Chili – Cook-Off 15

[suzilightning]

for dinner tomorrow night : CHILI. course i'm making it today. since i have to use up the freezer foods it will be of the ground meat(buffalo and beef mixed) persuasion instead of my regular bowl of red.

onion, garlic, beer, poblanos, cumin and cocoa.

jalapeno cheddar corn bread and cheese and sour cream.

i can't wait.....

[TongoRad]

Well . . . Even die hard converts have been known to backslide when an attack of the lazies hits.  

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Speaking of the lazies...

Last night I was in one of those situations where I was cooking for myself, and I only had a half-hour to get something done. What I wound up with was a vegetarian black bean chili- just a simple chile (ancho, NuMex, chipotle) sauce, or gravy, with a can of black beans and some chopped green chiles added. Fortunately for me there was some leftover polenta in the fridge so I cut it into squares and pan fried them in butter and olive oil. They were laid on a plate and the beans were ladled over them along with sliced scallions and a squirt of sour cream. It was pretty damn good, if I do say so myself, in a 'city slicker' sort of way. And, yes, I did hear the entirety of Texas groan with the mere mention of the word polenta

[fifi]

. . . . .

And, yes, I did hear the entirety of Texas groan with the mere mention of the word polenta 

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Hayull, Honey! Polenta is jes that fancy Eye-talian word fur grits.

[Ktepi]

The leftovers I froze from that huge cassoulet are almost all gone, having been drafted for lunches long after I thought I'd be sick of chili. I'm real close to picking up the ingredients for another batch, as something to break up the post-Thanksgiving turkey monopoly. But more chorizo this time -- maybe half chorizo, half beef -- and I think a fair bit of smoked paprika.

[fifi]

The leftovers I froze from that huge cassoulet are almost all gone, having been drafted for lunches long after I thought I'd be sick of chili.  I'm real close to picking up the ingredients for another batch, as something to break up the post-Thanksgiving turkey monopoly.  But more chorizo this time -- maybe half chorizo, half beef -- and I think a fair bit of smoked paprika.

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I have a hard time getting tired of chili as well.

It sounds like you are about to develop a heck of a "Chili Cassoulet." Once you get it like you like it, you WILL put it in RecipeGullet, won't you?

[eJulia]

I actually made my chili on Monday, but had trouble with posting pics.

My chili is made with cubed beef, cubed pork and chili-grind ground beef. Add reconstituted dried anchos, (in beef stock), onions, green bell pepper, cayenne, red pepper flakes (yes, I like my chili spicey!), garlic, and whatever else I have in my frig that sounds good. BUT NO BEANS!!!!

I also do what no one else mentioned..... rather than the cheese grated on top, I put a nice thick slice on the bottom of the bowl. After ladling on the hot chili, it's like a food treat when you dig in your spoon - gooey, melted wonder.

Close up of the actual chili:

And finally, the ultimate topper.... I used onions in the chili,so did not feel like raw onions were nessacary, avocados sounds interesting, but did not have any in the house, sour cream would have been fine (if I had any!) BUT the required topper is OYSTER CRACKERS!

Leftovers are in freezer, waiting for the next pork-out!!!

[Ktepi]

It sounds like you are about to develop a heck of a "Chili Cassoulet." Once you get it like you like it, you WILL put it in RecipeGullet, won't you?   

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Oh, I want to walk this one through a lot more poses before taking a snapshot, if you see what I mean. But I have nine days of living-and-eating-alone between the Missus going to her parents' for the holidays and having that corned ham for Christmas, so I'm going to try at least one variation in that window, and maybe two small ones.

I'm making duck confit during that time, too, and as much as I wanted to leave duck out of the first version of Chili Cassoulet, I might have to try it...

[fifi]

. . . . .

I'm making duck confit during that time, too, and as much as I wanted to leave duck out of the first version of Chili Cassoulet, I might have to try it...

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Ooooo . . . Now that is interesting. My sister has some goose breasts that she needs to get out of the freezer and I gave her the turkey confit recipe that I used here. The confit recipe was linked up-thread here. Her next question was what to do with the confit when it was done. I advised the usual salad with bitter greens and walnuts and a cassoulet. But, what if you confit the duck with more soutwestern US ingredients and then use it in your chili cassoulet?

Oh my. This is an exciting denoument for chili.

[suzilightning]

tomorrow night's dinner is mellowing in the fridge. chili verde.

cubed pork, roasted poblanos, tomatillos, onions, garlic, cumin and oregano, a can of tetley's and some chicken stock.

[Eden]

It's almost the end of the month, so it's time to ask: What's next?

[Chris Amirault]

Cook-Off XVI: Potato Pancakes.

[snowangel]

I had every intention of making latkes tonight, but a meeting Paul and Diana needed to attend at 7:00 pm meant we needed a quick-to-get-on-the-table meal. Chili!

