Inspired by this thread, I decided to make another attempt at chili. Now, I like my chili just fine. But it never comes out as well as I’d like. So try, and try again.
I stemmed and seeded guajillo and ancho chiles, and cut them up. About two cups total, squashed down into a measuring cup. I’m simmering them in a quart of beef broth to re-hydrate them. I sampled the chiles as I was seeding them, and they’re not hot at all. I have some canned chipotles that I’ll add. Once the guajillos and anchos are re-hydrated, I’ll purée them in a blender with the chipotles and save them until tomorrow.
Mañana I’ll fry some bacon in a big pot, cube about five pounds of chuck, coat the meat in flour, and brown it in the bacon fat. I’ll add the puréed chilies, some minced garlic, a tablespoon or two of cumin, maybe a tablespoon of kosher salt, a diced yellow onion, the crumbled bacon (Why not?), and another quart of beef broth. Then I’ll let it simmer for four or six hours.
I’ve just tasted the broth, and it does have a little heat. I’ll have to be careful, because while I like very spicy foods, The Missus doesn’t like things ‘too hot’. But chipotles will go in.
Last night I puréed the chiles in the broth. Now all I have to do is render some bacon, cube the chuck roast, brown the meat, chop the onion, mince the garlic, put everything into the pot with the cumin and salt and another quart of beef broth, turn on the heat, and wait. (Actually, I’ll wait on the salt. The broth has salt in it.)
It would likely help to make your own beef stock, or at least to use commercial stock instead of broth. Most broth/stock you buy off the shelf is not much more than salty water with a bit of flavoring (if you’re lucky). Googling “best commercial beef stock” gets mixed or vague results.
I don’t have the time to make my own stock. In actuality, I’ve always just used water. This time I’m using Swanson’s beef broth (in the box). I haven’t decided if I’ll use another quart of that, or use a quart of water.
I’m making chili today too! My recipe differs from yours in that I don’t use bacon fat, don’t put flour on the meat, and I use different chilies. I use the same anchos and guajillos, but I also use pasillios and dried cayenne pepper for the heat.
I personally think you need some masa to thicken it. If you’d picked up the ingredients for tamales, you’d have some.
With Queso Fundido* for lunch, tomorrow morning is gonna be gassy.
I don’t think that recipe is very good, but my friend’s website isn’t up any more. Here’s that recipe.
Well, I have flour, and I don’t have masa. The flour should serve as a thickener. I thought about Serrano chiles for the heat, but I happened to have a can of chipotles.
Even with the boxed stuff, stock is better than broth. A comparison of Swanson’s chicken products by Test Kitchen showed the broth was just salty, while the stock had deeper flavor. Also, I like beer over water. Also try adding some Mexican oregano (not Greek)
The best thing about the canned chipotles is the adobo sauce they come in. So freaking good in chili(and everything else) better than the chilies themselves. The bottles of independent adobo sauce are nowhere near as good for some reason, I guess the chipotles give up their soul to the sauce when canned together.
I have developed a pretty strong preference for Sam Adams Boston Lager for my chili. It’s ok for drinking but really shines in chili.
The winner of a chili contest I entered (& lost) earlier this year made a startling confession. After the prizes were awarded and the bowls were scraped clean, he said he exclusively used ground turkey. I do think his great chili deserved to win and would have never, ever guessed it wasn’t beef and/or pork. It was texturally perfect and lacked nothing.
Of my attempts, I think this one is the best so far. I used about five pounds of (Angus) chuck, one yellow onion, five cloves of garlic, maybe three tablespoons of cumin, a couple of large pinches of salt, and the other things in the OP.
I make mine with chicken. No particular reason, other than less fat and it doesn’t require hours for it to tenderize. The pot is always empty after a potluck. And I’ve won a contest with it (admittedly an office competition, nothing serious).
Try a batch with way more cumin and an equal amount of chili powder, about a quarter cup of each. I know it sounds insane but it is a recipe that really does take that much spice.
