Chili – Cook-Off 15

[slkinsey]

As chance would have it, I'm making chili as well. Here's my recipe:

5 pounds beef shank, coarse ground on my home grinder

2.5 cups ancho chili paste

2.5 cups pasilla chili paste

2 tbsp sweet Spanish paprika

2 Spanish onions

3 pounds cherry tomatoes

2 tbsps whole cumin

1 tbsp Mexican oregano

3 whole star anise

- Tomatoes were pressure cooked at 15 PSI for 20 minutes. The exuded liquid was reduced to a glaze, the tomatoes scraped through a fine sieve, then both parts combined

- Onions were diced fine, then browned to very dark over high heat in copious bacon fat with the star anise

- Cumin was dry-roasted in pan until fragrant, then ground to powder in spice grinder

- Tomato, chili paste, spices and onions (minus star anise) were combined, brought to brief simmer, and cooled

- Cooled chili base was combined with the ground meat, and the whole works was vacuum bagged and cooked 48 hours at 62C (in process)

Once cooked, I will freeze it and reheat on super bowl sunday, adjusting seasonings as necessary, add a pound or two of pork butt that I've cut into 1-inch cubes, browned extra-dark, pressure cooked for 20 minutes and coarsely shredded, and stir in some red bell peppers that I've roasted and pureed. I will offer a spicy chili butter along with creme fraiche, etc. so that that people can adjust the heat up or down to their preferred level.

As you can see, my recipe is predicated on the idea that chili con carne is really mostly about the chili component. I like to use about a cup of chili paste per pound of meat. I'm using beef shank and sous vide so that I can get all the meaty gelatin without the dry, grainy texture that often comes from simmered long-cooked ground meat.

Edited January 17, 2012 by slkinsey (log)

[patrickamory]

1 cup per pound! That is serious. Do you have any idea what the paste to powder ratio is - i.e. if your pastes were dry, how much chili powder would be in them? 3 tbs? 4 tbs? More?

I didn't get the dry grainy texture - though I have in the past. It's about keeping an eye on the simmer and the liquid level, and it's always a bit of a game.

[cathyeats]

I just made a great chili myself. It's vegetarian, but before you scoff, this is not your average bland, tomato-y vegetarian chili. It's kickass. In fact, it's so intense that I found it best served on rice (which is hard for me to do, as I'm a bit of a purist, despite the vegetarian thing!) This is going on my blog this week, but here it is in advance!

Chipotle and Chocolate Vegetarian Chili

1¾ cups dried pinto beans, soaked overnight or quick-soaked

2 links Field Roast chipotle vegetarian sausages, crumbled

1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or organic canola oil

1 large green bell pepper diced

1 large yellow or white onion, diced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons ancho chile powder

2 tablespoons hot New Mexico chile powder

2 teaspoons chipotle powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1½ teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

3/4 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 26-oz carton Pomi chopped tomatoes* (or substitute canned crushed tomatoes)

12-ounce bottle chocolate stout beer

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

2 teaspoons molasses (or substitute brown sugar)

1½ ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lime juice

Cooked brown rice, for serving

Toppings: Avocado, red onions, cilantro, yogurt or sour cream

Drain the soaked beans, then place in a large saucepan and cover well with fresh cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 1 hour, adding water as necessary. Let them sit until you’re ready to use them, then drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

Heat a teaspoon of oil on medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the crumbled vegetarian sausages and cook for 3 minutes, stirring a few times (it will stick; it’s ok). Remove to a plate.

Heat the remaining oil on medium heat in the same pot. Add the onions, garlic and peppers. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pot to incorporate the sausage remnants that stuck to the pan. Add the tomato paste, chili powders, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the tomatoes, beer, espresso powder and brown sugar or molasses. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the reserved vegetarian sausage and beans and simmer very gently for 10 minutes. If the chili seems much too thick, add a little of the bean cooking liquid. Stir in chocolate and lime and turn off the heat.

