Chili – Cook-Off 15

[rooftop1000]

I have made chili once in my life and it came out really good.. It was a recipe from Rick Bayless's: Rick and Lanies Excellent Adventure.. Its a really solid recipe,..  My question is the only meat I have in the house is hanger steak.  Anyone think this will go well cubed in Chli, or do I go to the store?

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Do Not WASTE that steak.....

I usualy use ground beef but have used lefter frozen cooked pork...actually I have just parceled out the last of a huge smoked ham turned into "rice and beans"

After that never ending pot of beans he may kill me if I make chili...maybe if I invite the kids up on sunday.....

T

[TongoRad]

I have made chili once in my life and it came out really good.. It was a recipe from Rick Bayless's: Rick and Lanies Excellent Adventure.. Its a really solid recipe, I think..  My question is the only meat I have in the house is hanger steak.  Anyone think this will go well cubed in Chli, or do I go to the store?

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I have such a hard time finding hangar steak that I'd go to the store and get a nice piece of chuck, or even use pork butt.

I know beef is traditional, but anyone else ever use pork?

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Agreed re: the hangar steak. Daniel, it looks like you're going to the store

I've used pork before, and venison as well. I'm not so sure about goat but I think so. I'm reminded of these lines from Tom Russell's song "A Bowl of Red":

Bull meat, crab meat, pig's feet, chicken feet.

I've even seen her use a rabbit's head.

Cumino, oregano, cilantro, let it go.

Then sop it up with sourdough bread.

and might even use a rabbit's head if I ever came across one

But pork shoulder or butt, cubed, works beautifully well.

[Milagai]

Count me in!

As the temp has finally dipped in these parts (it was in the '80's F just last week

and is in the 40's F now) we're suddenly getting a chili craving.

I make a modified version of the Moosewood recipe; I modify it because

their dishes are uniformly too bland; plus I use whatever ingredients I happen to have.

This week it is:

Throw into a stock pot:

2 tbsps olive oil: HEAT THIS.

1 large onion finely diced.

6-7 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsps chili powder (the mexican kind, not the Indian kind)

1 tbsp additional oregano

1 tbsp additional cumin powder

1 chipotle pepper finely chopped (a bit later, after the onions have softened).

When the onions are soft, I will open the following cans, drain, rinse,

and dump in:

2 cans dark red kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can corn (hey, I like the colour contrast)

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 small can tomato puree

Meanwhile I boil 3 cups water and pour it over 1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat

(I don't have any frozen veg stock handy).

When this softens up I will throw it into the chili.

Nice taste, texture, and heartiness...

When it is close to done (very quick, this version) I'll add:

1 1/2 tsp chocolate powder (though I may try the maple

syrup trick I read here on eg).

Salt to taste, and chopped cilantro in large quantities to garnish.

Taste, and add this or that if anything seems missing....

That's done.

Very quick.

Vanishes equally quickly too...

Milagai

[Bill Miller]

I have made chili once in my life and it came out really good.. It was a recipe from Rick Bayless's: Rick and Lanies Excellent Adventure.. Its a really solid recipe, I think..  My question is the only meat I have in the house is hanger steak.  Anyone think this will go well cubed in Chli, or do I go to the store?

←

I have such a hard time finding hangar steak that I'd go to the store and get a nice piece of chuck, or even use pork butt.

I know beef is traditional, but anyone else ever use pork?

←

I use 1/3 pork to 2/3 beef--I'll post my recipe today or tomorrow.

[Malawry]

Meanwhile I boil 3 cups water and pour it over 1 1/2 cups  bulgur wheat

(I don't have any frozen veg stock handy).

When this softens up I will throw it into the chili.

Nice taste, texture, and heartiness...

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My husband always liked bulgur wheat in his chilis as well, Milagai. I'm glad you brought it up. It adds a nice chewy/hearty flavor, especially to vegetarian chilis.

[Chris Amirault]

Milagai et al: let's get those recipes into RecipeGullet! They sound great -- even if they are crimes against nature....

See, I use 100% cubed chuck, period. I can't quite imagine using anything else, actually, as chili to me means, well, 100% cubed chuck, sautéed, seasoned, and braised for a good long while. Then, you start trying little chunks, and they go from chewy, to chewy, to chewy, to chewy, to chewy, to magical, red ambrosia....

[Chris Amirault]

OK . . . I have gotta play in this one. First, I found this great site that gets into the history of the dish.

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That site is fantastic, Linda! Among the many things I didn't know about chili was this:

[T]he first chili mix was concocted around 1850 by Texan adventurers and cowboys as a staple for hard times when traveling to and in the California gold fields and around Texas. Needing hot grub, the trail cooks came up with a sort of stew. They pounded dried beef, fat, pepper, salt, and the chile peppers together. This amounted to "brick chili" or "chili bricks" that could be boiled in pots along the trail. [DeGolyer] ... believed that chili con carne began as the "pemmican of the Southwest."

