Who has a good chili recipe?

[TerryBPP]

Its cool weather here now and I was thinking about making a huge pot of chili. Dug through some old recipes and didn't really see anything to appetizing.

Lets see whatcha got!

[Jim Richards]

I'm jonesing for some green chili stew. Mmmmmm.

[legion]

My wife makes an excellent black bean vegetarian chili. I'll have to see if she has the recipe at home...

[emcon5]

I cheat:



Make it with steak.

Tom

[RallyJon]

Hmm. Not really a recipe, but some basics. All my opinions, yours may differ:

Cubed meat is better than ground. For pork, start with a shoulder. For beef, start with a chuck roast. As you're trimming, remove any large chunks of fat and gross connective tissue, but leave streaks of fat that go through the cubes. I cut the meat into approx 3/4" cubes.

The basic chili spices are garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt. The only herb used in chili is oregano. How you proportion them is up to you. IMO, the spice mixture should be heated in fat before it gets simmered with the chili.

Lately, I've been using canned chipotles (smoked jalapenos) for heat, along with ground ancho chilis (which are mild) and a semi-hot paprika. I find this combo gives a wonderful full chili flavor without being overwhelmingly hot.

[RallyJon]

More...

Cast iron is best for browning. I use an old iron Dutch oven. Get it very hot with 1/8" of oil or lard. Lightly flour the meat (putting it in a big ziploc with flour works well) and shake off all excess. Brown the meat in small batches until there's a crust on all sides.

Then turn down the heat and soften some chopped onions (optional). Then add your spices and garlic and saute for a few more minutes.

Then add back in the meat and the liquid: stock, beer, wine, water or some combination. Add tomato paste or a can of diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil uncovered for long enough to let any alcohol evaporate, cut the heat, put the lid on and put in a 200° oven for 5 or 6 hours. Let it cool, then put the whole pot in the fridge. When it's cold, you can remove the congealed fat which has "frozen" on top.

It's much better the second day.

[vash]

i have yet to try my chili plan. i am gonna cube the meat, and use the basic spices + BEER!. but the secret is going to put a beef shank into the pot. sear it first, pull it out, sear the cubes, put it all back together and cook is slow and long. i hope the shank will add enough gelatin to give the chili a better "mouth feel".

oh, real chili has no beans.

[Moses]

Start with sirloin. If you haven't tried making chili with COARSE GROUND beef, you should give it a shot. It's nothing like ground beef, just big tender chunks.

The secret to great chili is the chili powder. Two rules; use LOTS and use fresh chili powder if you can. In New Mexico and Texas, purists wouldn't think of using chili powder from a jar. They make their own, or buy specialty chili powder that is made fresh in small batches. Makes a world of difference.

I won't get in to the "Real chili has no beans" argument, but if you like beans in your chili (I do) consider using refried beans in your chili. It doesn't overpower the texture of the beef. I also like to add tomatillos. Nice flavor even in a "red" chili.

[RallyJon]

When you say chili powder, do you mean ground chilis, or a blend of ground chilis, garlic, cumin, etc? I hate buying a jar labeled "chili powder" since you never know exactly what's in it and what the proportions are.

FYI, a good on-line spice store is www.penzeys.com

[Moses]

Originally posted by RallyJon
When you say chili powder, do you mean ground chilis, or a blend of ground chilis, garlic, cumin, etc? I hate buying a jar labeled "chili powder" since you never know exactly what's in it and what the proportions are.

FYI, a good on-line spice store is www.penzeys.com

I mean the combination. Everyone makes it different.

[red-beard]

I need to re-vamp my recipe. I now have access to 'Salsa roja' which is what my wife makes every couple of months. You start with garlic cloves and dried red chili's. You boil these and then pulverize them with a blender. You then strain the mixture to get out the hard chunks and are left with a red liquid.

She uses this to make enchiladas. It can also be the basis for chili, with no need to use chili powder.

[Moses]

Originally posted by red-beard
I need to re-vamp my recipe. I now have access to 'Salsa roja' which is what my wife makes every couple of months. You start with garlic cloves and dried red chili's. You boil these and then pulverize them with a blender. You then strain the mixture to get out the hard chunks and are left with a red liquid.

She uses this to make enchiladas. It can also be the basis for chili, with no need to use chili powder.