Serve on brown rice with your toppings of choice, or refrigerate and serve the next day, when it’s even better.

[Norm Matthews]

Here is my recipe which I have added and taken from for 30+ years and it is pretty well set now. I also have a recipe for Mexican roast beef that can be shredded and used instead of hamburger if one really wants to go to that much effort.

Norm's Chili

1 lb hamburger

1 lb. chorizo,

1 onion, finely chopped

8 oz tomato sauce

1 Tbs. sugar

1 to 3 Tbs. chili powder according to preference

1 ounce red wine vinegar

1/2 C. picante sauce

1 bay leaf

1/2 to 1 tsp. salt

1 T. paprika

optional 1 can red beans, not drained

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1/2 bottle beer

1-2 ounces cocoa powder

dash or two Tabasco

Saute meat, when almost done, add onions and garlic. When onions are tender, add rest or ingredients. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove lid and let cook down if necessary. Refrigerate overnight and remove fat and reheat.

Note: if desired....

If cooked without beans, serve them and grated raw onion on the side as a garnish.

Chili toppings for chili bar with guests. Pick and choose from the following

soda crackers,

corn chips

thin sliced radishes

thinly sliced green onions

sour cream

diced fresh jalapeno

green olives, halved

chopped white onions,

small dice tomato

fresh lime wedges

grated cheddar cheese

salsas/pico de galo

grated monterey jack

diced avocados

pinto beans

shaker bottle of red pepper flakes

tosted baguette slices

Tabasco sauce

cilantro leaves

I don't usually put cheese on my chili but did for this picture.

[patrickamory]

Jesus, that is a serious list of fixings.

Mine were:

- sliced fresh jalapeno

- coarsely chopped white onion

- sour cream

- fresh lime wedges <-- always a fantastic addition

- sweet pickles

- sour pickles

- Anasazi beans - soaked overnight, boiled & simmered with aromtics

- an assortment of about 6 hot sauces

I almost always serve chili with white rice. Though saltines and white bread slices have been known to make an appearance.

I've served with avocado slices in season. But never cheese.

Edited January 18, 2012 by patrickamory (log)

[slkinsey]

1 cup per pound! That is serious. Do you have any idea what the paste to powder ratio is - i.e. if your pastes were dry, how much chili powder would be in them? 3 tbs? 4 tbs? More?

Yea, that's hard to say. I tend to be a bit suspicious of chili powders, because I'm not sure how much of that is actually seeds, skin, sawdust, whatever. And powder seems extra sensitive to age, often resulting in a "powdery" taste I don't love. My overall philosophy is to use a ton of chili paste so that really all the thickening comes from chilies. And I like for the chili base to be mild chilies so that I get lots of chili flavor without blowing everyone's ears off.

I used to make the paste by rehydrating whole dry chilies and then running them through the fine disk of a food mill, which held back the skins and seeds. This took a long time and was very labor intensive. Then I graduated to the VitaPrep and ran the resulting puree through a fine sieve to hold back the skins and seeds. Then I discovered that Kalustyan's was stocking tubs of D'Allessandro chili paste made from a variety of different chilies. These are great to have around, and are so concentrated that they don't even freeze solid. So whenever I want to make a quick sauce for some hangar steak tacos, for example, I can just go the freezer and scoop out a few tablespoons of chili paste. So nowadays that's what I use. I highly recommend it. Available to order direct from the processor here, along with a lot of other good-looking products.

Edited January 18, 2012 by slkinsey (log)

[patrickamory]

I tend to be a bit suspicious of chili powders, because I'm not sure how much of that is actually seeds, skin, sawdust, whatever. And powder seems extra sensitive to age, often resulting in a "powdery" taste I don't love.

I make my own chili powder each time - a mixture of various dried chiles (mostly from Kalustyan's, funnily enough), which I vary each time. My most recent proportion has been half pasillas for the smokiness, plus equal amounts dried cascabels, anchos and new mexico (which I assume are dried anaheims).

