I’m glad to hear I’m not the only person who leans away from standard chili powder as the main seasoning. I like the idea of stew meat in place of ground chuck. Cooking it down until it’s very tender- I’ll try that in my next batch.
My Chili tends to vary from one batch to the next, depending on what I have lying around. I cook a lot of asian foods so I always have a jar of assorted peppers in the freezer and always use cumin in stead of generic chili powder. I don’t use canned tomatoes or canned sauce usually just because I always have lots of fresh tomatoes in stock. Just cut 8-10 plump ripe tomatoes into large pieces and cook them with the meat & spices for a couple of hours. This yields just the right mixture of tomato solids to sauce. I like the flavor that onion adds but don’t care for the crunchiness, so I let it cook waaaay down (throw it in early with the tomatoes).
Lots of good suggestions here, but don’t forget the Beano!
Possible chili add-ins:
beer
1/2 black beans and
1/2 ground pork 1/2 beef or venison or TVP
corn
a little coffee 1/4 cup per pound of meat
cinnamon
salsa
scotch bonnet peppers (roasted to a mellow nuttiness)
cocoa
red wine (if no beer is available)
bulger
This is probably my closest held secret. But, for the sake of the boards, for the love of fellow Dopers, and since two out of three have for the most part been already been mentioned, here ya go:
Hershey’s Cocoa. Not too much or it will take on a slight dark flavor, one that will clash with the tomatoes and peppers. And for you folks who add molasses or sugar. Try using a dark amber Maple syrup. Lastly, to balance out some of the heat and sweetness, in addition to the cheddar, mix in a bit of parmesan.
Of course, for really hot chili, you can’t beat merciless peppers of Quetzlzacatenango!
I add masa flour to thicken it. I also have added smooth peanut butter to thicken it up and add some unusual texture. Just make sure no one’s allergic to peanuts.
Chili definately needs some brown sugar or molasses, and about a bottle’s worth of dark (flat) beer.
I always add some shredded cheddar and Monteray Jack cheese to my serving.
pkbites…Thousand Island dressing? Eewww, gross. Ranch dressing is better.
I’m with Sqrlcub; but instead of a cracker, I like to eat it with a tortilla chip…scoop up a bite and get some crunchy chip in it, too.
…ooohhh yeah, I forgot , you gotta serve it with cornbread fresh from the oven, baked in an iron skillet,Sour cream ,chopped onion,cheddar cheese …Yawsuh!
Oddest ingredient = Chocolate. Yep, plain ol’ Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar. I also use beef stock and beer as a base. For meat I use cubed sirloin and cubed pork loin (both at once). Tons of spices - chili powder, cumin, pepper, mustard powder, onion powder, and others to desired taste. No tomatoes. No beans.
May be topped with cheddar cheese and/or sour cream as desired.
That’s why chili is great though, you can put in what you like and play and experiment with it as you go. Reading these posts really has me itching to make some this weekend.
Oh, yeah. We ought to start a cornbread thread. I have a 6th generation cast-iron skillet. That SOB’s got more bacon grease baked into the metal than 4 pounds of fresh pork. And then for dessert, put some maple syrup on the leftover cornbread. Aww, hell, it’s only up to 70 degrees here today–I think we’re having chili and cornbread tonight for dinner.
You people are brilliant! I know what I’m having for dinner tonight, and it’s definitely going to involve a few ideas from this thread. Not the blue food coloring–although the kids would probably like it.
I always wondered about the stuff at the college cafeteria where I went, which was advertised as “Meatless Chili Con Carne.” Hmmmmmm.
Try adding 1 can of cola (I use RC) in a large pot. I don’t know why this works so well, but it does. My other “secret” ingredient is called Carribean Triple Barn Burner Sauce. Its hard to find, but adds flavor as well as heat.
I think it’s important to have fresh tomato (or at least a combination of fresh and canned)and fresh peppers.
Steve likes to make his with beef pork AND chicken. It’s pretty good.
And what the hell is wrong with beans? They’re not traditional? A hundred years from now they’ll be traditional.
(1550. A kitchen in Italy.
Italian Mother: “You want me to cook one of those ‘to-may-toes’ they brought back form the other side of the world? No thank you. I’ll stick to traditonal Italian cooking.”)
This recipe has been known to make grown Hispanic men weep with homesickness. This is as close to the real thing that was made out in the Old West as you can get. No tomato, no beans, just lots of chili goodness. (Previously posted in my Ultimate Recipe Thread.)
Chili De Guaillo (Very Authentic Mexican Chili)
Preparation time: 1-2 hours
Serves: 4-8 People Ingredients:
2-3 Lbs. Beef round or London broil
2-3 White onions (no yellow or red)
1-2 Qts. Chicken broth
6-8 Garlic cloves
4-6 Dried Gauillo chile pods
1-2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup oil or fat
1/2-1 Tsp Powdered cumin
1/2 Tsp ground white pepper Preparation:
Heat the stock in a large cook pot. Peel and cut the onions into medium pieces. Peel the garlic and chop coarsely. Add the onions and garlic to the stock. Trim and cut the meat into one inch cubes. Put the meat into the pot, bring to a simmer and cover tightly. Heat the oil in a dry skillet. Slit open each of the chile pods and remove the ribs and seeds. Flatten the pods and soften them in the hot oil. When the pods are flexible remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Reserve the oil.
Once the onions are completely cooked in the broth, pick out the chunks of meat. Begin to fry the meat in the reserved oil. Pour the broth and vegetables into a medium sized bowl. Cut up the fried chili pods and add them to the broth mix. Use a hand blender to puree the broth mixture completely. Strain the mixture and return it to the cook pot. Check on the meat and make sure to salt and brown it a little before returning it to the broth mix.
Simmer the chili for another 30-60 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add the spices during the last half hour of cooking and salt to taste. Leave the top off of the pan until the sauce reduces to twice its thickness. Serve with hot, soft white corn tortillas (see the Carnitas recipe). Accompany with Spanish rice and beans (recipes to follow), Pacifico beer, some Herdez brand Salsa Casera. A little Monterey Jack cheese on the beans, some corn chips for the salsa and you will go back in time to old Mexico.
I’m in for the dark beer. Ducking frantically, I prefer a bottle of Guinness. Some rice and pearled barley to thicken it. I also like to use more than one kind of meat: usually stew beef in chunks, ground beef, and the secret–diced pepperoni (not the slices; you want about 1/4-1/2 inch dice). An entire head of whole garlic cloves. As many kinds of peppers as I can get my hands on: fresh, dried, pickled. The entire range of heat, from bells to habaneros. Tobasco, chipotle, and habanero sauces. Crockpot the bejeepers out of it. Overnight chili is the best. There should be no liquid thinner than oatmeal left. I know what’s for dinner tomorrow…
Zenster’s chili is what’s for dinner tomorrow night.
It sounds very similar to the most basic meat curries. The technique of simmering meat in stock then browning it and returning it to the pot is used a lot in Indian cooking.
