Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Kingcreek on January 09, 2017, 01:49:41 PM
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prologue: I have been making chili for 40 years. Started as a college student on a tight budget, married to the "spice queen" past 25 years. She really is a master of flavors, herbs and spices, orders all kinds of bulk spices from all kinds of exotic places and maintains a complex inventory of blends etc. With her help and my 40 years of experimentation I have almost settled on the following recipe. Amounts are not precise and can be flexed to individual tastes.
I realize chili can be done a lot of different ways and I'm still open to any tips, tricks, etc. if anybody has their own to add.
1.5 to 2 pounds lean meat. I prefer venison, rinsed and allowed to drain thoroughly. Cut into pieces about the size of the end of my little finger. Mix in a bowl with 2tbs flour and a tsp sea salt.
4-6 cloves of garlic finely minced.
1 large onion chopped.
1 quart of tomatoes. We use our home canned.
Peppers chopped. I use 1 green bell pepper and 4 jalapeno. I prefer to toast the jalapenos before removing stem and seeds. (You can use all bell or all jalapeno depending on you or your households heat preference.)
4 cups of beans, pinto or black. If you must use canned beans for deity's sake rinse and drain.
4 strips bacon.
1.5 Ttbs Chili powder in the juice squeezed from 1 whole fresh lime and set aside to soak. (My wife insists that the chili powder should not long simmer and is best added near the end.)
1 tbs cumin
1/2 tsp of chipotle pepper (this and the bacon add a hint of smoke to the finished chili)
optional: the spice queen adds a little marjoram to the simmer and a little coco at the end
Sour cream
Cook bacon in the bottom of a stock pot until crisp and then remove and set aside leaving grease in pot.
Add the garlic and onion. Cook until it starts to go from white to clear and then add and brown the meat. (the flour coating adds body to the chili).
Stir in the tomatoes, peppers, cumin, chipotle.
Stir well and frequently while bringing to a simmer and then turn heat down to low as can go without losing the simmer and cover for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally being sure to get the sticky stuff from the bottom of the pot into the mix..
After 2-3 hours (longer is better) stir in the beans and cover, leaving a small gap at the edge of the lid for venting and simmer another 1 hour.
Add chili powder/lime mix, turn off heat, stir well and then leave covered tightly for 15 minutes.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream and crumbled bacon on top.
Best served with crispy skillet corn bread (which has been covered in another thread here somewhere)
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Tomatoes? Chili Powder? Beans?
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Ask the spice queen what she thinks of adding espresso powder at the end with the cocoa. When I do my rub for brisket I use a little of both, more of the espresso than cocoa though.
bob
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No chili mastermind but try a little cinnamon. Also, I canned some pickled jalapenos with garlic, black pepper, and cumin, very complex spiciness.
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Ask the spice queen what she thinks of adding espresso powder at the end with the cocoa. When I do my rub for brisket I use a little of both, more of the espresso than cocoa though.
bob
She would no doubt try it. Sounds interesting. I have used a dry rub with coffee and ancho.
The chili powder I used was her custom medium hot blend. I have to ask her before entering the spice vault and that was what she recomended and she insisted it be lime soaked.
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Have you tried adding celery?
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I usually don't add tomatoes unless I'm trying to stretch the recipe (the way most folks use beans.)
I use dried red chiles* instead of fresh or chili powder: Break into large pieces, remove the stems and some of the seeds. Simmer in a cup of water for 5 or 10 minutes, then allow to steep for a while. Blenderize to make a thick paste (might have to add more water or broth) Strain thru a sieve into the chili pot, put the skins and seeds back in the blender with a little more water and whiz them again briefly to clean the blender and any goodness left on the chile trash. Strain that with the sieve and discard the solids.
*mixture of ancho peppers + guajillo or red New Mexico.
I use oregano just like she uses marjoram. I'll try marjoram next time.
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Have you tried adding celery?
Have not. Celery, both fresh and dried seed, is under rated as a flavoring.
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What?!?!?!? No spaghetti noodles??
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Chili recipes/styles are definitely regional things. Iowa chili has meat, beans, onions and tomatoes in it, along with the spices and peppers.
I can't digest a lot of domestic red meat or dried beans, so I have started making chili with turkey burger (or wild game) instead of beef burger and hominy instead of beans. I like to add cinnamon, cocoa and sweet paprika to mine.
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What?!?!?!? No spaghetti noodles??
I know and to imagine him calling that chili. =D :P
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In my experience, the difference between chili and good chili is well defined flavors & textures.
