A local tavern I frequent is having a chili cookoff and I would like to enter (he prizes are not worth mentioning as this is really more for fun)
I have in the past toyed with making homemade chili but I do it infrequently enough that I never got to the point where I remembered what I did so I could refine it. This has been something I’ve been meaning to do but as with many things in life it gets backburnered and I never get around to it.
So, any Dopers with a killer chili recipe?
A few notes:
I like hearty chili…not soupy/watery chili
I hate chunks of tomato floating about in my chili
I like my chili to have a little kick (spicy) but not overly so such that it is inedible to most people (I figure they can add hot sauce later if they like)
I need instruction beyond just an ingredient list. Things such as how lean the beef I buy should be, how to best cook the meat beforehand, how fine to chop the vegetables up, etc. Those may change of course with a given recipe but hopefully you see what I am getting at.
How to best tweak the chili at the end (for instance, if it is too watery how to best thicken it up).
What kind of chili do you want? There’s many varieties. For example, Texas chili tends to be chunks of beef in a fairly hot sauce made with dried or fresh chili peppers. Beans may or may not be included. If they are, they’re usually pinto beans. It probably doesn’t have other veggies - like tomatoes or onions or green bell peppers.
Midwestern chili is more like a hearty soup. I typically make it with hamburger or sausage. The sauce base is tomatoes, and may include chunks of tomatoes (but doesn’t have to.) It includes green peppers, onions, garlic, and kidney beans.
Cincinatti style chili is another thing altogether, as is New Mexico style green chili.
I’ve been pretty fond of the Carol Shelby (Yes, that Carol Shelby) prefab chili spice mix that’s in a little paper bag at the grocery store. Nicely balanced spicing and the cayenne is separate so you can choose your heat. Also includes masa for thickening.
I also add a block of unsweetened “bakers” chocolate to a pot of chili - it sounds odd, but it adds a subtle depth to the flavor. If you’re sticking to the quantities if add-ins (beans, chopped tomato, etc) listed on the instructions, start with a half block.
I need a chili recipe for a SLOW COOKER. Something that will sit there and cook for 8, 10 hours. I tried a hamfisted attempt at chili and the goddamn kidney beans didn’t cook.
Send me an email (addy in my profile) and I will send you some authentic New Mexico red chile powder. It is uniquely flavorful and spicy but not way too hot. I’ll send you a recipe, too. Consider a care package from the southwest.
Jill
RickJay - assuming you’re using canned beans - they go in at the end - half an hour before “done” is usually all they need, otherwise they will turn hard.
REAL CHILI AIN’T GOT NO BEANS!!! (and one beer is never enough )
I’d givya my resapee, but I makes it up as I goes along. Its got lots of differnt peppers and lotsa meat, and most folks can’t eat it, but thats all the more left fer me!
Don’t ever mention that you put beans in yer chili ifn yer in Tejas!
Seriously though. You might want to check the rules. Some chilli cook offs wont allow you to have beans or “chunks”. If this is just your local bar throwing it, then they probably don’t have any rules.
I’d give you my recipe but when I cook my chilli; I do it from the heart. (In other words I throw the browned-chilli-ground meat into the crock pot then throw in what ever spices and peppers that tickle my fancy at the time.)
My only rule is I NEVER use chllli powder (cuz that’s cheat’n ) and I always use fresh ingredience.
Again, if you don’t have access to whole dried red chile pods, the New Mexico chile powder (that doesn’t have other ingredients added… just ground red chile) works great. I brown a large chopped onion in some olive oil for about eight minutes, add a couple of cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute or two. Then I add about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of pure red chile powder and cook and stir that for a minute before adding meat. I like cubed pork tenderloin but beef is okay. Then I add pinto beans (soaked overnight and cooked ahead of time), cumin, salt and pepper, maybe some chopped tomatoes (some people are against the tomatoes, though), a bay leaf and maybe other stuff. Some people add half a bottle of dark Mexican beer and it doesn’t hurt.
Here’s my recipe for crockpot chili, but I use canned beans.
1.5 lbs beef stew meat or lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. or cube of beef bouillon
1 can of sliced tomatoes with juice
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 can Heinz chili blend beans or pinto beans, drained
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped or can of green chilis
spices – chili powder, lemon pepper, cayenne pepper, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, etc. to taste, Dan-Ts White Hot cayenne sauce
optionals – diced carrots, can of beer, bacon pieces, cooked rice, fresh cilantro
Sprinkle the meat with spices, put in slow cooker and cover with bouillon granules, onion, tomato, vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add beans, any fresh spices and turn to high for 20 minutes. Serve on rice if desired.
If you want to use uncooked beans, you have to boil them first for two minutes before adding to the crockpot and cooking on low for 8-10 hours with the meat, spices, etc.
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