I toast them in a skillet to make them as dry as possible, dismember them and discard seeds, pith etc., and then carefully grind them into powder.

I crumble whole pequins into the chili to taste as it cooks.

I've always assumed that the "rasp" of Texas red is due to the dried chiles.

I never use preprepared chili powders!

My overall philosophy is to use a ton of chili paste so that really all the thickening comes from chilies. And I like for the chili base to be mild chilies so that I get lots of chili flavor without blowing everyone's ears off.

Agreed on the mild base.

I may try your paste concept and see how it compares. I guess I always thought powder was more "cowboy," which is my platonic ideal for chili. But I have no idea whether that's historically accurate.

[patrickamory]

Back to chili on this seasonal day.

Recipe is similar to the one above, but I'm taking slkinsey's advice and making paste rather than powder.

Proportions are different for the consituent chiles too:

50% ancho

50% pasilla

30% guajillo

20% cascabel

I dry-roasted them for a few minutes over high heat, shaking constantly, and the aromas were intoxicating, especially from the anchos. Then de-seeded and de-pithed them, poured boiling water over them, and let them soak for 30 minutes. Drained and put in the blender, adding the reserved soaking water until I had something that looked like this:

The beef is a mixture of chuck and blade this time, some hand-chopped Olney-style, some near-frozen and the pulsed briefly in the Cuisinart, and some chopped into 1/8" cubes.

The rest is identical to the recipe above, except that I'm reserving the tomatoes this time - I opened a can, smelled the mixture coming to a simmer, and decided to wait. This one may be more pure Texan red.

No bacon or pork fat btw - the only fats in this are some rendered beef fat (cut off the chuck) and butter!

More as it develops (it will finish tomorrow).

[patrickamory]

Chili stage one (about an hour in). Shortly after this I caved and added some tomatoes. Not many!

[phatj]

I have this idea in my head for a relatively minimalist chili that's sort of inspired by the recent Bolognese cook-off - it will involve ground meat and sausage (Chorizo, probably, definitely not Italian) plus minced vegetables (debating whether to use just onion, or some vegetable blend) cooked low for a long time with chili paste, stock and milk (yes, milk) and perhaps some wine or beer. Then add cubed chuck, more diced onion, diced tomatoes, more chili paste to taste, plus more stock if needed and cook until the chuck is tender.

Aside from the milk, this is all pretty traditional, but does the milk make it not chili? My theory is that the milk in Bolognese sauce, after hours of cooking, adds a richness to the sauce without any discernable dairy character. I think that would work well in chili too.

Does this sound OK to the chili experts here?

[patrickamory]

I think it sounds fine. Let us know how you get on.

[phatj]

Thanks, will do.

By the way, anybody know what became of the "What is wrong with this chili" thread mentioned by Chris Amirault in the first post of this thread? The link is broken and I can't find it using the site search tool. I'm curious about the Frankenchili!

[patrickamory]

No final photos, but I did add a third layer of chili paste towards the end (that's the second day, in the 90-minute re-heat phase, along with some extra water).

And a teaspoon of red miso paste. I couldn't resist, and it does seem to just solidify the flavors.

A dusting of white sugar at one point too.

Multiple tasting, salting, occasional adding of water, and a surprise addition of Mexican oregano at the end.

It was fantastic... I think there is no dish I enjoy making more....

[jrshaul]

Does anyone have any thoughts on the use of whole dried chiles? Many of these recipes call for fresh or powdered spices, but I find the whole dried or smoked variety are very good value for money.

[Jaymes]

Does anyone have any thoughts on the use of whole dried chiles? Many of these recipes call for fresh or powdered spices, but I find the whole dried or smoked variety are very good value for money.

Whole dried chiles are almost certainly the original ingredient used. And that was about it. Meat and dried chiles that had been either ground into a powder or paste or reconstituted in some liquid.

[patrickamory]

I only use whole dried chiles.

[Jaymes]

I only use whole dried chiles.

