for 2 mins.
2. Add the minced (ground) beef and cook until browned.
3. Add the dry spices - cumin, coriander, chili flakes, chili powder, mixed herb flakes and cook through for a few mins.
4. Add beef stock, red wine, tomato puree, fresh chili, and kidney beans.
5. Let it cook out for 10 mins then add a pinch of salt and loads of fresh ground black pepper (to taste).
6. Let it cook out for about 30 mins till its as thick as you want it.
7. Stuff your face with it

It's basically the hairy bikers chili recipe with a few extras added

[styx]

ok, I like this thread

[Aloha]

I make a quick and easy camp chili.  I used canned beans and fresh veggies.  Its a nice one pot meal for fall winter camping.  I like to make chili at home as well.  Mine typically uses ground beef along with 2-3 types of beans.  I eat my chili with corn bread, tortillas, on top noodles, or by itself. 

[Nix]

Kevin, I enjoy the Hairy Bikers. They seem like my kinda guys! And that chili recipe looks pretty good. 

[Mechanickal]

You talked about Chili somewhere?

Where?

[Nix]

I talk about chili everywhere! 

[Nix]

The following recipe is from Rob Walsh’s The Chili Cookbook. Great book with some interesting chili-type recipes from around the world.

This recipe is pretty close to my standard improvised chili ‘recipe’. It has a bit more bacon than I normally use, and twice as much cumin as I typically dare, but otherwise this is how I like to go about making chili, the modern 'Texas Red' style.

Like Kevin, I usually add a good splash of red wine, vodka, or tequila into the pot, after I add the tomatoes. A bit of alcohol seems to do wonders for extracting tomato flavor from tomatoes, so I always try to use a bit when cooking with tomatoes.  Take his salt recommendation…with a pinch of salt. I usually start slow and then add salt—‘season’—to taste as I go.

Like most chili, this is better the next day, so let it rest for a few hours or a day…..if you can…

  El Real's Chili con Carne

This is the way we make chili at El Real Tex-Mex Cafe in Houston. Be sure and use the Homemade Chili Powder for a full-flavored chili. Don't skip the step of dry toasting the cumin seeds; it really improves the flavor.

    Serves 6

    2 tablespoons cumin seeds
    8 ounces bacon, chopped
    3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1⁄4-inch cubes
    2 onions, chopped
    1⁄4 cup Homemade Chili Powder (see separate recipe)
    2 teaspoons sweet paprika
    1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
    1⁄2 teaspoon salt
    4 large cloves garlic, minced
    1 3⁄4 cups beef broth
    1 (28-ounce) can pureed tomatoes
    2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded

    Toast the cumin seeds in a large skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Using a smaller frying pan or a metal or wooden tool with a flat surface, crush the seeds coarsely. Set aside.

    Cook the bacon in the skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove the bacon and reserve. Over high heat, brown the beef in the bacon drippings left in the skillet and set the meat aside. Over medium heat, sauté the onions in the remaining drippings until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

    Add the toasted cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, black pepper, thyme, salt, and garlic to the cooked onions and sauté for 1 minute. Crumble in the bacon, add the beef broth, 1 cup of water, the tomatoes, ancho chiles, and the beef.

    Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover partially, and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours, adding water as needed to maintain the desired consistency.

    Alternatively, transfer to a slow-cooker set on low and cook for at least 6 hours and up to 8 hours, until the meat is very tender.

    Remove the anchos, puree in a blender, and return to the pot. Serve in a bowl with chopped onions and shredded cheese, with saltines, over tamales, rice or potatoes, in a Frito Pie or combined with beans.

Rob includes a nice, basic Chili powder recipe in his book. I think this is a bit 'one-note' but is a great place to start. I usually make my chili powder with Ancho, Pasilla, New Mexico Red, and Arbol chiles. But there is no arguing with Rob's recipe here:

Homemade Chili Powder

Toasting chiles and cumin seeds in your own kitchen and grinding them in a spice grinder makes the best chili powder of all. This recipe calls for Anchos, but you can use any combination of dried chiles.

    Makes 1 ⁄4 Cup

    5 whole dried ancho chiles (about 2 ounces)
    1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, or to taste
    1 ⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder

    Remove the stems and seeds from the anchos and spread the peppers out flat. Reserve the seeds. Place the chiles flat on a comal or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Being careful not to burn them, lightly toast until they are brittle, then remove and cool. Toast the cumin in the hot comal, stirring and shaking until fragrant. Toast some of the chile seeds, if desired. (The seeds will make the chili powder hotter.)

    Cut the chiles into small strips with scissors. In a clean coffee grinder, grind the strips in several batches until powdered. Grind the cumin and chile seeds in the coffee grinder. Combine the powdered chile, ground seeds, Mexican oregano, and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Grind the coarse powder in batches in the coffee grinder until fine, about 2 minutes. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Note there are no beans here--that is pretty traditional. However, I like beans with my chili. This evening I served this chili on a plate of "Frijoles Refritos". Fantastic!

[Nix]

Last night's chili was turned into this evening's taco dinner.






Gotta love chili! 

[styx]

damn it i'm hungry now

[ThundahBeagle]

Ah, Nix. A man after my own heart...

I use two kinds of beef. Three kinds of beans. Ancho and pasilla chilis crushed and ground by hand, for a subdued, flavorful chili,  where you don't have to peel the skin off the top of the inside of your mouth...two kinds of onions, celery, green bell peppers, salt, black pepper, tumeric...etc

So that THIS...

[ThundahBeagle]

Becomes THIS...

[ThundahBeagle]

Adding the cilantro really clears your sinuses!

I may go home from work and make some more tonight...

[Nix]

    

Now that's what I call Chili!   

[Nix]

I'm just glad that I still have leftovers for tonight..... 

[styx]

why isn't there a chili merit badge?

[Nix]

ooooohhh....like the way you think!

(Of course, Chili is it's own reward.  )

[Lynn LeFey]

Because my husband has a medical condition called Phenylketonuria (he has issues breaking down the amino acid phenylalanine), he is essentially a vegetarian. The truth is he can only have a restricted amount of protein. So... sorry to say my chili is vegetarian. Oh, and because he's crazy, he doesn't like onions. So, feel free to add onion to this recipe.

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can medium chili beans
1 can (or one cup of fresh) mushrooms
1/2 cup of sliced or diced black olives
1/4 cup sweet corn kernals

1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder (or about 2 cloves fresh crushed garlic)
2 tsp cocoa mix (yes, like 'hot chocolate' cocoa mix)
2 tsp of a good chipotle hot sauce
a few twists of black pepper

Throw it all in a small pot and bring to slow simmer.
Once the chili has simmered to desired thickness, add fresh cilantro to taste.
Add sour cream, grated cheese and additional cilantro to garnish, then add additional hot sauce as desired.

Serves 2

It sounds weird but the really awesome secret ingredient is the cocoa mix. It cuts some of the acid of the tomatoes without completely killing it, and adds a great earthy tone that mixes fabulously with the smoky flavor of the chipotle.

[Nix]

 

I've used cocoa in Chili before, too. It's a great addition! 

[ThePeacent]

Because my husband has a medical condition called Phenylketonuria (he has issues breaking down the amino acid phenylalanine),

Lynn, I have a vegan cousin who also has that condition, I'm sure you already know but beware because three of the ingredients that you use in that recipe (depending on the brand) are some times sweetened with Aspartame, that, as you sure have heard, can cause a deadly allergic reaction on people who have this particular issues. 

Just a heads up in case you didn't think these could come with E951   

[Blackbeard]