So I searched “chili” and didn’t see a lot of action, which I found surprising. I figured there’d be at least a thread or two with members expounding upon their culinary skills in this department.
So if the pro-sports haters can set aside their aversion to grown men and balls and whatnot, perhaps we can focus on what’s really important–that being a good bowl of chili. Cooking up a mondo pot of chili has been a tradition with me and mine since high school. During those early years, through college and the bar-cookoffs and the rest, the major goal was to produce a pot of liquid fire containing meat which would eat a hole through a cast iron kettle. If every spoonful didn’t require at least half a can of beer to wash it down, it just wasn’t up to snuff. Cooked a lot of chili, drank A LOT of beer, and frequently couldn’t remember who won the game the next day (or who played, for that matter).
With age, things have mellowed a bit, but I still cook up a big pot every Super Bowl. Here’s my modified version but I’m always interested to see how others build a pot of the red stuff:
8-10 lbs. boneless chuck or blade roast
2 cups beef soup base or bouillon
2 (10 oz) cans Rotel tomatoes
1 can mole sauce (8-10 oz.)
2 (4 oz.) cans green chilies
1/2 can (4 oz) diced jalapenos
1 can (7 oz) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (Embasa brand)
4 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup chili powder (I use Penzeys Spices’ Chili 9000 blend)
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
olive oil
I cube up the beef (1 1/2"-2" chunks), dust it with LaRue’s Dillo Dust dry rub (this IS a gun forum, after all) and some chili powder, and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days before I start cooking. I like to build the chili at least a couple of days ahead of time, so it has a full day to simmer, then a day to “rest” before eating.
Brown the meat a couple of pounds at a time in olive oil, then toss in a big crock pot or kettle with the bouillon. Then cook the onions in the same skillet until transparent. Add to the pot, toss in the remaining ingredients, and simmer for at least 8 hours. Cool and let it sit for a day, adjust the seasonings if needed, reheat and serve up with corn bread.
Knowing this will surely arouse the ire of some purists, I will occasionally add a couple of cans of red kidney beans or chili beans if I’m hauling a batch to a gathering, as some folks just seem to demand their chili have some beans in it. I look at the beans as nothing more than a cheap way to stretch the pot. If I do add them, I generally do it after I take the chili off the heat the first day, so the beans have a chance to absorb some of the flavors but don’t overcook and turn to mush.
Anybody else got a tried and true recipe for chili?