The NEVERENDING Chili Thread

[Maister]

Yesterday I made one of the BEST batches of chili I have ever made. Making chili for me is a hit or miss proposition. Consistency is not my forte as I seldom follow any recipe and frequently add whatever ingredients sound good and are available at the moment. Personally I like my chili to have a little kick but since Mrs. Maister has a sensitive tummy I have to refrain from adding much heat. Sometimes I'll make two separate "his 'n' hers" batches of chili but more often than not I'll just dial the heat way down and content myself with a milder chili.

The ingredients that were in last night's batch included:

1 red pepper
1.5 green pepper
1 large stalk of celery
1 lb. ground sirloin
4 small onions
2 large tomatoes (partly pureed and partly chopped)
2 cans of (mild) chili beans
1 can of dark kidney beans
chili powder (lots)
seasoned salt
pepper
(dash of) tobasco sauce
2 bay leaves
ground cumin
half tsp of chopped garlic
1 Tblsp Hungarian paprika (must be Hungarian, plain ol' paprika just has color and no flavor)
2 cans of cheap beer (I think I used Natural Ice yesterday, but also have used PBR, Bud, Coors or other macro brews in the past)

I always like it when I can use ingredients that were grown in the garden and the tomatoes, onions and peppers used last night were homegrown.

Concerning beer, the brand/type used can make a huge difference in the flavor of the chili. I have experimented with everything from Guinness to Busch light and each beer manages to impose its own unique signature. Primarily due to cost, I tend to stick to Amercan macro brews but remember one time making a remarkable batch of chili using Bells Amber Ale.

I know certain folks in the American southwest and elsewhere may blanch at my using BEANS and there is a longstanding debate among regional chefs on the whole beans/no beans issue. Also, the idea of using ground beef as opposed to steak or some other cuts of meat is sure to raise some hackles.

How do you like your chili? do you believe slow-cooker crock pots make the best chili or does a cast iron Dutch oven work best, or does plain ol' aluminum cookware get the job done just fine?

Heck let's include a poll!

[zman]

There is chili without beans?

I won a first price award for my Red Chili a couple years ago. For beer, I used Molson.

My green chili, also award winning, does not use beans. That recipe stays with me though...

Both chilis cooked in a large Calphalon pot.

[ofos]

I'm fairly agnostic when it comes to the chili w/w-out beans issue. Growing up in the mitten state, I thought that beans were an essential ingredient but after 25 years in the Lone Star Nation, I appreciate the meatier version too. I can call them both chili but they're really two different dishes with some common ingredients. Either way, if it's not HOT, it's not chili. I'm a big fan of cast iron cookware, see crockpots as a necessary evil for group lunches, and don't like the thought of aluminum near my food.

[Chet]

With or without beans is fine but I prefer beans.

Noodles are questionable.

Jalapenos are a must.

I am STILL looking for a good WHITE CHILI recipe...

[Gedunker]

I don't remember chili in my house as a youngster. I became a fan of hot (as in spicy) chili later in life.

My wife makes her chili like Skyline's Five-Way. http://www.skylinechili.com/
She adds a little bit of cinnamon for an interesting aroma and flavor. I like mine with crushed zestas in the bowl. Yum.

[Maister]

I like mine with crushed zestas in the bowl. Yum.

This is a little thing that separates the missus and I; growing up we always crumbled up soda crackers into just about any kind of soup. The notion of eating chili without a piece of cracker in every spoonful is strange to me. I know lots of folks put cheese on top of their chili. I can take or leave cheese.

[ofos]

Does anyone else remember when Hormel chili came with extra packets of chili powder under a snap-on lid on top of the can? My brother and I used to use multiples of those to significantly improve the heat level. Started burning out my chili receptors at any early age. Of course, now that I've also succumbed to acid reflex, I can appreciate why my father wasn't so appreciative of our work.

[kjel]

I like my chili hot, with beans, and soda crackers.

[dandy_warhol]

chili is gross!!!

[imaplanner]

Nice. I'm going to have to try a very similar recipe to that. So far my chili recipes have consisted mainly of canned tomatoes, canned beans and ground beef. I need to branch out.

