The Existential Chili Thread

[NashVegas]

It's getting on that season. Friends of mine have an annual Halloween party where the guests all bring a small vat of their chili for people to sample, sort of a non-competitive cook-off. The variations in color / density / heat between personal styles are endless. Last year, out of about 10 varieties, no more than two were anything like the "standard" chili you'd arrive at by using a pre-assembled store brand.

So.

What's your secret? What do you do to or put in your chili that no one else seems to?

I start with fresh peppers - poblano, anaheim, red bell, and sometimes jalapeño.

[yellerpup]

1. I start with a pork roast and a beef roast.

Then make a chile paste of dried anchos, pasillas, and maybe (or maybe not) toss in a chipotle for smokiness, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and a handful of garlic cloves. Sometimes I sear the meat first, sometimes I just cover it with water, simmer for a while and let the meat cool off in the broth. I use the meat broth as liquid when I grind up the chile paste then add it back to the pot. Heat it all up again and let the meat cool off again in the broth then stow it in the refrigerator at least overnight. It's really rich and flavorful. Sometimes I add beans, sometimes not. I offer grated cheese and fresh salsa cruda (pico de gallo) for those who like a few enchancements and plenty of fresh tortillas to mop the bowl.

[hippywife]

2. This could get to be a really busy thread. LOL

I am not a chili officianado yet, altho I do love it. I keep mine really simple and usually vegetarian with two or three different kinds of beans, carrots, MSF Crumbles. There's no special technique so I won't bore anyone with it, but sometimes I do love to make it Cinci style with a little cocoa in it.

I'll be watching this thread for some really great recipes to try out. Thanx for starting it. :hi:

[htuttle]

3. I like to fry fresh ginger along with the onions and garlic in mine

I believe that inside every chili is a curry trying to get out.

Sometimes I let it out. :)

[NashVegas]

23. Ooh.

That sounds most interesting. I'll try stealing that one, some time.

[Warpy]

4. I'm not a meat eater

so I tend to do red posole rather than chile. I never make it the same way twice. I have found that a scoop of unsweetened cocoa powder gives it a little more depth of flavor. Other than that, I tend to clean out the fridge when I make it.

[NashVegas]

24. Another Great Idea

I'd heard of some people doing that. Sounds really interesting. I don't know if I would try it on a batch, but I'd love to sample that of someone who did.

[htuttle]

28. I just tried that

I added about a tablespoon or two of unsweetened cocoa to a 1.5 quart pot while it was simmering.

Yummy! I might add more next time.

Great suggestion!

[TreasonousBastard]

5. Lessee now, if its chili, it's gotta be red and it's gotta...

have meat in it. And it's gotta have heat. Other than that, pretty much anything goes.

I've never made it the same way twice, and damned if I can ever remember how I did the last time anyway-- I start with browned beef and homemade chicken stock. Add a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes and from then on it's whatever I can find in the fridge, the spice cabinet, and the cupboard.

Garlic, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, many kinds of peppers (mostly hot ones) coconut, mango, and garbanzos usually tend to find their way into the pot. The garbanzos are there just to piss off the purists.

(I gotta try that cocoa powder some talk about-- sounds interesting.)

[hippywife]

6. Here ya go...

http://unofficialcook.com/recipes/cincinnati-chili/

It's meant to be eaten over spaghetti with lots of good stuff on top. I love to put chopped tomatoes, onions, olives, sour cream and Frank's Red Hot on mine.

[TreasonousBastard]

8. I know of this Cincinnati chili...

a very pleasant woman hereabouts brings it to the annual chili cookoff. Since I never had the "real" stuff, I have no idea how hers stacks up. But it does taste pretty good.

[hippywife]

9. I came from Ohio originally

and was able to have it there frequently. Now I have to make it myself. Oh, and I forgot the shredded cheddar cheese with those toppings, too. The tomatoes, olives and sour cream aren't traditional to how it's normally served in the restaurants but I love it!

[NashVegas]

25. Coconut, Mango

Fascinating.

[TreasonousBastard]

33. Not so much you notice them, but...

coconut milk and mango are mystery ingredients that I like to add to stuff just to see what they do.

[grasswire]

7. I use four or so kinds of beans

Big fat butter beans, black eye peas, kidney beans and black beans. Worcestershire sauce, onions, some red bell pepper, cumin, tomatoes, ground beef, better than bouillon beef to strengthen the broth, and a big fat handful of masa harina or cornmeal toward the end to thicken. It cooks on a bare simmer for several hours.

[NashVegas]

26. Some People Will Tell Ya

Beans have no place in chili.

I say purists are boring on the palate, at times.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. At the end of the cooking time I like to add a little splash of vinegar to my chili.

I prefer to use balsamic vinegar, but apple cider vinegar gives a good result, also. You can't really taste the vinegar, but it seems to brighten up the flavor. Just 2-3 tablespoons in a 6-8 quart pot is enough to do the trick.

[NashVegas]

29. Hmmmm

Does it taste wingie (as in Buffalo) at all?

[Tab]

11. The Existential Chili Controversy Subthread - Beans or No Beans?

I say no beans. