CHILI!!!
Well, next week is supposed to be chilly in Philly and the Birds are playing tomorrow, so I would greatly appreciate a killer chili recipe! I love chili, but in the past I had to really tone it down because that's the only way my kids would eat it. Now I can't remember how to make great chili! I really need the best chili recipe in the world. Please help SE'ers.
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11 Comments:
This isn't a precise recipe, but here goes:
Go to a store that sells "weird" meat and get some smoked meats- turkey necks and wings and ham hocks are good. Then pick up some pork and/or beef country/ short ribs, a can of chipotles in adobo, a large can of tomatoes- either diced or sauced, as you prefer, and some beans if you want them- dried, canned, or even refried.
Dump all the meat in a pot with a couple of the chipotles and some salt, bring to a boil, then simmer until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove the meat, skim the fat off the top of the water and set aside (and if you need to cook beans, cook them in the remaining liquid then remove) and reduce the remaining liquid until you have a couple cups or so left. In some of the fat you saved, saute some onion and garlic and other veggies if you want- mushrooms, peppers, whatever. Dump in the reduce cooking liquid, shred the meat off the bones, add back to the cooking liquid with beans and tomato, simmer to thicken, season to taste (add more chipotle if needed).
thatgrrl at 1:25PM on 10/10/09
For years, I've used the winning Chili-cookoff recipe from 1998 called 24 Karat Chili. You can find it on the Chili Cookoff website. Its not "hot", just spicy with lots of flavor. I don't use the recommended beef and the whole small cube cutting, I just use ground beef and it turns out fine.
jonfoxx at 1:25PM on 10/10/09
Beef Chili w/Chocolate
6–8 servings Cooking time: 3 hrs.
2–1/2 lbs. boneless chuck steak, cut into large cubes
1 quart beef stock
2 medium onions, diced
4 shallots, minced
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 medium bell peppers, roasted, skinned, and roughly chopped
1–28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2–15.5 oz. cans pink beans
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp. ancho chili powder
2 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. smoked sweet Spanish paprika
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
salt & pepper
Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper, and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the ancho chili powder, coriander, cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, and cinnamon to make a seasoning mixture.
Place the beef cubes in the pot and add the stock. Add additional water, if necessary, to cover meat by 1”. Bring to a boil over medium–high heat, and skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Add in the onions, shallots, roasted peppers, and garlic. Stir in the seasoning mixture. Crush the tomatoes in a large mixing bowl with your hands. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste to the pot. Simmer until the meat comes apart with no resistance, about 2 hrs. As it cooks down, add a small amount of water, if necessary.
Using 2 forks, pull the meat chunks apart into shreds. Drain and rinse the beans. Stir in the beans and the cornmeal. Simmer for another 45 min. uncovered. Stir in the cocoa powder and simmer another 5 min. Adjust seasoning to taste.
salpico at 2:42PM on 10/10/09
Wow--chili is so personal. And I never make it the same way twice. But IMO, chili is all about the beans. If you can master cooking dried beans, then you have the rosetta stone to a zillion cheap and delicious dishes.
Garvey at 3:37PM on 10/10/09
I can't help you, I'm afraid. I've lost my chili mojo (maybe I never had to begin with?) as I discovered yesterday after a failed attempt. I'm going to use it to make chili lasagna. I'd make chili mac but I have lasagna noodles and no elbows.
RegrettableFoodie at 4:44PM on 10/10/09
chop onion. i like vidalia or spanish.
if the sweet red or green peppers looked good or were on sale, i might add one of them. they are also good, but im not a huge fan. chopped of course.
mince 2-3 cloves of garlic.
chop 2-6 jalepeno or habenero or serano peppers. decide how much based on type and availability.
wash hands thoroughly (or remove those gloves).
saute onions, garlic and peppers in a tablespoon or two of oil.
the onions should become translucent.
add cumin, oregano, chili pepper. add red pepper to adjust heat.
fry until the cumin seeds pop or the smell gets to you.
add beans and tomatoes. cook for a couple hours stirring occassionally.
add corn. cook for half an hour.
if there is too much liquid, ladle out a cup of it, mix with tsp cornstarch, return to chili.
note: i used beans that were soaked 20 hours or so and drained or from a can washed thoroughly. tomatoes are whole from can so they can add liquid and i like personally breaking them down. corn is either from cob or a can, depending on availability.
blizcheetah at 4:56PM on 10/10/09
I am with the other posters--no way i could give a real recipe. Mine is different every time, depending on ingredients on hand and who I am feeding. Plus, regional ideas about how chili "should" be come into play for sure. I am still adjusting to the "yankee" version involving green pepper and celery that I keep encountering here. :) Tasty! But odd to me...
Hope yours was great! Really, can chili be bad?
sadiepix at 8:32PM on 10/10/09
Wow, thanks so much, they all sound great!
chilimama at 12:02AM on 10/11/09
One of my daughters-in-law is a chili adventuress. She found a magazine recipe for white chili sometime in the 90s and turned us on to it--we make it probably once a month now. Our red and white chilis are like all of yours--always good but never the same. Her red chili has two constants, which she started adding after reading one of my Frugal Gourmet cookbooks: like @salpico's recipe above, she always adds a pinch of cinnamon and a tablespoon of cocoa to the pot. It doesn't taste odd, exotic or anything like that, it's just enough to add depth and make you wonder what the magic spice is. People always ask for her recipe.
I like beef to be very coarsely ground, but if I'm substituting pork, I cut in into 1/2" cubes. We're bean people: eating meat in red sauce without beans doesn't do anything for us.
We divide the recipe into two pots, a medium-spicy one for the adults and a tamer version for the little kids.
betteirene at 12:48AM on 10/11/09
sadiepix:
I don't know who started me on it, but I started adding chopped and sauteed celery to chili, and to pasta sauces, a few years back. I was really amazed at the texture it adds, and the flavour - a slightly nutty taste that doesn't overwhelm anything but just lurks underneath.
I'm a lazy chili maker - I used canned beans and canned tomatoes. If I can find smoked pork belly at the grocery, it goes in, along with a cheaper cut of beef that benefits from long simmering. I use blade most often, but if short ribs are cheap and look good, they go in too. Vegetables: onions are a must, plus the aforementioned celery. If the bell peppers aren't too dear, I like adding them as well. Spices: Again, I'm lazy - I use chili powder, but I add lots of fresh chopped garlic, and a good whack of powdered cumin.
I'm not big on standard proportions - two 19 oz. cans of beans and 1 28 oz tin of tomatoes are my starting points, but I'll throw in a ton of meat and other vegetables, and if it looks too dry, I add some beef stock. Bring to a boil, cut back to a simmer, and leave it for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally. Check the seasoning (I never add salt, BTW), and serve. Yum!
KevinB at 2:06PM on 10/11/09
Just had some amazing chili last night! Try the Best Chili Ever! :)
Chew on That at 11:39PM on 10/11/09