Seems like chili has real parallels to the great dishes of French provincial cooking (especially daubes), Moroccan tagines, and other one-pot braised meals. Necessity, invention, all that stuff.

[DTBarton]

This is the season for the best chili since the chili pepper plants in the garden are finishing up. It's a great way to use up all the ones left on the vine. I love making chili with fresh peppers, you use quite a bit less dried chili powder.

Forgive my vague quantities, just taste as you go. None of these quantities is gospel.

10 garlic cloves, diced

1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, diced

Fresh chili peppers, seeded and diced (I use a bunch)

note - I don't pick the peppers until I'm ready to make the chili, this retains the fruitiness. I have pablano, cayenne, and jalapeno peppers or you can get some at the store. I stick with mild to medium hot ones. Anaheims and banana peppers can be gotten pretty cheap sometimes.

Saute the veggies in a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil. Spinkle with salt and pepper at the start.

2 pounds cheap steak (chuck, sirloin, whatever's on sale at the store) remove fat, membrane and cut in to 1/2 inch cubes.

2 pounds cheap pork chops (again whatever's on sale) remove fat, bone, and cut in to 1/2 inch cubes.

Add the meat and saute for a few minutes

Add:

1 TBS chili powder

1 TBS ground cumin

1 TBS oregano

1 TBS paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1 can diced tomatoes (regular size, not large)

1 small can tomato sauce

enough water to just cover the meat and veggies

cover and simmer slowly until the meat is braised tender, usually a couple hours at least. Stir every 15 minutes or so and ensure the simmer stays gentle.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Add more of any of the dry seasonings to taste. Simmer uncovered to desired thickness, if needed. I add a little beef soup base if it's a little thin, but it's usually not.

Serve in hot bowls. I like to serve it with diced sweet onion, shredded pepper jack cheese, favorite hot sauces, and sour cream as available garnishes. The final touch - HOMINY!

I get dried hominy at our local amish market. Takes about four hours to cook, but it's worth it. Simmer 1 part dried hominy in 4 parts water. Canned is OK, but can taste canny and salty. If using canned, I recommend rinsing the hominy in a colander and sauteeing it in a little butter and black pepper (don't add any salt!).

I puts my hominy in the bowl under the chili.

[fifi]

. . . . .

Seems like chili has real parallels to the great dishes of French provincial cooking (especially daubes), Moroccan tagines, and other one-pot braised meals. Necessity, invention, all that stuff.

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I didn't read the whole page I linked to but one of the "Gee-I-didn't-know-that" moments from Robb Walsh's The Tex-Mex Cookbook was the fact that cumin became a standard ingredient after Mexico brought in folks from the Canary Islands to help settle the sparsely populated land that is now Texas and they brought cumin with them. The cumin was so good that it stayed.

[fifi]

Milagai et al: let's get those recipes into RecipeGullet! They sound great -- even if they are crimes against nature....

. . . . .

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Your wish is my command . . . Whacked-Out Chili

[JEL]

has anyone ever had green chilli................

i lived in northeast CO for a while, and it was a staple there..........

in most small towns you could get anything on a menu "smothered".....

usually it was cubed pork steak with all the bling one would put in chilli, but everything was green, instead of red......

a few crushed red tomatoes at the very end.........

it was pretty damn good. i've never seen it anywhere else........

[Milagai]

chrisamirault:

i am not sure my recipe can be called a "recipe":

it's a suggested list of ingredients and you edit at will

often i add bell peppers if i have any....

malawry:

thanks for that bulgur wheat endorsement!

i was pretty nervous sharing that secret as i was

sure i'd get 'beaned' for it....

one can always leave it out, or there's the

'tvp crumbles' option.........

milagai

ps: i've heard of the term green chili but never had any...

has 'cincinnati chili' been discussed upthread, and what

do others think about this?

Edited October 25, 2005 by Milagai (log)

[fifi]

. . . . .

has 'cincinnati chili' been discussed upthread, and what

do others think about this?

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I have been told that Whacked-Out Chili is a sort of Cincinnati Chili but I am not sure of that. I have seen some recipes called that and they have a similarly outrageous list of ingredients. But I really don't know if that is what makes Cincinnati Chili. If anyone knows, please tell.

[CaliPoutine]

Here is one I made about a month ago. I made it so that it would be Weight Watcher friendly.

I use ground turkey( breast meat), crushed tomatos, onion, peppers, barley, chili season mix, and beans.

I never follow a recipe, so it tastes different every time.

[ScorchedPalate]

Our two favorite chili recipes are

- "Very, Very Good Chili" from Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen -- probably the one in Rick & Lanie's Excellent Adventures is similar -- which is actually a sub-recipe/suggestion for his ancho chile paste:

Recipe on the Simon & Schuster site (scroll down/search for "chili")

- Venison Chili with Red Beans from David Waltuck's Staff Meals from Chanterelle. We always use beef bits and cannellini, having no access to venison nor love of red beans.

