• The KillerFrogs

OT - Chili Recipe

froginaustin

Active Member
Just about every Texas or southwestern cook that is worth a dam can make a decent pot of chili. Midwesterners can make a decent dish that they call chili but most of us would not. Some of what they cook is pretty tasty. It's just not chili in the Texas or New Mexico sense.

That being said, and assuming that we are talking about a food that is made from the pods of chili plants and not from tomato products, I have only 1 immutable rule that I would respectfully share with this board.

Unless the cook wants the dish to taste like a pot of beans, do NOT cook beans with the chili or whatever is being cooked. If you cook a dish with beans in it, it will taste like beans. If you want chili and beans, cook the beans separate from the chili.

When the chili is served, if the person eating it wants beans, add beans. I frequently do that for my spouse and in-laws, to reduce the spice of the unadulterated chili that I cook. If a person actually likes beans in chili, there is no reason not to serve it that way. To them.

Dishes made with tomato products are sometimes excellent soups. Dishes made with beans are sometimes excellent bean dishes. Appreciate them for what they are.
 

Dogfrog

Active Member
Regarding the concoction of chili, if you haven't been by Pendery's Spices over on 8th near Magnolia, go there. http://www.penderys.com/

It will greatly broaden your horizons...

Have not been in there yet but according to the website the business has been in FW since 1860’s - 1870? Wife is going this week to prepare for chili this weekend. Better to buy the individual spices or go with a preblend?
 

QuilterFrawg

CDR USN (Ret)
I took packages of Wick Fowler's 2-Alarm Chili mix with me to duty stations in Spain and Japan. Could find everything else in the commissary. Big hit at parties, except most Japanese found it too hot. Still use it to this day.
 

Froglaw

Full Member
The dish you all are describing is chile con carne. Chile is spelled with an “e” and is not a dish, it’s a condiment. Pinche gringos.

Two different dishes.

Chile is a sauce or topping for enchiladas or tamales.

Chili, made correctly, is a dish served up to Texans for multiple generations going back to when Texas was a state within the Republic of Mexico. (May or may not be true, but I'm rolling).

True chili is made with exotic meat (venison, rattle snake, bear, armidillo, etc).

I use venison because I have venison.

No Beans.

According to Willie Nelson, a yankee got off the train in Liberty, Texas and went to the hotel for lunch.

He ordered a bowl of Chili, but insisted that the cook put beans in the chili.

The cook came out of the kitchen, wiped his hands on his apron, drew his Colt Peacemaker, and shot the ignorant Yankee.

Justice was served that day.
 

sentcu

Member
Just about every Texas or southwestern cook that is worth a dam can make a decent pot of chili. Midwesterners can make a decent dish that they call chili but most of us would not. Some of what they cook is pretty tasty. It's just not chili in the Texas or New Mexico sense.

That being said, and assuming that we are talking about a food that is made from the pods of chili plants and not from tomato products, I have only 1 immutable rule that I would respectfully share with this board.

Unless the cook wants the dish to taste like a pot of beans, do NOT cook beans with the chili or whatever is being cooked. If you cook a dish with beans in it, it will taste like beans. If you want chili and beans, cook the beans separate from the chili.

When the chili is served, if the person eating it wants beans, add beans. I frequently do that for my spouse and in-laws, to reduce the spice of the unadulterated chili that I cook. If a person actually likes beans in chili, there is no reason not to serve it that way. To them.

Dishes made with tomato products are sometimes excellent soups. Dishes made with beans are sometimes excellent bean dishes. Appreciate them for what they are.

This. I come from a family that is as Texan as Texan gets but at some point I decided I needed to drop the arbiter of what is Texan poser act and admit I prefer whatever you want to call chili with beans. But it has to be like this. If you simmer the beans with the chili it turns into a bean mush. My issue is that a chili without beans, especially with ground beef, can end up with the consistency of an con carne sauce and it's begging for something like red kidney beans in my opinion. Many will overcompensate for making enchilada sauce by adding too many onions. For me, onions can overpower a dish incredibly easily; not my taste. So if the choice you give me is between beans and onions, give me the beans. All that said, the 7 chili recipe looks incredible and will be made this weekend.
 

AroundWorldFrog

Full Member
Definitely my favorite Chili recipe:

Seven-Chile Chili


Ingredients:

6 anchos
2 pasilla
2 costeños
2 guajillos
4 chiles de arbol
4 pieces of bacon
4 pounds of chuck roast, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 large onion diced
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup of brewed coffee
1 bottle of beer
2 cups of water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp clove
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tablespoon cumin
2 chipotles in adobo
Salt
1/4 cup masa harina
1/3 Mexican hot chocolate tablet, grated

Method:
Heat the dried chiles (anchos, pasillas, costenos, guajillos and chiles de arbol) in a dry, cast-iron skillet ( I just use a cooking pan) on medium for a couple of minutes on each side. Turn off the heat and then add enough water to the skillet to cover the chiles, and let them soak for half an hour.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy pot, such as a Dutch oven, fry up your bacon. When done, remove from pan and crumble and leave the bacon grease in the pot (it should be about 3) tablespoons. In the pot, cook your beef in the bacon grease on medium heat, a few minutes on each side until lightly browned. You will probably have to cook these in two batches.