That sounds great. I'd add a little cumin, thyme and garlic. Yum!

[dtw]

Oh wow...I'm glad you asked...ok...

Start by making the chili base. Sorta depends how much you want, but the following is good for 1.5-2.0 lbs of beef:
1/2 White onion, chopped up (you're going to puree it, don't be too precise)
2-4 Chipotle chilis depending on preference, seeds in or out depending on testicular fortitude
1-2 Whole jalepenos. I prefer mid-size to smaller ones for more concentrated flavor and powerful kick - seeds in or out per the above
3-5 middle to large size dried pasilla and ancho chilis. I prefer the more complex flavor of the pasilla
3-5 cloves garlic
~1/2 cup red wine, I usually use a good fruity zin
1 generous teaspoon of cumin seeds
Adobo seasoning to taste (glorified garlic salt)
8 oz. tomato paste

Pour a glass of zin and ensure it is of suitable quality for the chili. Submerge the dried anchos in warm water, give them at least 30 minuts to soak. While those are going, get out an iron skillet and throw it on the heat, let it get really really hot. As hot as possible. Next, run out to the garage, get a 20 on your wife and make sure she's out of sight, and grab your blowtorch. Turn it up and roast your jalapenos. Don't be shy, blacken the piss out of them. When they are completely blackened, quickly wrap them up tightly in plastic wrap and throw them in the fridge. Iron skillet should now be heated up. Get a plate ready, and a good oven mitt. Toss in the cumin seeds, quickly toss the seeds one time, and then dump them out on the plate. Be fast fast fast or you will have burning cumin seeds choking you out of the house. Powder the roasted seeds. They will smell strong but wonderful. Check the wine again. Anchos and pasillas should be ready; core, seed, and slice them. Get the jalapenos out of the fridge and scrub them under cold water, the skin should peel right off and you now have delicious roasted jalapenos. Get out your blender and start tossing ingredients in there. Onion, chipotles, jalapenos, anchos, serranos, garlic (be sure to crush garlic first), tomato paste, cumin, wine, etc. I usually keep the seeds in the jalapenos and chipotles unless I am having uninitiated guests. Puree it all and you have a great aromatic fiery chili base. I usually enjoy a few chip-loads of the base with my leftover zin. I also like to prepare this at least 24 hours in advance, as it tastes sooo much better with some time to blend.

As for the meat, I use cube steak. Whip up a simple and acidic marinade (start with the leftover wine if you don't drink it all, which I usually do) if you have time and marinate to taste. Use the iron skillet you toasted the cumin seeds in to sear the meat with some nice olive oil or whatever you like. Don't overdo it, the meat will have time to cook when you add the chili and simmer it all. Mix it up, simmer, enjoy. I got a great cornbread recipe somewhere to go with it. Have lots of cold beer ready, if you make it the way I make it, you'll be sweating...

Substitution: cubed venison...YUM

And I concur - no beans!

Offbeat, when I was feeling froggy one day: Ground turkey chili, no tomato or red chili base. Instead I used mangos and habanero chilis. It was fanstastic.

[dhoward]

That sounds great. Think I'll give it a try this weekend.
I also admire your technique. (The drinking and sneaking flames past the missus part!)

[dtw]

Thanks! Let me know how it turns out. PS, not sure what kind of options you have in St. Louis but the pasilla and ancho can be found in any Latin grocery.

[dhoward]

We have many more Mexican grocery stores around here than we did 5 years ago.
Midwest storms create a lot of roofing work....

[Joeaksa]

You guys are making me hungry! Am in London and they do not have an idea what ribs or chili is here, not to mention Mex food... Can you guys FedEx me a bowl or three??

Joe A

[Rondinone]

I have a great recipe.

First, get your biggest pot. Then, set it behind the engine on the nearest Continental Airlines 737....

[Moses]

Originally posted by Rondinone
I have a great recipe.

First, get your biggest pot. Then, set it behind the engine on the nearest Continental Airlines 737....

That's not chili. Technically it's a chowder.

[Hugh R]

Originally posted by Moses
That's not chili. Technically it's a chowder.

And my wife wonders why I hang on PPOT, you guys are the best free entertainment in town. Or out of town because I'm in New Orleans this week.