2 pounds of misc. pieces of venison (when I whacked up the deer quarters, I ended up with a pile of odd scraps), cubed and browned in bacon grease. A lot of onions and an obscene amount of garlic. That 3/4 pound package of ground venison that was rattling around in the freezer. The last of the tomatoes I froze this summer. Some roasted poblanos that fell on my foot when I opened the freezer. A mixture of a couple of kinds of chilis (ground) that I got at the coop and forgot to label. And, two cans of rotel. Oh, and 2 cans of kidney beans.

It was the best ever chili.

Eveyone really liked the combo of the small cubes of venison with the ground.

I made 6 quarts, so we'll have plenty of chili in the freezer!

[Susan in FL]

Susan, the description of that sounds so good and it looks so good!

P.S. Your photos have been shining recently. Awesome!

[fifi]

. . . . .

. . . Some roasted poblanos that fell on my foot when I opened the freezer.  . . .

It was the best ever chili.

. . . . .

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Some of those kinds of accidents make for the very best chili. Damn, that sounds good. What a fitting end for the noble beasties.

[Ktepi]

Tonight was the first variant of my chili cassoulet:

For meat, I used 2 pounds chili-grind beef, 1 pound ground pork, 1 pound of "chorizo" (see below).

Black beans instead of the pintos of last time.

Instead of chiles, a spoonful of my habanero roasted tomato ketchup, which was by itself spicy enough to make this batch much spicier than last time. It's little enough tomato relative to the beans that I don't think the acidity mattered.

Crushed blue corn tortilla chips instead of Fritos.

We had it alongside seared duck breast -- I love duck with black beans, and make a black bean cassoulet with duck confit when friends visit, so this was sort of midway between that and the previous chili cassoulet.

The black beans definitely make a big texture difference -- neither better nor worse, just different. The tortilla chips ... I think I like the Fritos better. The tortilla chips didn't really form their own layer the way the Fritos had, they just sat there, texturally no different after cooking than before -- I'm sure the fat in Fritos helps them to "recombine."

(As for that "chorizo" ... well, my butcher, bless their hearts, has among their repertoire of house-made sausages a few that I think of as "inspired by" the sausages whose names they bear. Their chorizo is a moderately spiced beef-and-pork sausage seasoned with a touch of vinegar, and is useful largely for being a spicy fresh sausage that isn't Italian.)

[Audiofan2]

A few things I have discovered with my life long chili quest....

I like beans, I know there is controversy, but the add flavor. I like to add Texas beans, Kidney Beans, Chili Beans, and Carribean Black Beans.

I use only Campbells tomato soup, other brands seem not to be as good.

Soak ground beef in water for 30 minutes before cooking. This softens it up a bit.

Also cut tri tip into small pieces. Ground beef and tri tip are a nice combo.

Use fresh tomatoes, not canned.

Get some quality beer (always a good idea anyway). I usually try and include an IPA (Bridgeport), a winter brew when in season (Deschutes Jubleale), and a nice pale ale. Three 12 oz bottles for 8 lbs of meat.

Habinaro and Sarrano peppers are really nice, fresh peppers go a long way.

Long neck strong garlic is nice.

A can or two of black olives.

From here, I usually add cumin, crushed (pizza place) peppers, chili powder, and any other pepper powders, to taste.

I like to add onion, red.

Chicken stock

Just my 2 cents.

[zhelder]

I haven't read every post in this thread but I hope everyone knows that it's a cardinal sin to cook beans in chili. If you're going to add beans at all then they should be boiled separately, drained, washed off, and added last. Cheese is an absolute no-no too!

Here's a killer Cajun chili recipe that I've modified over the years (the original recipe was called Ole Homer Delacroix's Bowl of Fire):

Heat 1/4c olive oil in a 6-quart iron pot, then add 3-lbs. diced lean beef (never veal) and sear over high heat, stirring constantly until the meat is gray but not brown. The meat, Homer says, will have the consistency of whole-grain hominy.

Add 1-qt. water and cover. Cook at simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Then add:

8 chilis or 6T chili powder (I grow my own tabasco peppers)

3t salt

10 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1t ground cumin

1t oregano or marjoram

1t red pepper

1T sugar

3T paprika

Cook another 30-minutes at simmer. Then add:

3T flour

6T cornmeal

1 cup water

(Mix the above 3 ingredients together in a bowl before adding to the chili)

Cook another 5 minutes more to determine if more water is needed.

If you want beans to go with the chili then prepare them as follows:

Boil and drain the beans thoroughly before adding them to the chili, for if there is any bean liquid left it will detract from the chili flavor. Better yet, place the beans in the bottom of a bowl and spoon the chili on top of them right as you serve it. If you want onions, serve them separate on the side. NEVER NEVER EVER cook onions or beans in chili!!!

Note: This chili helps improve your memory! The next day when you go to the bathroom, you'll remember you ate it!!!

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You, sir, (or madam, as the case may be) are my hero. I have been looking for YEARS for a decent chili recipe made without onions (I can take or leave beans in chili). This looks like it's it. Glad to see there's someone out there who doesn't put onions in their chili. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

[Jambalyle]

I know the eGullet Chili Cookoff is long past, but my office decided to have a chili feed for our pre-SuperBowl party. Besides eating chili, corn bread, and swilling a couple beers, we are drawing the numbers for our office pool.