Remove the browned beef from the pot, and add your onions. Cook on medium until clear. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Put the beef back in the pot, and mix in the coffee, the beer, two cups of water, bacon crumbles and the dry spices. Turn the heat up to high.

Your soaking chiles should be soft by now. Drain them and discard the soaking water (it will be bitter) and place them in a blender along with the canned chipotle chiles and one cup of fresh water. Puree until nice and smooth and then add the chile puree to the chili pot.

When chili begins to boil, turn heat down to low and let simmer for five hours, stirring occasionally. Taste it once an hour, and if the flavors are too muted, feel free to add more of any of the spices. Also, it starts to get too dry, add more liquid (your choice!).

After five hours, take a Mexican hot chocolate disc, and finely grate 1/3 of it into the pot. Scoop out 1 cup of broth and add the masa harina. Mix it well and then reincorporate it back into the pot. Stir until chili is thickened.

Let the chili simmer for another half hour or so. Taste and adjust seasonings. When done, serve with cheddar, onions, jalapenos and tortillas.

Note: If you can't find all of these chiles, I would just use the more readily available anchos and chipotles. I'd use 6-8 anchos, following the same soaking and pureeing method, and two chipotles.

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Final Product:

pvHmWYz.jpg
Gave this a try today. Went to the store last night and they had almost everything I needed with the exception of the masa harina which I'm guessing helps thicken the chili up. Tastes pretty good and looks remarkably like your pictures except maybe not quite as thick.
Muted flavors - definitely not. I got it pretty spicy! Good stuff.
 

Shorty

Active Member
Gave this a try today. Went to the store last night and they had almost everything I needed with the exception of the masa harina which I'm guessing helps thicken the chili up. Tastes pretty good and looks remarkably like your pictures except maybe not quite as thick.
Muted flavors - definitely not. I got it pretty spicy! Good stuff.
Look for Maseca, most grocery stores carry it. The big bag is way more than you need but it only costs a buck or two.
 

LoneStarFrog

Active Member
Definitely my favorite Chili recipe:

Seven-Chile Chili


Ingredients:

6 anchos
2 pasilla
2 costeños
2 guajillos
4 chiles de arbol
4 pieces of bacon
4 pounds of chuck roast, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 large onion diced
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup of brewed coffee
1 bottle of beer
2 cups of water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp clove
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tablespoon cumin
2 chipotles in adobo
Salt
1/4 cup masa harina
1/3 Mexican hot chocolate tablet, grated

Method:
Heat the dried chiles (anchos, pasillas, costenos, guajillos and chiles de arbol) in a dry, cast-iron skillet ( I just use a cooking pan) on medium for a couple of minutes on each side. Turn off the heat and then add enough water to the skillet to cover the chiles, and let them soak for half an hour.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy pot, such as a Dutch oven, fry up your bacon. When done, remove from pan and crumble and leave the bacon grease in the pot (it should be about 3) tablespoons. In the pot, cook your beef in the bacon grease on medium heat, a few minutes on each side until lightly browned. You will probably have to cook these in two batches.

Remove the browned beef from the pot, and add your onions. Cook on medium until clear. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Put the beef back in the pot, and mix in the coffee, the beer, two cups of water, bacon crumbles and the dry spices. Turn the heat up to high.

Your soaking chiles should be soft by now. Drain them and discard the soaking water (it will be bitter) and place them in a blender along with the canned chipotle chiles and one cup of fresh water. Puree until nice and smooth and then add the chile puree to the chili pot.

When chili begins to boil, turn heat down to low and let simmer for five hours, stirring occasionally. Taste it once an hour, and if the flavors are too muted, feel free to add more of any of the spices. Also, it starts to get too dry, add more liquid (your choice!).

After five hours, take a Mexican hot chocolate disc, and finely grate 1/3 of it into the pot. Scoop out 1 cup of broth and add the masa harina. Mix it well and then reincorporate it back into the pot. Stir until chili is thickened.

Let the chili simmer for another half hour or so. Taste and adjust seasonings. When done, serve with cheddar, onions, jalapenos and tortillas.

Note: If you can't find all of these chiles, I would just use the more readily available anchos and chipotles. I'd use 6-8 anchos, following the same soaking and pureeing method, and two chipotles.

EhRzYVS.jpg


z7IkqyX.jpg


Z0v9m7M.jpg


KsPqwws.jpg



Final Product:

pvHmWYz.jpg

This looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.
 
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