BBQ Barbecue brisket for chili

[Shel_B]

A new project here is to develop a "Texas Red" chili recipe, and I'd like to run this idea by you.

 

I was thinking about going to one of the local bbq places and buying some already cooked and smoked brisket to use in the chili. Since moving to an apartment, I no longer have my smoker, so using an outside source is a good option.  Buying the cooked meat would save time and cleanup, which, in my dotage, is a nice bonus.

 

Any thoughts on using already cooked and smoked brisket for the chili?  I suspect that some modifications to time and technique would be required, such as adding the meat later in the cooking cycle. What do you think about this?

 

 

[beerdoctor]

The use of brisket that had been BBQ'd for a 'Bowl of Red' would be regarded as sacrilege in Texas!

The dish has its origins in Chile con Carne, most famously from the Chili Queens of San Antonio, who used only meat and peppers.

Some traditionalists even regard the addition of onions, tomatoes  or beans as anathema

.

The Chili Queens would cook in the market square in big cauldrons which they used to do laundry during the day time  before cooking chili in the evening. Maybe this is the 'secret' ingredient!

 

[Shel_B]

30 minutes ago, beerdoctor said:

The use of brisket that had been BBQ'd for a 'Bowl of Red' would be regarded as sacrilege in Texas!

The dish has its origins in Chile con Carne, most famously from the Chili Queens of San Antonio, who used only meat and peppers.

Some traditionalists even regard the addition of onions, tomatoes  or beans as anathema

.

The Chili Queens would cook in the market square in big cauldrons which they used to do laundry during the day time  before cooking chili in the evening. Maybe this is the 'secret' ingredient!

 

Thank you for the history lesson. I'm quite familiar with the Chili Queens of San Antonio.

 

Not being in or from Texas, it's of little consequence to me if Texans would find my idea a sacrilege. To confess, I got the idea from a Texan, albeit indirectly and through a circuitous route.

[C. sapidus]

1 hour ago, beerdoctor said:

The use of brisket that had been BBQ'd for a 'Bowl of Red' would be regarded as sacrilege in Texas!

 

Yeah, I'm sure brisket chile would be good, but it does seem like you would lose a lot of what makes smoked brisket special. I have had fantastic smoked brisket tacos, though. Perhaps that would be another option.

 

1 hour ago, beerdoctor said:

The dish has its origins in Chile con Carne . . .

 

 

. . . and chile con carne has its origins in carne con chile colorado.

[Katie Meadow]

I see chile or chili as being about the most adaptable of meals in America, so calling a "bowl of red" authentic can mean many things to many people in many places. That said, the problem with using brisket already cooked is this: how do you get a meaty broth  if you are not simmering the meat yourself?

 

As for BBQ,  if you fancy that in a chile,  it would be more like Brunswick Stew in parts of the South, but typically it's pork. But you could invent a Texas version with brisket. Although that might already be a thing.

[Maison Rustique]

I think it would be OK to use the pre-cooked brisket, but I'd use some other meats in it, too. You're going to want some meat cooking in your pot to add flavor to the entire dish. I always like to use a combination of meats in my chili (usually pork, beef and sometimes a little ground turkey). Think about at least a little other meat to actually cook in that pot.

[Shel_B]

@Maison Rustique @Katie Meadow Since my original post, I've given more thought to the idea and moved toward using the BBQ as an additional flavor element while making the chili using more conventional techniques.  Seems like we're all on the same page.

 

Now I've got to decide on the meat. Brisket or center-cut chuck seem to be good choices.

 

I've already started gathering other ingredients, such as the peppers.

 

Thanks for jumping in.

[Shel_B]

This morning, I came across two recipes from Texas in which smoked brisket was used. In one, burnt ends was the only meat. In the other, smoked brisket was used with other meats. It's not a big deal but FWIW, it's nice to know that others have used an idea similar to what I posted.

Edited March 13 by Shel_B (log)

[Shel_B]

I'm getting closer to actually making the chili. I've decided upon and accumulated some of the ingredients and have given thought to the process. I've decided to use chuck for the primary meat choice, but I'm not too knowledgeable about red meat and the subtleties of chuck. I've used "plain ol' chuck" in a couple stews a few years ago, and while the results were acceptable, perhaps I can do better.

 

Chuck eye roast and center cut chuck are appealing because, while they seem to have good marbeling, they don't appear to have as much excess fat. My thinking is that they'd be easier to trim, there'd be less waste, and might have a more beefy flavor. Would these cuts give good results and is my thinking correct? Does the cut make much difference in a long, slow-cooked dish like this?

 

I've got a great butcher shop nearby, and I'll talk with them as well. Cost in this case is not much of a concern.

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 10:56 PM by Shel_B (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

It seems to me that chuck roast would be an excellent choice for chili. The trick to using it though is to Brown it thoroughly and then cook it low and slow. Don't overcook it or it will be very dry.

I'm making chili today at least my version of chili. I'm totally hampered because I can't use onion or garlic in it so I have to add more of other seasonings. Oh well, my housemate likes it so that's all that counts.

The best chili that I have ever made was from a cookbook by Marjorie Klnnan Rawllings, the author of The Yearling. It's called Cross Creek Cookery and it is available from Amazon. It was in a book that I checked out years ago from the Lake Tahoe Library and the recipe is called either Louisiana or Alabama chili. I used to make it by the gallon in the restaurant that I worked in and the San Francisco Examiner said that it was the best chili in Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately I lost the recipe when someone stole my personal recipe book years later.