Just throwing all the ingredients in a pot and letting it cook for a few hours may be accepted 85%of the time but when you want to get your Julia Child on keep it more like a stew and less like a soup.
For example, cut up some red onions at the start, and by the end of cooking, they're indistinguishable. The flavor is in there mixed with tomato, peppers, and everything else. That's an expected chili flavor, but for some definition, the same taste with a discernible texture, add another handful of chopped red onions more than halfway through the simmer. Or change it up with chopped green onions or shallots.
If you have a variety of chiles, try adding them at different stages of cooking. Say a coarsely chopped 1/4 cup in the initial sautee, and a tablespoon of finely chopped in the last 30 minutes. Better yet, a tablespoon of fine at the onset, and a 1/2 cup of smoked and skinned mixed chiles near the end. And go for the heat/flavor spectrum. All habanero might be good for a laugh, but if there are layers of jalepneo, poblanos, and cayenne under the habenero slap, it will be worth the snot, sweat, and tears.
Another good to great move involves meat preparation. That $9 per pound sirloin is wasted after cooking for 3 hours. Overcooked meat is tough and chewy meat. Smoke a roast over hickory, cut it up and put it in the pot less than an hour before serving. Grill a peppered pork tenderloin over high heat after the pot is simmering, cube it and add it late in the game. Stir fry chicken breast in heavy garlic, etc. Do all three, but don't overcook the meat.
Chili is a very personal thing, and if done well, it's wonderful.
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Beans? You've got some kind of weird stew going on there, definitely not chili [popcorn]
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"Chili is a very personal thing, and if done well, it's wonderful."
That's the truest thing said in this thread so far. :)
Cinnamon and chocolate in chili, or Cincinnati style, apparently originated in the 1920s in Greek diners. The cooks spiced it similarly to how they spiced moussaka.
The whole beans vs no beans or tomatoes vs no tomatoes is kind of ridiculous because there's no one true chili recipe. It developed organically, in many places with many people having a hand in it, using the ingredients that they had at hand. To say one type is "more" authentic than another kind is impossible to prove, really.
That said, I generally prefer my chili with beans, generally pinto or black. Because I like beans. I also generally use ground turkey. Because I prefer ground turkey over ground beef. I also prefer my chili sweeter, but not necessarily Cincinnati style, although that's often how I make it.
In the past I could never make a pot of chili that suited me. I was just never enthused with the flavor until I started using two packets of McCormick's or even Walmart's chili spice. That got me closer to what I wanted.
Then I started chopping up a canned chipotle and adding some of the adobo sauce from the can.
That got me REALLY close to what I like, so I've pretty much stuck with that.
Final topping once it hits the bowl is a little sugar to adjust the sweetness, a bunch of cheese (whatever I have), and a healthy dose of Louisiana-brand (Bruce foods) pepper sauce. It's not as hot as Tabasco sauce, and has TONS more flavor.
This morning for lunch I brought a container of homemade venison chili with white beans. Made it with venison my Mom's caregiver harvested with the rifle I lent him.
Damned good stuff.
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One of the things I like about chili is that it can be done so many different ways. Midwest chili traditionally has tomatoes in it but most of the typical diner/church supper chili you find here is too soupy for me and just uses ground beef. I much prefer the venison meat and we always have plenty here in NW ILL-Anoy. Lightly flouring the meat before browning adds a lot more body to the mix.
Thanks for your tips.
Chili and skillet cornbread even sounds good for leftovers.
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Midwest chili traditionally has tomatoes in it but most of the typical diner/church supper chili you find here is too soupy for me and just uses ground beef.
I really like ground beef chili, as long as it's in big chunks. None of that finely-ground stuff, please.
Without starting World War Cornbread again, I wonder what kind of cornbread some of you are having with your chili. The cornbread I'm used to tends to crumble, especially if you dip it into a bowl of chili. Since I don't want mealy chili, I prefer to have some kind of buttered toast (more like garlic bread) with chili. Or is there a type of cornbread (The One True Cornbread?) that holds up?
[Retreats to observe from a safe distance.]
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cast iron skillet cornbread that starts with bacon grease or lard. It gets crispy on the pan side.
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"I wonder what kind of cornbread some of you are having with your chili."
Lately, Jiffy box mix done in muffin cups.
I don't dip my cornbread.
It goes in the bottom of the bowl with the chili over top.
And, I don't believe I need to say it, but yes, it has sugar in it.
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"I wonder what kind of cornbread some of you are having with your chili."