[KatieLoeb]

I think we are going to be eating  A LOT of chili in the next couple weeks.

Katie, do you think we could use ground chicken instead of the turkey?

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Kristin:

I don't see why not. I'd try to make sure it's not all ground breast though, or it might be kind of dry at the end. One of the consistent comments/compliments I've always gotten about this recipe is that you totally can't tell that it's made from ground Turkey - it tastes just like beef chile, I think because of the chorizo and the smokiness the black beans add. Actually you could probably make your chili out of almost anything, and just use the spice paste part of my recipe. That's what really does it, but the overall result is always delicious too.

[Daniel]

Our two favorite chili recipes are

- "Very, Very Good Chili" from Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen -- probably the one in Rick & Lanie's Excellent Adventures is similar -- which is actually a sub-recipe/suggestion for his ancho chile paste:

Recipe on the Simon & Schuster site (scroll down/search for "chili")

- Venison Chili with Red Beans from David Waltuck's Staff Meals from Chanterelle. We always use beef bits and cannellini, having no access to venison nor love of red beans.

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Yeh the Bayless is awesome in my opinion.. Just found a photo of the last time I made it.. I am ready to call it a day and start making this stuff..

Now the question is, do I serve with cheese fries, tater tots, or spaghetti.. Either way i am a happy man..

Edited October 25, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Bill Miller]

has anyone ever had green chilli................

i lived in northeast CO for a while, and it was a staple there..........

in most small towns you could get anything on a menu "smothered".....

usually it was cubed pork steak with all the bling one would put in chilli, but everything was green, instead of red......

a few crushed red tomatoes at the very end.........

it was pretty damn good.  i've never seen it anywhere else........

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I make a green chili stew using hatch chilis and pork--it has New Mexican roots. Very good.

[Chufi]

Here is one I made about a month ago.  I made it so that it would be Weight Watcher friendly. 

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I'm so glad you posted that

After I saw that pic in the WW thread I was literally dreaming about it.. made chili with barley a couple of days later.. it was sooo good. It added a delicious chewy texture.

next chili I make, I'm sure I'll add barley again.. heresy maybe.. but heresy that tastes great..

[mizducky]

. . . . .

has 'cincinnati chili' been discussed upthread, and what

do others think about this?

←

I have been told that Whacked-Out Chili is a sort of Cincinnati Chili but I am not sure of that. I have seen some recipes called that and they have a similarly outrageous list of ingredients. But I really don't know if that is what makes Cincinnati Chili. If anyone knows, please tell.

←

Mind you, I have yet to even visit Cincinnati, let alone try that town's chili, but a bit upthread I posted this link to a page all about Cincinnati-style chili, including a copy-cat recipe for Skyline Chili (Skyline is apparently one of the reigning purveyors of this style of chili). Reading the recipe, I'm intrigued by the choice of spices, but I'm so married to the idea of a thick stew-like chili that I'll probably try some other style (if I get it together to take part in this cook-off, that is).

Re: vegetarian chili--I too have used various incarnations of the Moosewood recipe with the bulghur. I really like how it turns out texture-wise--prefer it to using TVP as the latter's texture/mouth-feel never quite feels right to me.

Re: New Mexico-style green chili--I really like the idea of this, as I fell in love with green chiles on my brief visit to that state. Anybody got a pointer to a recommended recipe?

[jeniac42]

I have made chili once in my life and it came out really good.. It was a recipe from Rick Bayless's: Rick and Lanies Excellent Adventure.. Its a really solid recipe, I think..  My question is the only meat I have in the house is hanger steak.  Anyone think this will go well cubed in Chli, or do I go to the store?

←

I have such a hard time finding hangar steak that I'd go to the store and get a nice piece of chuck, or even use pork butt.

I know beef is traditional, but anyone else ever use pork?

←

I almost always do half beef and half pork. The pork makes it better, in my opinion.

[MicBacchus]

Upon arriving home and having a house at 62 degrees, chili was the perfect choice. I used two kinds of dried powders - ancho and chipotle, plus chipotle in adobo Wanted black beans but there were none on the store shelves, so I really drained a can of black bean soup - how desperate is that!! Now on to making the corn bread with whole corn, shredded cheese, and a hint of sour cream.

[snowangel]

Re: New Mexico-style green chili--I really like the idea of this, as I fell in love with green chiles on my brief visit to that state. Anybody got a pointer to a recommended recipe?

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Over on RecipeGullet, there a recipe for New Mexico Green Chili.

[snowangel]

I'm starting to think that some of that leftover smoked pork butt in the freezer might make a darned fine chili!

[JEL]

what about all the diffrent ways it can be served.......

almost limitless options....

cornbread, tortillas of all kinds, pasta, potatos, atop salads, pizza, eggs, dogs, burgers, chops, chicken, shrimp.......

all kinds of appetizers and dips.........

it's a pretty amazing little concoction if you think about it.......