# Going to enter a chili-cooking contest - anyone have any good ideas for ingredients? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-enter-a-chili-cooking-contest-anyone-have-any-good-ideas-for-ingredients/559769 "2010-11-07T05:08:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-enter-a-chili-cooking-contest-anyone-have-any-good-ideas-for-ingredients/559769/101 "2010-11-12T04:12:19Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Of course; I just wondered if anyone here had and if they recommended it. I wanna win that cookoff next year, no matter what it takes1 I personally have never tried it–I’m not a big fan of braised round steak, so it’s not something I would pick for this application. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-enter-a-chili-cooking-contest-anyone-have-any-good-ideas-for-ingredients/559769/102 "2010-11-12T11:32:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Not sure what you mean here. You shouldn’t be using lean cuts for stew (if that’s what you meant by “leaner consistency.”) If you use a stewing or braising cut like my favorite boneless short ribs, chuck, shank, etc., that stuff will turn into butter after a few hours of simmering. A lot of stew recipes say something like 2 hours, but I find it’s more like 3 hours to get that meat to properly break down and turn soft and succulent. > > And, yeah, chunks of meat in a spaghetti sauce is pretty standard when I’m doing a “Sunday gravy” type spaghetti sauce. I only use ground beef for a bolognese. > > ETA: You could meet halfway and use some ground and some hand-cubed beef. That way, the ground contributes to the thickness and body of the chili, while you still get the lovely chunks of meat. Cheap stewing meat, especially the stuff already cubed at your local megamart isn’t very well marbled. It’s often top round, it has a lot of connective tissue. He’s got a 4 hour cooking window including prep time and bringing the pot up to heat. He’s not going to be able to properly break down meat into a pot roast consistency. Plus in a wet northern chili with lots of beans and tomatoes that meat is more apt to boil than it is to braise. In my experience the stuff just doesn’t get a chance to truly break down. Give it a shot if you want, but I bet he ends up with chewy hunks of meat in his chili. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-enter-a-chili-cooking-contest-anyone-have-any-good-ideas-for-ingredients/559769/103 "2010-11-12T15:09:58Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Cheap stewing meat, especially the stuff already cubed at your local megamart isn’t very well marbled. It’s often top round, it has a lot of connective tissue. Which is why I specifically recommend certain cuts. I have no clue what people sell as “stew meat” so I never buy that cut. Top round, in my experience, is terrible for stews. It never gets as soft as a proper pot roasting cut like chuck, and it always has a dry mouthfeel to it. > [@](#): > > He’s got a 4 hour cooking window including prep time and bringing the pot up to heat. He’s not going to be able to properly break down meat into a pot roast consistency. Three hours is more than enough time to get a pot roast consistency out of the stewing cuts I mention. I’ve made stews three times in the past week alone. I know what I’m talking about. Use boneless short ribs or chuck. Including prep time, a carbonnade I made on Wednesday took a hair over three hours. > [@](#): > > Plus in a wet northern chili with lots of beans and tomatoes that meat is more apt to boil than it is to braise. Not sure what this means. Put meat in stew. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer. Wait three hours. I make stews that start covered with liquid, and I make stews that have almost no added liquid. The all cook fine within three hours. > [@](#): > > In my experience the stuff just doesn’t get a chance to truly break down. Give it a shot if you want, but I bet he ends up with chewy hunks of meat in his chili. _shrug_ I disagree. Anyhow, I like somebody’s idea of a pressure cooker upthread. You could be done in 45 minutes or so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-enter-a-chili-cooking-contest-anyone-have-any-good-ideas-for-ingredients/559769.md?page=5)