Four of our better cooks are making chili at home and bringing it to work today. Someone is making a Puerto Rican style steak chili, another is making a typical ground beef/kidney bean chili, and another is bringing in her famous vegetarian chili. I was asked to make a chili with ground turkey for those in our office who only eat "fins and feathers". Not where my heart is, but I ended up creating something very tasty. Here is my 5 pepper turkey black bean chili:

Black Beans - cook separately. Wash, sort, soak overnight. Simmer in water, with salt and chopped onion, until cooked through, but still firm. Save to add to chili later.

Assorted peppers, onion, garlic - wash, cut in half, deseed. Toss with EVOO and kosher salt. Roast. I used the broiler method, but use whatever roasting method you prefer.

Pre-roasted peppers, onions, garlic:

Post-roasted peppers, onions, garlic:

Skin and roughly chop roasted peppers, garlic and onion. Save to add to chili later.

Saute another onion in schmaltz until opaque. Add ground turkey and brown through. Salt and pepper to taste. Add canned chopped/diced tomatoes. Continue to simmer. Add chopped roasted peppers, garlic and onion. I also added a small can of Del Monte Chipotles in adobo. Here's what mine looked like at this point:

OK... I tasted and adjusted seasonings with salt and pepper. When I was appoaching completion I added the cooked black beans. Here is a picture of the final result:

That was Sunday... I cooled and refrigerated overnight. In the morning, I tested the chili (a yummy breakfast!) and transferred to the crockpot for heating at work. It was good Sunday night, but even better on Monday!

I'll let you know how the other chilies fared.

Bon appetit!

PS: Go Seahawks!

[Chris Amirault]

Looks great, Lyle. Do you always roast the peppers and onions first?

[Jambalyle]

Not always... other chili recipes I use have no fresh peppers in them at all.

I was really worried that the ground turkey would be really bland, so the idea to roast a variety of peppers, onions, and garlic was an effort to get beyond my fear of bland turkey chili. It was successful, in that I used no (and it needed no) jarred chili powder or other seasonings (except salt and pepper). I roasted jalapeno, pasilla, anaheim, and assorted red, orange and yellow sweet peppers. And added the canned chipotles.

[fifi]

Jambalyle, that is a noble example of a turkey chili. My dad did something similar years ago. Ground turkey was just becoming available and he kept trying to find something to do with it that was not just edible but delicious. They had all kinds of peppers in the garden and he took the same approach you did. His was a success, too.

BTW . . . You are not late to the party. What is cool about the cook-offs is that they need not ever die.

[Jambalyle]

Just an update: Day three... my leftover 5-pepper turkey black bean chili just gets better with age. The tastes and flavors are blending more and the spiciness is now a wonderful long-lasting slow burn. Yum! Wish there was more, as the last of the batch gets eaten by my wife today for lunch!

[Ktepi]

I'm glad this thread was revived, and Jambalyle, that does look like a good turkey chili.

Advice question:

I'm making chili for Superbowl Sunday, and since I'm also making a batch of Ragu Bolognese next week (I've been making it pretty regularly since Kevin72's demonstration on his Italian Cooking thread), I was thinking of making the chili sort of similar to that. I mean, I almost always make chili with very slow, low heat anyway, but ... I'm thinking, something that more specifically targets the richness and depth you get with Ragu Bolognese, something as intensely meaty and rich as it is spicy. Chili you can eat with a fork without leaving much in the bowl.

I don't want it to be especially tomatoey, so I'm envisioning a stock that cooks down over the course of the day, which suits the meats I have on hand -- chili-grind beef, normal ground chuck, it'll-do-for-now chorizo, and not-too-fatty/but-not-too-lean country pork ribs. I'm picturing stewing the ribs in that chili broth as it cooks down, removing the bones and shredding the meat after six hours, and then cooking down until it's very thick.

My question, though. I use vermouth in making the Ragu Bolognese, adding some to the beef and vegetables and cooking it down before then adding the tomatoes. I like the additional depth of flavor it adds, and I'd like the chili to be similarly multi-dimensional, but I don't know ... would vermouth go with chili? I haven't been happy about beer in chili recipes unless it's used in fairly small amounts, say half a can per batch.

[fifi]

I am having a hard time putting vermouth with chili but that is just in my mind. I have been known to add red wine to chili. It is actually in the Whacked-Out Chili recipe and I have been known to dump what is on hand or left over into an impromptu chili. That seems to work out.

I would suggest that you take out a small portion of your chili, add a tad of vermouth and see what you think before adding it to the whole batch. I would be interested to hear how it comes out. I do like cooking with vermouth in general.

[Ktepi]

Hm, with the ragu I add the vermouth at the beginning of the day-long cooking, so the parallel of that with the chili wouldn't let me taste it in a small dose. That may be reason enough to be reluctant -- but I have a third or so of a bottle of red wine, too, and could try that.