[FueledByRamen]

There are two noble truths when it comes to chili.

1. Thou shalt not use beans or any other legume in thy chili

2. There is no chili in cans - such is simply meat soup

Also, if you have ever spelled chile (the name for peppers) as chili, you have no business eating chiles or chili.

Actually, the best chili has chiles in it. Let me find a recipe and I'll post it.

This is the best chili I've ever had. If you make it right, you don't need to add cheese, fritos, onions or anything to it...except a beer or two This was passed along to me, so I don't know who created the recipe (other than someone at TxDOT) and I take no credit for it. This is best cooked outside on a cool day. Enjoy.

TxDOT Roadkill Chili:

Ingredients:
• 6 lbs Beef Chuck for Chili
• 3 medium-large onions, finely chopped
• 6 Bolner's Fiesta brand New Mexico Chile pods
• 6 Bolner's Fiesta brand Cascabel Pepper pods
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Oregano in 1 cup of chili water* ("tea")
• 14 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 9+ (maybe 12) heaping tablespoons Gebhardts brand Chili Powder
• 2 tablespoons Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups beef stock
• 1+ (maybe 2) 15-oz can Hunts Tomato Sauce
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• Black pepper and Salt to taste

• Lots of Beef Boulioun
* chili water is the water leftover from boiling the dried peppers

Instructions:
Remove stems and seeds from chile pods.
Place chile pods in saucepan, cover with water, and boil for about 40 minutes.
Mash chile pods through a sieve to remove membrane or scrape the pulp from the skins with a spoon. The skin can be bitter so you want to get as much of it as possible out of the pulp. Make a paste of the pulp. DO NOT THROW OUT THE WATER. Hold for later. You'll use about 1 cup of chile pulp.
Make a "tea" of the oregano leaves by brewing in 1 cup of boiling chile water (reserved from boiled chile pods). Strain the "tea" and set aside.
Speed Tip: Chop onions ahead of time to cut down on prep time on chili night.

Brown meat 1 pound at a time, seasoning with black pepper. Brown onions along with the meat. Use slotted spoon to remove meat and onions to your chili cooking pot as it browns.
Speed Tip: Use two skillets/burners to brown 2 pounds of meat at a time to speed up this step.
Cook the crushed garlic briefly before adding to chili pot.
Add the remaining ingredients (garlic, chili paste, chili powder, cayenne powder, cumin, sugar, oregano "tea," tomato sauce, beef broth, vinegar, and Tabasco sauce) and stir well.
Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours.

[Gotta Speakup]

If you don't break out in little beads of perspiration under your eyes, its not hot enough.

[Habanero]

I believe the bean issues lies in the type of chili. Personally, my favorite is my husband's chili that is only made with tiny cubes of sirloin and no beans. You can't even see the vegetables or anything else in the chili. I can hardly wait for it to get cold enough for him to make it again. It'll burn you twice

[Maister]

My wife makes her chili like Skyline's Five-Way.

What do you and Mrs. Gedunker have to say about the Skyline vs Gold Star debate?

[Mud Princess]

Well, I don't eat meat, so the chili must have beans!

I remember the very first time I made chili, when I was a college student. I was not an experienced cook and kept adding more cayenne pepper as the concoction simmered... My guests were awfully polite considering that we were all burning up.

[TexanOkie]

Any Cincinnatians on Cyburbia have a different take on the hot chili comment?

[luckless pedestrian]

my hubby has won the island chili contest (don't laugh now, kids, it's huge!) for the last few years with a Texas chili (no beans) and a Cincinnati chili (beans, chocolate, cinnamon, yes, very authentic - people from Ohio smell it as soon as they walk in the room!) - so both ways is fine

[Otis]

The beans go UNDER the chili, not in it. The cheese goes on top, as does extra onion.

Maister. [sigh] There is no place whatsoever for celery in chili. None. Never. Never, never, never. Celery is an abomination in chili. May as well put in zucchini or eggplant. Strike the celery from the recipe.

On the other hand, we've found some wonderful, smoky Spanish paprika that we cannot live without. Dahlia is the brand.

Chili must be spicy, and then you put extra Tabasco on top with the cheese and onion.