Lately, Jiffy box mix done in muffin cups.
I don't dip my cornbread.
It goes in the bottom of the bowl with the chili over top.
And, I don't believe I need to say it, but yes, it has sugar in it.
How much extra sugar do you add per box of Jiffy? :lol:
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How much extra sugar do you add per box of Jiffy? :lol:
Usually 6 to 8 ounces.
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I'll crumble up crackers into my chili.
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I'll crumble up crackers into my chili.
What type of crackers?
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What type of crackers?
Depends on what I have.
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I really like ground beef chili, as long as it's in big chunks. None of that finely-ground stuff, please.
Without starting World War Cornbread again, I wonder what kind of cornbread some of you are having with your chili. The cornbread I'm used to tends to crumble, especially if you dip it into a bowl of chili. Since I don't want mealy chili, I prefer to have some kind of buttered toast (more like garlic bread) with chili. Or is there a type of cornbread (The One True Cornbread?) that holds up?
[Retreats to observe from a safe distance.]
No, one has peanut butter sandwiches with chili. Cinnamon Rolls if you live north if Hwy 20 in Iowa.
Cornbread and chili is a very limited combo in Iowa.
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Grilled cheese w/ chili FTW
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A bed of Fritos® in the bowl, chili poured over, then chopped raw onions and grated cheddar sprinkled on top.
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A bed of Fritos® in the bowl, chili poured over, then chopped raw onions and grated cheddar sprinkled on top.
I used to get that for lunch every now and then from a little drive-in back in the late 60's. =)
bob
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Had Fritos in my venison chili at the office for lunch yesterday.
Have corn muffins for today.
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A bed of Fritos® in the bowl, chili poured over, then chopped raw onions and grated cheddar sprinkled on top.
Frito pie?
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Grilled cheese w/ chili FTW
You're being silly, everyone knows that tomato soup goes with grilled cheese sandwiches.
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You're being silly, everyone knows that tomato soup goes with grilled cheese sandwiches.
I see no downside to replacing tomato soup with chili at every opportunity.
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You're being silly, everyone knows that tomato soup goes with grilled cheese sandwiches.
Yes!
And tomato soup is not allowed anywhere near a pot of chili.
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You guys think the chili and cornbread debates were bad?
REAL men start shooting when someone pilfers a bite of their grilled cheese!
https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-opens-fire-wife-because-215800268.html
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It took 40 years too to try this...
After frying bacon, I tossed sliced bread on the very greasy skillet. I don't eat much bread, but it's the heavy stuff. Brownberry in the red wrapper. Slopped extra grease up from the trough on the skillet's edge. Flipped the slices several times to ascertain the cooking speed (I just learned this) and cooked it in the bacon grease until toasted. Exquisite.
I need to do grilled cheese this way.
Soon.
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It took 40 years too to try this...
After frying bacon, I tossed sliced bread on the very greasy skillet. I don't eat much bread, but it's the heavy stuff. Brownberry in the red wrapper. Slopped extra grease up from the trough on the skillet's edge. Flipped the slices several times to ascertain the cooking speed (I just learned this) and cooked it in the bacon grease until toasted. Exquisite.
I need to do grilled cheese this way.
Soon.
You poor, underprivileged soul. Growing up, Mom would make grill cheeses by spreading bacon drippings on the bread like most people use butter. First time I had a grilled cheese made only with butter I thought something was wrong with it.
A good multi-grain bread works wonders for a grilled cheese, by the way. So does real sourdough
Brad
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My wife's taken to using mayo in the construction of grilled cheese. Somehow, it works.
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My wife's taken to using mayo in the construction of grilled cheese. Somehow, it works.
Real mayonnaise has the same fat content as real butter; I think it's 90%. That's why it works. The same with real margarine. Mayonnaise-y salad dressings and buttery "spreads" have less fat (water is a lot cheaper than vegetable oil) and may not work so well.
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You poor, underprivileged soul. Growing up, Mom would make grill cheeses by spreading bacon drippings on the bread like most people use butter. First time I had a grilled cheese made only with butter I thought something was wrong with it.
A good multi-grain bread works wonders for a grilled cheese, by the way. So does real sourdough
Brad
You had a mom? She cooked for you?
Lucky.
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I'm trying the Kingcreek chili recipe tonight. As luck would have it, I have not only some Indiana venison in the freezer, but also some home canned tomatoes in the pantry from last years harvest. =)
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Grew up eating my moms version of chili and that's the one I like best.
