Chili Cook Off at Work... who has the winning recipe (and will share)?
 

Work is having a Chili cook off in September... I want to win.

I'm not much of a chili maker but I know we have some amazing cooks on this board and this is why I now have a Kamado grill...

What recipes will the brain trust recommend for this?

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Glenn posted about one in the kidney bean thread, but it turned out that the recipe was lost.

A buddy of mine won a cookoff. I got the recipe from him. I have not made this, but it sounds good.

4 whole pasilla chili pepper, dried

4 whole guajillo chili pepper, dried

4 whole arbol chili pepper, dried

1-2 lb 85/15 ground beef or similar. I prefer using brisket, chopped into large chunks manually then processed in a food processor until slightly larger than normal ground beef. Superior texture.

1 whole white onion (or 2 shallots)

5 cloves garlic

1 can rotel green chilis and tomatoes

1 can rotel tomatoes w/cilantro & lime juice

1 beer shiner bock

1 cup beef stock (Could substitute stock of some kind)

1 tblsp fish sauce

0.5 tsp chocolate powder

0.5 tblsp smoked paprika

1" stick cinnamon (This may be strong, can reduce or omit.)

1 Whole Lime (Use if couldn't find Rotel w/lime)

1 tblsp Chipotles in Adobo

1 tblsp Apple cider vinegar (Add at end after above)

1 tblsp Brown sugar (Add at end after above)

PROCEDURES (in order)

Seed and devein pasilla chili peppers, toast on hot pan until fragrant and rehydrate with a few cups of boiling water for 20 min (leave covered, off of heat). Blend chilis with some remaining strained water (1 cup, approx) until smooth

guajillo chili pepper - per above, do in 1 batch

arbol chili pepper - per above, do in 1 batch

Meat of choice - Spice with rub (Chupacabra from HEB, currently, 2 tblsp/lb) and brown on med/high skillet. I prefer using a dutch oven on induction, as I will use this vessel for vegetables/liquid later. Also can use grill or smoker, using sheet pan and just transfer to dutch oven for more smoke taste. Ensure you do not crowd the meat, as you are looking for maillard reaction, not steaming. The fond created on the skillet/pan/etc is useful for flavor in final product. Transfer browned beef to bowl and use dutch oven to cook later vegetables. may take 10-45 min depending on method/quantity.

Onion - Cook in remaining beef fat until translucent. If you used lean beef that did not have enough fat rendered during previous step, add just enough fat to cook (1 tsp). I prefer ghee so i don't have to mess with potentially burning milk solids while getting a buttery flavor. 3-5 min, then add garlic as they do not cook at the same rate.

Garlic - Combine with onion, cook in beef fat until translucent

Add rest of ingredients in this phase, bring to boil and simmer (slow bubbles) for 3 hours or to desired consistency. Alternatively, use pressure cooker and cook on high pressure 10 min, then simmer to desired consistency. If too loose at end, increase heat and reduce chili. If too tight, add more stock.

Also, there was a thread here a long time ago where someone made a chili that sounded amazing. I think they may have won something too. I'll see if I can find it.

I couldn't find the post that I was looking for. Someone here, I'm pretty sure, posted about grilling several different kinds of peppers. I don't think there was any tomato sauce in it either, but I don't remember the details because it was years ago.

Chocolate.

A lot of Cincinnati based chili has several spices in it that would surprise you. I suspect you'd never notice or taste the chocolate or cinnamon in the recipe above, but they probably add to the flavor profile.

Like I said, I've never made it, so I don't know what it tastes like. I'd like to make it.

The guy that I got the recipe from won a cookoff in Texas, so it can't be too crazy.

That recipe above sounds delishishish.

chocolate...yup.

Best Chili I had was a marriage of some kind of mole with a traditional chili. It just works

Extra spicy please...

The best....unless you like fire-hot chile

https://www.mccormick.com/recipes/main-dishes/slow-cooker-chili-with-kidney-beans

Last time I entered a Chilli cook off, I took 2nd. I used Carroll Shelby's recipe as the base and modified as I went and used the kids to test.

https://carrollshelbyschili.com/recipes?id=214

Do you have a pellet grill?

Smoke. Tritip or two for 3-4 hours at 220/225

Trim the fat off. And dice down to a one cm cube

I use 2 cans of Trader joes fire roasted crushed tomatoes and one caan of tomato sauce per 3# TriTip

I grind down my own spices and let it all sit overnight in a crockpot at low

Add your kidney beans in the last hour

Right now it's Hatch green chili time so this weekends batch had 3 Hatch peppers in and a Seranno out of the garden

For Garlic, look for roots on the bottom. American Grown Garlic has a bit of the root ball left on it. If there's zero rootball it's imported and tends to be Chinese which has been treated with a ton of chemicals

For Cornbread. I'm experimenting with Trader Joes cornbread and adding in their Corn salsa. I delete the 3/4 cup of water due to the salsa. But it's falling apart.. I think I will add another egg orr twro on the next batch.

Other option on cornbread is to add a sprig or two of rosemary into the cornbread mix. Or same plus a can of diced Chiles


If the picture uploaded. The small cast iron pan was heated in the oven to 350° and the batter poured in after the pan was coated with olive oil

The larger pan is 4#s of dog food

what is that plumbing fixture RIGHT above the stove?

It's a pot filler.

I use the Carrol Shelby kit that comes in the little box myself.

I use ground turkey instead of beef.

Canned tomatoes - both diced and crushed, tomato paste, Rotel with green chilies.

Spice packet from kit.....plus whatever else I decide to add...

Throw in a little brown sugar as needed to take the tomato acid down a notch.

And a dash of mesa flour (comes in the kit) to thicken a tad.

NO BEANS! :cool:

Lot of different ways to make chili. No such thing as bad chili - some's just better than others! ;)

No. I have had bad chili. My First Generation American of Itailian decent Mother in law makes bad chili. She was born in Chicago and adds Pasta in hers

Chili without beans.... Is just Meat sauce! I kid. Yes it's the Texas way.

I made two pots. One was with the smoked TriTip. Joanna doesn't eat much red meat so I made it with ground turkey and less peppers

Baz, that's what I do as well. Cheap, good.

I do add red beans though, sorry

Baz:

Try "Six Guns Chili Mix". It's my fav. And for a twist, try it in a slow cooker with chuck roast instead of hamburger.

Office chili cook off always starts with venison. The winner of the contest is always that guy.