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So many different ingredients and ways to make it! I know most people like it in the cold weather, but we eat plenty of it in the summer too.
A couple of years ago, a local radio station ran a chili cookoff, and the winning recipe used a couple of teaspoons of honey as the "sweetener" to offset the acidity and spicy element of the chili. They said this was their "secret ingredient". So I often use a little honey in my traditional chili. I also use half dark red and half light red kidney beans (drained and rinsed before adding).
I also make a relatively simple Texas style chili, which has no tomatoes and no beans at all. I always use chuck roast, partially frozen, then cut into bite sized pieces. This is cooked all day in the crock pot so the meat is very tender.
I don't make either one too hot, letting people add Frank's Extra Hot or Texas Pete hot sauces to theirs according to their taste.
Texas Pete is made here in North Carolina, and someone tried to sue them recently for "false advertising". It's really good.
I try to buy Brooks Hot Beans if I can find them, otherwise I'll use some other brand.
Fry up the hamburger, remove all the grease and pour it down a gopher hole in my back yard. They hate grease, leftover paint and most other stuff I pour down there.
I then add the beans to the hamburger
Sprinkle black pepper
Squirt a little mustard
Squirt a little ketchup
Squirt a little BBQ sauce
Half a pouch of taco seasoning
Chop up an onion
Chop up a dill pickle
If it's not runny enough I'll add hot sauce
Sometimes I'll crush chili Fritos into a powder and add those
My chili always tastes different each time I make it.
I try to buy Brooks Hot Beans if I can find them, otherwise I'll use some other brand.
Fry up the hamburger, remove all the grease and pour it down a gopher hole in my back yard. They hate grease, leftover paint and most other stuff I pour down there.
I then add the beans to the hamburger
Sprinkle black pepper
Squirt a little mustard
Squirt a little ketchup
Squirt a little BBQ sauce
Half a pouch of taco seasoning
Chop up an onion
Chop up a dill pickle
If it's not runny enough I'll add hot sauce
Sometimes I'll crush chili Fritos into a powder and add those
My chili always tastes different each time I make it.
A bit of boric acid in that grease makes good fire ant killer...
I use ground beef, lean or ground elk, homegrown frozen tomatoes if I've got them, tomato juice, extra hot chili powder, lots of cumin, a few spoons of red wine vinegar, S & P, garlic, onions, bell peppers and celery. Black beans or pinto beans.
DH wants lots of beans. I like my veggies chunky,
When it's simmered for a long time I taste it and if it's too acid I add a pinch or two of sugar. I want it simmered down to thicken and the flavors to intensify. It's much better made a day ahead of time.
I know the celery seems odd but that's the way people made chili around here when we were growing up. It's not like a bunch of Scandinavians had ever had exposure to South of the Border cooking.
A story from our early years we still laugh about. DH and work pal were going to spend an evening making Man Chili while his wife and I went out for the evening.
Obviously Man Chili calls for a few beers during preparation. So when we returned they were in good spirits and ready to share a bowl. But it was inedible. Seems in their merriment they had mistaken a spice can of cloves for the chili powder which in their enthusiasm they had used more than generously.
Not so funny then when we were poor as church mice. They ended up eating it.
For traditional chile con carne I use whatever fresh chiles I can find, sometimes mixing in smoked jalapenos if I have them, otherwise I'll use the powder. Sometimes I'll add a bottle of beer. My chili never tastes the same twice! LOL
I make a black bean or three-bean (black, great northern or canellini, and kidney or red) tomato-based chili. That always gets beered. And lots of green and red chile, cumin and garlic.
White chicken or turkey chili is another favorite, which also gets a lot of cumin added into it. Also into the pot go chicken stock, green chile, onions, garlic, white beans (half of which are pureed to give the chili some body), celery, parsnips, and white cheddar. No tomatoes.
Cincinnati chili, by definition, is a Greek stew that's defined by cooking the beef in water instead of browning it, by using tomato paste instead of tomatoes, and by adding bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Some folks add cocoa, Worcestershire sauce, and/or vinegar; I've had versions that were great with or without some or all of the three. Cincinnati chili varies with the family recipe that's been passed down. It's traditionally served on an oval platter over spaghetti and topped with cheese, beans and/or onions.
Now I'm hungry ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by harry chickpea
cocoa powder
a chocolate bar
Interesting ... the only chili I've seen with cocoa or chocolate is Cincinnati chili, and even then the addition of cocoa isn't universal. Worth a try in traditional chile con carne for sure.
I try to buy Brooks Hot Beans if I can find them, otherwise I'll use some other brand.
Fry up the hamburger, remove all the grease and pour it down a gopher hole in my back yard. They hate grease, leftover paint and most other stuff I pour down there.
I then add the beans to the hamburger
Sprinkle black pepper
Squirt a little mustard
Squirt a little ketchup
Squirt a little BBQ sauce
Half a pouch of taco seasoning
Chop up an onion
Chop up a dill pickle
If it's not runny enough I'll add hot sauce
Sometimes I'll crush chili Fritos into a powder and add those
My chili always tastes different each time I make it.
The chopped dlll pickle addition is interesting! May try that.
I want to thank everyone who has responded. There was NO mention of politics, everyone (with one exception) has not only been polite but shown true manners. There are a number of variations of the idea I am eager to try.
pinto beans soaked overnight, one large diced onion, salt, plenty of cherrywood-smoked ham and a smoked ham hock, a generous amount of spicy red chile powder, and water.
that's all.
it gets better the more times it's slowly reheated.
This recipe is from the Cincinnati Recipe Treasury - it has allspice, cinnamon and cocoa powder:
2-3 pounds ground beef
1 quart cold water
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/2 T vinegar
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T chili powder
5 bay leaves
2 T cinnamon
1 t allspice
2 cayenne peppers
1 1/2 T unsweetened cocoa
salt and pepper to taste
Crumble the ground beef into the water; bring to a boil, breaking up the beef as it cooks. Add the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 2 or more hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust the spices to your taste - I always add more cinnamon.
Because you don't brown and drain the beef (the texture of the beef won't be as smooth and crumbly if it is browned), there's going to be a lot of fat swimming on top of the chili. There are several things you can do: The recommended method is to refrigerate the chili overnight and skim off the solid fat before reheating. You can use beef with a lower fat content. I've also drained the beef after it's cooked, added more water, and then proceeded with the rest of the ingredients. That's kinda messy, but it does allow you to serve the chili immediately without all that fat floating on top.
Serve the chili in a bowl with shredded sharp cheddar cheese for a 2-way. Serve the chili in an oval dish over cooked spaghetti and add shredded cheddar cheese for a 3-way; chopped onions or beans for a 4-way; and chopped onions and beans for a 5-way. Add Frank's RedHot sauce (another Cincinnati original) if you so desire. Serve with oyster crackers to sop up the sauce - this is a sloppy stew.
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