Cooking with Chilli pepper

[Aggie]

Chili con Carne

This makes an authentic Texas style chili. It even complies with Texas law (which prohibits making chili with beans, and it's a damned good thing). Beans are a side dish. IF you must have beans, have the decency to use pintos, or a small red bean, not those nasty kidney beans that people pretend are chilibeans. Some of the "championship chili" makers use tomato paste, tomato sauce or tomato something. This here one don', because they wasn't too much of that canned stuff around.

This is pretty much how chili was made before there was all the ground up, prepackaged powdered this and that and other crap. It's closer to the kind of chili that was served to cattle drovers and hands in the
days of the trail drives, one of the reputed places chili came from.

Servings:  6
Ingredients:

          3 lbs  boned beef chuck, or similar, coarse grind through a meat grinder You can use almost any meat. Venison's good, a combo of venison and wild javalina is very good. Improvise with what's available. Goat is OK, if you like the taste of goat.
          1 Tbsp bacon drippings
          6 or more dried ancho peppers, or can roast fresh ones
          2 cups cold water
          1 Tbsp oregano
          3 cups water
          1 Tbsp cumin seeds, crushed
          2 tsp  salt
          2 tsp  cayenne
          2      cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
          2 Tbsp masa harina (Mexican corn/hominy flour, not cornmeal)

Brown the meat in small batches in the bacon fat. (You can render suet if you want to, but bacon fat will do.) I use a cast iron skillet, fairly high heat. Transfer the cooked meat to a second large heavy skillet using a slotted spoon, and set aside.  Wash the peppers in cold water.  Discard the stems and seeds. Tear the peppers into small pieces, about 2" square.  Place the pieces in a small sauce pan with the first two cups of (cold) water, put the lid on and let it simmer for about half an hour.

Drain, reserving the cooking water, then peel the skin from the peppers.
If you're using fresh peppers, or can't get anchos and have to fake it-- the best advice is to end up with about 2 to 2 and1/2 cups of pepper mass. (Roast fresh anchos over an open flame, dunk into ice water and slip off the skin. Can do with any other peppers, adding jalapenos and/or habaneros as you see fit.) Here's the big decision. You can either use a food processor, or you can go the hard way and smash 'em up by hand. Me? My Mama raised a fool, but he don't live here. (Place the pepper mass in the work bowl of a food processor.  Add the reserved water. Puree with short pulses.)  Mix the pepper puree into the beef.  Add the second measure of water (3 cups).  Bring to a boil over high heat, then  reduce to a slow simmer.  Cover.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in all the remaining ingredients except the masa harina.  Cover.
Simmer 45 minutes.  Mix in the masa harina.  Cover.  Reduce heat to the
lowest possible.  Cook 30 minutes longer, stirring occasionally so that
the mixture doesn't stick.  If too thick, thin with small amounts of
boiling water. (The masa is a flour. You may need to save out a half cup of water to mix it in to make a paste to work into the chili, or else, you'll have tho sprinkle and stir, sprinkle and stir.)

Now, some folks use beer for part of the liquid, some us coffee for a part of it. (Some use both.) The pepper mass can be changable, depending on what peppers are available. Anchos make a smooth, flavorful chili, as they're a larger, tastier chili, and when dried properly have an almost smoky taste. BUT they aren't as hot as some chilis.

This is authentic. Later day chili makers use boullion, MSG, chili powder, basil, sage, and FSM knows what else.

Serve it with chopped onion, some grated cheese, pinto beans and cornbread. (Pintos are to be cooked with some diced onion, a hambone, a little bit of cilantro, some salt and pepper. No hambone, add a bit of finely chopped ham.)

Leftovers go over a bowl of Fritos with cheese and onions. IF you have leftovers.

Making this for a chili contest at work...  in Chatty's honour.

[Darlica]

Please keep us updated and tell us how the cooking and the contest went!

I can feel my grandpa's presence when I make pancakes (he loved pancakes and mastered the art of making them leaf thin and perfectly fried not to mention tasty) maybe Chatty's spirit will soar over you if you cook her Chili... 

[Aggie]

I hope so - I can probably manage the chili for the most part (have made it a couple of times) but I could use her help with the beans!

I signed up for the chili contest before I heard the bad news; it was to be in her honour anyways, but now it's especially important I have a good showing.

[anthrobabe]

 

I made this recipe once and mixed ancho and guajillo peppers-- man I love me some guajillo's! (not hot at all but mmmmm that flavor)

Texas law does prohibit beans-- but if they are called for just do some good old pinto's like she said and don't use canned--- you'll probably be ok if Canada like/want/accept beans in the chili but if a Texan wanders in and finds not only beans, but canned beans in the chili it could get ugly!