Right. And just to clarify my post, when I said "meat and dried chiles that had been either ground into a powder or paste or reconstituted in some liquid," I was referring to the whole dried chiles. Upon rereading, I realized it could have been misconstrued to mean that both the meat and dried chiles had been ground up together.

But, jrshaul, I meant that "Cookie" in his chuckwagon out on the cattle trail, or the vaqueros, or the San Antonio Chili Queens, who usually didn't have regular access to fresh or canned chiles were grinding and reconstituting the whole dried chiles that they did have.

Most probably in a manner identical to patrickamory's current avatar.

[jrshaul]

I only use whole dried chiles.

Right. And just to clarify my post, when I said "meat and dried chiles that had been either ground into a powder or paste or reconstituted in some liquid," I was referring to the whole dried chiles. Upon rereading, I realized it could have been misconstrued to mean that both the meat and dried chiles had been ground up together.

But, jrshaul, I meant that "Cookie" in his chuckwagon out on the cattle trail, or the vaqueros, or the San Antonio Chili Queens, who usually didn't have regular access to fresh or canned chiles were grinding and reconstituting the whole dried chiles that they did have.

Most probably in a manner identical to patrickamory's current avatar.

My bad. I misread the recipes. I haven't seen dried versions of some of these chilis.

Can anyone suggest an all-pork or pork-heavy recipe using widely available dried peppers? Ground pork or pork shoulder would both be equally suitable.

Edited February 12, 2012 by jrshaul (log)

[Jaymes]

I only use whole dried chiles.

Right. And just to clarify my post, when I said "meat and dried chiles that had been either ground into a powder or paste or reconstituted in some liquid," I was referring to the whole dried chiles. Upon rereading, I realized it could have been misconstrued to mean that both the meat and dried chiles had been ground up together.

But, jrshaul, I meant that "Cookie" in his chuckwagon out on the cattle trail, or the vaqueros, or the San Antonio Chili Queens, who usually didn't have regular access to fresh or canned chiles were grinding and reconstituting the whole dried chiles that they did have.

Most probably in a manner identical to patrickamory's current avatar.

My bad. I misread the recipes. I haven't seen dried versions of some of these chilis.

Can anyone suggest an all-pork or pork-heavy recipe using widely available dried peppers? Ground pork or pork shoulder would both be equally suitable.

Chile Verde, especially New Mexico style, is most-typically a pork stew that uses green chiles - Anaheim, Poblano, Hatch, etc. It's really really good, and we make it a lot in our house. Again, it's something you can make with almost any chiles you like: dried, smoked, fresh, canned, whatever type/style of chiles you prefer and have access to. When we lived in Alaska, canned mild green chiles and canned jalapenos were about all I could find available. I also had a house full of kiddos that I cooked for, so I wouldn't make it too spicy or they wouldn't eat it. So I made it with pork shoulder, canned mild green chiles, and just one or two jalapenos for a little zip.

It usually requires long slow cooking to break down that pork butt/shoulder or whatever pork you've used (you can use basically any cut), but when I'm in a big hurry to get something on the table quickly, I make it with those smoked pork chops you can buy in your "cooked meats" case in the supermarkets. Smoked pork chops are particularly popular with Mexican home-cooks, so our Mexican markets here sell them in bulk. The Green (or Red, for that matter) Chile Stew I make with them can be ready and on the table in a half-hour.

You can find many, many recipes for Chili/e Verde, or Green Chile Stew with a quick google, and I think we had a thread about it on eG a while back. It's a wonderful dish, a real classic of Southwestern Cooking, very easy and forgivable to prepare, and I think you'd probably love it.

If you prefer red chiles, the New Mexican dish made with pork and red chiles is called "Carne Adovada (or Adobada)." When the recipes call for chile powder, all you have to do is to take your dried chiles and grind them up in a molcajete, or mortar and pestle.

