So, I did hit the leftovers in the Instant Pot for 1/2 hour and yeah, big difference. The chunks of beef are falling-apart tender, and the chili in general is amazing, having sat overnight to let the flavors meld, and then the Instant Pot re-cook.
Awesome! Glad it worked! Sometimes meat has a mind of its own and is done when it damn well is ready to be done. When I had a lot of barbecues with friends over, I always told them dinner is going to have about a 2-3 hr window, as I can’t rush it and ever cut of meat cooks a little differently and ambient conditions differ, etc. But we’d of course have plenty of other food as we waited. It was all an excuse to get together and mingle and drink, so no one was in a hurry anyway. Point being, with slow cooked stuff, there can be quite a bit of variation in cook times, and don’t give up on it, just wait.
“The trick is to undercook the onions. Everybody is going to get to know each other in the pot. I’m serious about this stuff. I’m up the night before, pressing garlic and dicing whole tomatoes. I toast my own ancho chilies. It’s a recipe passed down from Malones for generations—it’s probably the thing I do best.”
-Kevin
Once again, I want to mention using a mechanical meat tenderizer, such as the following option picked due to coming up first on a search:
https://www.amazon.com/Tenderizer-Stainless-Tenderizing-Accessories-Ccfoud/dp/B074V2BS22?th=1
I use this a good bit on beef round steak and equally on lean pork loins, which happen to be cuts that are often sold on the cheaper side of things for meat critters. Not that chuck is super pricey, granted, but if you have a chunk of lean meat and want to use it in a chili or other stewed dish, painful perforation prior to cutting into chunks can help as well.
Certainly does if you’re using a hot/dry method where you have fewer options!
Sorry for the hijack, but since you folks seem to be pretty chili-knowledgeable… Have you ever made or eaten red chicken chili? Meaning chicken in a traditional red sauce. I usually use chicken in a white bean chili but am thinking about trying something new for a Super Bowl chili contest I’m in at my local beer joint. Any thoughts?
I’ve used Jaccards – eh – I’m not a huge fan of them for stewing stuff. If you start with a cut that doesn’t have a lot of collagen, you just get easier-to-chew, but still dry, meat. At least that is my experience. I would just leave the lean meat out. Now some people don’t seem to notice or care as long as there’s enough wet stuff around it. Like my mom does jaccarded (or in her case, poked with forks) pork loin chops slow slow cooked for hours that I find just tastes like dry, overcooked pork to me, but they do shred and there’s plenty of gravy, and the only other person at the table who notices this is my brother, but we both shut up of course, because it’s not about the food. For me, Jaccarding is best for cuts of meat you want to cook quickly.
I’ve never tried a red chicken chili. Just white or green, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. I would go with dark meat were I to cook it for a long time, or if you want to do a mix, add the white meat towards the end after enough chicken-y flavor was extracted from the dark meat. I’m just thinking about how to make it interesting and not just Texas red made with chicken. Because that’s what white chicken chili has going for it – it’s a nice contrast. And same with the green (though similar to pork chile vede.) I almost think a stronger poultry like turkey would work better as a red chili. Or, if you wanna get real outside the lines, lamb would work fantastic – I haven’t done it, but I’m 100% sure that flavor would stand up to a red chili very well (I mean, look at lamb vindaloo), but it depends on whether you like lamb or not. That could be dicey.
Thanks. I am trying to play to the crowd. They are more likely to enjoy a bunch of Hormel cans warmed up with some hot sauce (slight hyperbole…) Two years ago I came in 2nd with a fairly traditional white chicken chili. Last year I did a Colorado-ish pork chili verde, which I thought was excellent, but didn’t place. Most entrants will be beef so I want to stand out a bit without getting too “crazy” for them.
Do a test run! 
Man, I love a good Colorado green chili but, yeah, when you got the wrong crowd, they won’t appreciate it. And white chicken chili is always awesome. My friend’s dad makes a version with fennel in it (like the vegetable, not the seeds) that was one of my favorite things ever. I would not have thought the fennel to work, but it did. I wonder if I still have that recipe somewhere …
Oh, no arguments at all! I just mentioned in as an option after quoting your section where you mentioned non-ideal meats for stewing, specifically round, which is often found in stew meat. But if it’s what you have, it’s -an- option to mitigate the issue. If nothing else, you get much better penetration of the liquid into the meat via the manifold incisions!