[kjel]

Maister. [sigh] There is no place whatsoever for celery in chili. None. Never. Never, never, never. Celery is an abomination in chili. May as well put in zucchini or eggplant. Strike the celery from the recipe.

I fully agree with you on this point! Only crushed tomatoes and diced onion make it into mine.

[JNA]

I like mine with crushed zestas in the bowl. Yum.

This is a little thing that separates the missus and I; growing up we always crumbled up soda crackers into just about any kind of soup. The notion of eating chili without a piece of cracker in every spoonful is strange to me.

Growing up it was Fritos Corn Chips.

[wahday]

New Mexico has its own brand of "chile" (never chili or, dare I even write it: "chilli"). Its what they call the special form of hot pepper used (a relative of poblanos and anaheim peppers) which can be eaten green (fresh) or red (dried) but its also the name of a specific meat stew that uses green chiles as the base.

It can be made from beef (more common), pork, chicken and I have even had deer at one of the local Pueblo Feast Days. It also has typical stew elements - potatoes, onions, garlic, etc. but not usually beans. Sometimes, though, a small bowl of cooked pinto beans is offered on the side for adding to the stew. Green chile stew can be SUPER spicy and I will order it up at a restaurant if I feel a cold coming on. Usually served with a warmed flour tortilla on the side.

Similar to this is the dish called posole which is essentially the above (with local variations), but with hominy instead of potatoes. It may also use red or green chile (whereas chile stew is usually only green).

For the record, my parents are from Texas and Oklahoma and so we ate "tex-mex chili" growing up in PA. And yes, it had beans AND ground beef. Kidney beans, to be precise. To this day, it still baffles me.

On a slightly related note:
This summer we grew a lot of peppers (jalapeños, poblanos and serranos) and tomatoes and I have been perfecting a number of salsa recipes. This weekend, though, with colder weather impending and a lot peppers still on the plants, I shifted gears into new territory and made two large batches of hot sauce (variations on the tabasco concept). Wow! they turned out completely fantastic and delicious and they will pack even more of a punch over the next few weeks as they mature. This is the first time I have made anything like this and I am just thrilled with the results. I'm thinking about doing this with the rest of my harvest and giving them as holiday gifts this year.

[Mud Princess]

Growing up it was Fritos Corn Chips.

I like cornbread with my chili, but I almost never remember to make it.

This thread is making me hungry.

[Maister]

Maister. [sigh] There is no place whatsoever for celery in chili. None. Never. Never, never, never. Celery is an abomination in chili.

[adding enormous clout to Maister's argument] Oh yeah, well Wendy's uses celery in their chili! [/adding enormous clout to Maister's argument]

[ofos]

New Mexico has its own brand of "chile" (never chili or, dare I even write it: "chilli"). Its what they call the special form of hot pepper used (a relative of poblanos and anaheim peppers) which can be eaten green (fresh) or red (dried) but its also the name of a specific meat stew that uses green chiles as the base.

I'm nearly drooling on my keyboard from memories of New Mexico chile. It's another whole class of dining experience from chili. Everyone should make an annual pilgrimage to NM for the experience.

[Maister]

New Mexico has its own brand of "chile" (never chili or, dare I even write it: "chilli"). Its what they call the special form of hot pepper used (a relative of poblanos and anaheim peppers) which can be eaten green (fresh) or red (dried) but its also the name of a specific meat stew that uses green chiles as the base.

It can be made from beef (more common), pork, chicken and I have even had deer at one of the local Pueblo Feast Days. It also has typical stew elements - potatoes, onions, garlic, etc. but not usually beans. Sometimes, though, a small bowl of cooked pinto beans is offered on the side for adding to the stew. Green chile stew can be SUPER spicy and I will order it up at a restaurant if I feel a cold coming on. Usually served with a warmed flour tortilla on the side.

Similar to this is the dish called posole which is essentially the above (with local variations), but with hominy instead of potatoes. It may also use red or green chile (whereas chile stew is usually only green).
.

Maybe it's not quite as delicious as Wendy's fine chili , but, folks, these are the dishes that wahday is talking about.





I think I'm going to have to make more chili when I get home.