Be sure and put an extra spoon on a napkin to the side for her as well!

Edit: and I added the recipe to the main page recipe book too.

[Aggie]

Thanks for the pepper recommendations - I am not that familiar with dried peppers, I prefer something with thick flesh, good flavour and medium heat.

I'll do my pintos from dry, on the side.  Might even crank out a batch of cornbread to go with.

AB, any recommendations to keep the flavour up in the beans without adding pork?  Want to go veggie on the beans just in case anyone is so inclined.

[Lindorm]

Are the beans supposed to be completely vegan, or are milk products permissible? If so, a classic way of adding body to vegetables is to boil them with the hard, dried, rind of any aged, flavourful cheese, that hasn't been waxed or treated in a similar manner. Adding a thick slice of Parmesan rind to the minestrone pot is an italian classic, for example.

Otherwise, I'd suggest that you make a good, strong, vegetable broth for the beans to boil in. A homemade broth carries deep flavours that an industrial instant one never reaches, so it would probably go nice with your beans. A healthy splash of wine or beer could also be an interesting way of adding depth and flavour to the beans. Small amounts of coffe, cocoa or chocolate can also give some interesting bitter-sweet flavours. (Beef braised in stout with some grated dark chocolate in the braising fluid is a heavenly combination!)

One trick I have used to good effect a lot of times is to add fresh herbals to the beans just before serving. This gives them a lively fragrance and makes them smell and taste more lively and removes any "old boiled leftovers" atmosphere that might linger around the pot. The original recipe calls for cilantro, so why not sprinkle chopped fresh cilantro, some parsley and perhaps oregano and mix with the beans just before serving.


Good luck!

[anthrobabe]

For my beans I put lots of veggies in them-- whole veggies and use them for flavor. We like extra 'bean juice' with our beans (good for cornbread, tortillas,mash them (aka refried) etc) so we always start with extra water.
Just wash and trim whole vegetables--celery stalks, an onion or two(you can chop later and leave in if you want), garlic, cilantro, carrots, bell peppers, dry or fresh chilis, radish-- just any veggie you have in the fridge and like. You can eat the veggies later by themselves on the side, chop them well and plop back in the beans or simply use them for flavor. Might like a bit prepared Mole sauce that you can get ready to go now in most grocery stores in them. Like Lindorm suggests- sometimes a bit of beer is nice or wine. Sometimes a dab of sugar near the end is good-not enough to sweeten them but something about the sugar in small amounts brings the flavor of even savory foods out- like in 'greens' putting a bit of sugar makes them just pop. Some of the corn masa flour will serve to thicken them if you want the juice a bit 'firmer'- but not much and you have to be careful so it doesn't clump them.

Sometimes simply beans cooked well with salt and black pepper at the end in a bowl with cornbread, etc is just the ticket as well.

Do not salt the beans until they have cooked.
Cook them slowly- I like to do them in a big crock pot- so the juice will develop. If you do them on the stove the bigger the pot the better- allows you to cook lots of beans and juice and you can cook them slowly without having to baby sit them- just don't let them ever, every burn dry. This will give you a good bean flavor with little muss. If you eat beans often or simply have some Beano tablets on hand the gas issue will be a non issue. Also pre-boiling and soaking them can help as well. But we really don't have the problem because we eat them all the time.

Beans my sister in laws way-- I think they are on the main page in the recipe book under Charro beans-- mainly the kitchen sink-- and meat is optional.
If you like seitan try some crumbled seitan in them after they cook- that might give some 'mouth meat feel'.

[Aggie]

Thanks for the tips.

Well, I didn't win the contest, but I was the only "real" chili (as per Texas rules) on the table. The winner actually had no beans, but a mess of other veggies (peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms) and was the closest in heat to my entry; I was gunning for a medium heat but was labeled a '5' on a scale of 1 to 4.   Got a nice, rich flavour from using porter and coffee in the liquids.

I scrapped the idea of going veggie on the beans, so I smoked some rib tips on the grill (reserving the drippings for the chili) and boiled those with the beans.  I was happy with the way the beans turned out, but they didn't hold up as they cooled.  Due to rain we got moved indoors and I couldn't use the portable gas burner I brought along.

[Darlica]

I still would have given a small fortune (if I had one) to be there and taste it... It sounds delicious.

[Aggie]

LOL - got some positive feedback via email from a co-worker & friend, who I fed some leftovers to:

Hey G******,


This is the best chili I have ever had during the stampede; I think you should patent your recipe and before you do that, please let me know what the secret is.