I love the chili varieties brought up in this thread! I did some googling for “colorado green chili recipes” and found this adorable website that looks like it was built circa 1995 (though it clearly has modern link tags): denvergreenchili.com. Not just a chili website, but a green chili website. That’s some specialization!
Here’s a recipe version on the site that sounds good:
Now I totally want to try a pork green chili.
Question: What exactly are ‘mild green chiles’? Since every green chili recipe I’ve seen uses up to several cups of them for the ‘base’, clearly you want to not mistake the type of green chile and use one that is overly spicy.
Hmmm, a white chicken chili with fennel sounds very interesting. I like trying ingredients and flavors that get me out of the rut of the same ones I usually use, and I’ve only ever used fennel in a seafood soup once years ago.
Anaheims are mild. Poblanos can go either way. Banana peppers are mild. 9 out of 10 Shishitos (supposedly…)
Something like an Anaheim would generally be used. You’ve heard of Hatch chiles, right? Those are a type of New Mexican green chile that is similar to Anaheim. AFAIUI, they both derive from the same chile, it’s just that one went to California, the other to New Mexico, and the New Mexican ones are generally a bit spicier, but even those come in varieties from mild to spicy. And in Colorado, I believe they grow their own version of this pepper which is supposed to be a little milder and fruitier than the New Mexican varieties, but any of these will do fine.
While you’re researching green chili, check out New Mexican green chili, as well. They have a bit of a rivalry. I am not exactly sure, though, what the differences between Colorado style and New Mexican style are.
And then you just have Mexican carne con chile (verde) or carne con salsa verde which will use some mix of serranos/poblanos/jalapenos and also tomatillos for the base. I consider these also in the general “green chili” family. I’m pretty sure I see tomatillos in Coloradan/New Mexican green chili from time to time, as well.
Ah, yes, tomatillos are a great addition to a green chili. They add body and a nice acidity.
I used to make black bean/chicken chili all the time. I’ll post the recipe, which will have chili nazis clutching their pearls, but the amounts of spices, etc. is a matter of personal taste.
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, minced (optional)
Ancho chili powder
Cumin powder
Chipotle chili powder
Cinnamon
Mexican oregano, dried
Smoked Spanish paprika
Chocolate (60% cacao, minimum) - optional
Olive oil
3 cans black beans
1 can tomatoes
Salt, to taste
Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces (easiest to do when partially frozen). Spread out on cutting board. Liberally sprinkle the ancho chili over chicken. Repeat with the cumin, then lightly with the chipotle pepper (probably about two teaspoons or less; it’s hot). Add a liberal amount (several tablespoons) of Mexican (NOT Greek or Italian) oregano and a small pinch of cinnamon. Add a teaspoon or so of paprika. Toss the chicken until well coated with spices. Heat about ¼ cup (maybe less) of olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and scrape in any leftover spices. Brown the spices well, turning the chicken frequently. This method releases the chile oils in the spices, making for a deeper flavor.
When the chicken is cooked and the spices browned, add the onions, peppers and garlic. Continue to sauté over medium heat. Open the tomatoes and drain the juice into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes until they’re at a size you like. When the onions and peppers are cooked, add the tomatoes and juice and the black beans. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add a couple of squares of the chocolate. Let simmer for about an hour or more.
Ah ok, I had thought of Hatch chiles as possibly being the ones to use for the ‘base’. Was not aware that Anaheims are more or less the same variety as Hatch, though possibly milder. Thanks!
I like a good black bean chili, and your recipe sounds great. Pearl-clutching chili nazis can take their pearls and go home.
I use masa to thicken my chili. Seems appropriate especially with the bourbon.
It’s these sorts of conundrums that result in the category almost always being called “Soups and Stews”, as there’s really no hard and fast rule about which is what.
Thanks!
Not authentic but the Mrs loves turkey chili. Basically some canned tomatoes, Rotel with green chile, McKormicks chili seasoning, canned beans and turkey breast.