We also used to live in New Mexico, a few miles up the road from an old Mexican town called Mesilla. There's a famous restaurant there, La Posta, and their "Red Chile Stew" was deservedly famous in that part of the country. Here's a recipe based on the La Posta recipe for Carne Adobada:

Carne Adobada

It's also easy and forgiving to prepare. It's basically the same as Green Chile Stew, but you use red chiles.

And then you can investigate posole - a Mexican stew made with hominy and chiles. You can use whatever meat you like. Pork and red chiles are typical. You can make it with parts of the pig like pork rinds, pigs feet, etc. In fact, if you have a butcher that will sell you these cuts cheaply, posole might be a good choice for your meals for 26. You can make a vegetarian version, although that's not typical.

Edited February 12, 2012 by Jaymes (log)

[robirdstx]

I've used this recipe, with some changes, to make a very nice pork chili.

Spicy Red Pork and Bean Chili

I did not use the coffee when I made it. I used some masa harina as a thickener and added some Sriracha sauce at the end.

Edited February 12, 2012 by robirdstx (log)

[phatj]

I have this idea in my head for a relatively minimalist chili that's sort of inspired by the recent Bolognese cook-off - it will involve ground meat and sausage (Chorizo, probably, definitely not Italian) plus minced vegetables (debating whether to use just onion, or some vegetable blend) cooked low for a long time with chili paste, stock and milk (yes, milk) and perhaps some wine or beer. Then add cubed chuck, more diced onion, diced tomatoes, more chili paste to taste, plus more stock if needed and cook until the chuck is tender.

Aside from the milk, this is all pretty traditional, but does the milk make it not chili? My theory is that the milk in Bolognese sauce, after hours of cooking, adds a richness to the sauce without any discernable dairy character. I think that would work well in chili too.

Does this sound OK to the chili experts here?

This turned out excellent, in my opinion. My wife didn't like it, but it turns out she just doesn't really like chili. The first chili she had that she liked was my "kitchen sink" chili which has all kinds of stuff in it but is relatively light on actual chili peppers.

Anyway, I made a chili paste much like that described by slkinsey above. Mine contained ancho and chipotle peppers, and I also included garlic, cumin and oregano on the theory that I could freeze the leftovers in small containers to have ready-made chili seasonings for weeknight chilis.

Then I browned Mexican chorizo and some meatloaf mix with minced onions, green and red peppers, and mushrooms, then added tomato paste and chili paste, milk, and some beer and simmered for several hours. Then I added browned cubed chuck, some more chili paste, and some beef stock and simmered a couple more hours. About an hour before the end I added a bunch of chopped onion because I wanted some onion in there that wasn't complete mush.

I think this is my new favorite chili.

[qrn]

as James said above we only do green ,With hatch diced green chilis,the meat is diced pork ,quickly seared in the pot ,then add the chiles,and some water,then simmer the batch till the meat is tender,and the chilies are very well cooked,then thicken it with some potato flakes untill it looks the right thickness...then salt as required and let it sit a while and its ready to get to serving temp and serve...

Bud

[LindaK]

Chili seemed like just the thing to have ready in the fridge or freezer during a storm. I've got a pot simmering now. I'm embarrased to say that this is my first time using a chile paste from dried chiles in a chili. What a difference from powder! No going back. I used a Rick Bayless' recipe with all ancho, but next time I'll try a mix of several. It smells heavenly.

The recipe made more chile paste than I needed. Anyone know how well it keeps?

[heidih]

I would think freezer in dish ready portions.

[David Ross]

Chili seemed like just the thing to have ready in the fridge or freezer during a storm. I've got a pot simmering now. I'm embarrased to say that this is my first time using a chile paste from dried chiles in a chili. What a difference from powder! No going back. I used a Rick Bayless' recipe with all ancho, but next time I'll try a mix of several. It smells heavenly.

The recipe made more chile paste than I needed. Anyone know how well it keeps?

I keep chili paste in a covered container in my fridge and it lasts well for weeks. I use about three different types of dried chilies. It's great to season ground beef or meat for tacos, and it makes a mean seasoning for lamb sausage.