Thanks my friend,

I gave him the recipe and he's making it this weekend. 

[anthrobabe]

Thanks for the tips.

Well, I didn't win the contest, but I was the only "real" chili (as per Texas rules) on the table. The winner actually had no beans, but a mess of other veggies (peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms) and was the closest in heat to my entry; I was gunning for a medium heat but was labeled a '5' on a scale of 1 to 4.   Got a nice, rich flavour from using porter and coffee in the liquids.

I scrapped the idea of going veggie on the beans, so I smoked some rib tips on the grill (reserving the drippings for the chili) and boiled those with the beans.  I was happy with the way the beans turned out, but they didn't hold up as they cooled.  Due to rain we got moved indoors and I couldn't use the portable gas burner I brought along.

WTG!
and I always misjudge the heat too- what I think is mild makes people look for the water.

[Aggie]

Anyone have a good jerk (chicken) recipe?  I am looking for authenticity here - used to know a good one somewhere out there on the web, but can't find it.  I'm looking for a marinate, not a rub.

I recall that the recipe instructions recommended the use of 2 - 3 Scotch Bonnets while noting that the real deal would use at least 10.  I'm going to split the marinade into two batches and make one killer hot and the other less so.

[Lindorm]

Unfortunately, I don't have any good jerk recipes, but I would very much like to read a report of what you eventually come up with. Sounds drool-worthy!

[Aggie]

Got sent out to work, so I dumped the marinade over some already-frozen meat and stuck it back in the congelator.  Just need to pull it out and defrost for a day or two.

I couldn't pin down a recipe (all varied widely), so I winged it, not entirely authentically.  Something along the lines of this:
^{measurements are best guess from memory as I didn't actually measure anything
tsp = 5 ml spoon, tbsp = 15 ml spoon
all spices are whole measurements, but ground prior to mixing}

A little:
-Cinnamon (4 cm stick, ground)
-Dried Sage (1 tsp)
-Black Pepper (1 - 2 tsp, ground)
-Nutmeg (1/4 nutmeg, ground)
-Thai fish sauce (dash or two)


A goodly bit of:
-Allspice (2 - 3 tbsp berries, ground)
-Fresh thyme (small bunch, leaves only)
-Ginger root (thumb-sized knob, unpeeled)
-Jamaican Rum (whatever you can spare  )
-Lime juice (1 lime)
-Olive Oil  (big splash, ~50 ml)
-Persimmon Vinaigre* (big splash, ~50 - 75 ml)
-Soy sauce (big splash, ~50 - 75 ml)
-Dark brown sugar (3 - 4 tbsp)

Lots of:
-Garlic (4 - 5 huge cloves of hardneck, or just use a whole bulb of softneck)
-Habaneros / Scotch Bonnets (as many as you can stand - I split the recipe and used about 2 or 3 smallish habaneros for the mild half and about 8 for the hot half, enough to change the colour from green to red).

A whole bunch of:
-Scallions (literally a whole bunch - 8? medium scallions, tops included)



Combined it all in a blender; it ended up quite thick (like a dip - YUM, next time ).  I intend to grill/roast the meat over charcoal with a little bit of applewood, unless I can track down some pimento wood chips (long shot - have to check my bbq supply shop).



_{*Apple cider vinaigre would also work well.  I know that's not the correct spelling, but the English makes no damned sense and I'm Canadian so I'm allowed.} 

[Aggie]

Jerk Update:

Despite over-marinating this for 5 days, the flavour was unfortunately under-pronounced and the heat came out very mild.  I think the biggest contributing factor was the skin on the chicken, which crisped and fell off during cooking (roasted for a long time over charcoal), taking much of the sauce with it, although the piece of beef tenderloin I tried was also fairly mild in the flavour department.

That being said, the flavour that was there was very much what I was looking for, and overall the dish tasted as good or (in some cases much) better than any of the jerk chicken I've had from Jamaican restaurants here.  So the above recipe is definitely worth another try without too much modification. I need to take a trip down there and taste the real thing to compare.  

I used bone-in, skin-on chicken legs for authenticity, but found the cooking time to be unfortunately long due to the bones, which made the drumsticks a little dry (and as noted, the skin fell off anyways).  Next time I do this, I'm going to use boneless, skinless thighs, try using a dry jerk rub in combination with the same marinade (rub two days ahead, marinade for one day), and reserve part of the marinade to apply during cooking for a more intense flavour.   Or maybe marinade first, then rub directly prior to cooking?

I also realized why barbecue is a summer dish this far from the equator - it's no fun sitting outside in the cold & dark for an hour or two when one is ill.