She'd serve it with either Jiffy cornbread or rice, but occasionally we'd just eat it with saltine crackers.
*shrug* I'll usually try any chili set before me, but if it has a sweet taste and I say that I like it, I'm lying.
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But but
What about chili verde?
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But but
What about chili verde?
I'll keep an eye on you. I think you might be OK.
But if somebody wants to bring in white chili, it will get sporty in here.
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But but
What about chili verde?
I love the chili verde the serve in Leadville, Colorado. Not sure the name of the place cuz it's been about 10 years since I've been there. Wonderful stuff. Whenever I'm within 50 miles or so of the place I go there for the chili.
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Some people take their grilled cheese sammiches way too seriously!!
http://abcnews.go.com/US/argument-grilled-cheese-sandwich-leads-armed-standoff-police/story?id=44669524
Argument Over Grilled Cheese Sandwich Leads to Armed Standoff With Police
The incident in the Baltimore suburb of Dundalk began Sunday afternoon when Daniel Brian Blackwell, 55, grew irritated with his wife after she took a bite of his grilled cheese sandwich, police said.
Blackwell’s wife told police that he then fired a shot from their basement up through the kitchen floor, narrowly missing her and three teenagers. He told her the sound was a firecracker, according to ABC affiliate WMAR-TV.
After the shot, she went to the basement to confront him, she told police. She found him “surrounded by guns and ammunition,” according to police, and returned to the kitchen.
Some people! ;/
bob
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I was once in Cincinnati giving a lecture to the Ohio Medical Association, and my hosts took me to dinner at a Skyline chili restaurant. They ordered me a dish of '5-way chili', and I have to say it was pretty good. Not necessarily what I would define as chili, but it was an interesting regional variant.
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Such is the case with many foods though. We grow up some place with things made a certain way, perhaps even in the area that the item is perhaps best stereotyped.
Travel a bit though and it is drastically different perhaps even to the point of being unrecognizable.
Try moving to a different area and ordering a pizza, hot dog, or BBQ. Not a national chain, but something considered a decent local place.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I was once in Cincinnati giving a lecture to the Ohio Medical Association, and my hosts took me to dinner at a Skyline chili restaurant. They ordered me a dish of '5-way chili', and I have to say it was pretty good. Not necessarily what I would define as chili, but it was an interesting regional variant.
I am partial to a 3-way from Skyline.
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I am partial to a 3-way from Skyline.
Was that the chili restaurant or the....
Never mind.
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Was that the chili restaurant or the....
Never mind.
This was out at Valentine Day's a few years ago.
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I did not cope well with Skyline chili.
What was annoying was the fact that my step father seemed mildly upset that I didn't like it and my mother got annoyed with me. It's not like I was rude about it, I just didn't like.
I might have pointed out that it had the same consistency as vomit and tasted like it too, but they kept pressing me "Why don't you like it?"
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Chili recipe:
Whatever's in the fridge
More meat
Heat for a long time
Add hot sauce as needed until palatable...or not
Got some Da Bomb Ground Zero sauce on order just in case.
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Chili recipe:
Whatever's in the fridge
More meat
Heat for a long time
Add hot sauce as needed until palatable...or not
Got some Da Bomb Ground Zero sauce on order just in case.
I use Dave's Insanity Sauce like that, I just don't call it chili. A five ounce bottle of Dave's lasts me for several years.
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Now that I've tried the OP's chili recipe, I'd just like to say...
It's very, very good. Recommended. In fact, I will likely add it to my recipe book.
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Thanks for the endorsement! Glad you liked it.
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My wife and I make a big crockpot full of chili several times during the year. She likes the traditional chili ingredients plus chopped carrots, celery, and a cam of hominy corn/garbonzo beans as well as other canned beans (pinto and kidney) in the mix. We started doing this decades ago in college to stretch it out and save money. We freeze it into smaller containers and thaw/heat as needed for lunches and suppers.
We also put things like beer, cocoa powder and freeze dried or instant coffee or brewed coffee in the chili to darken it up and give it some more flavor. Try putting a teaspoon or two of cocoa and instant coffee in. Sub out a 1/2 cup or so of coffee for the instant stuff if you have leftovers from breakfast.
Besides crackers, we often eat our chili with warm tortillas (usually corn) or cornbread. We make the cornbread from scratch using the Quaker Cornmeal recipe and sometimes we throw in a seeded diced jalapeno.
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...we often eat our chili with warm tortillas (usually corn) ...
I eat wheat tortillas with mine, sometimes.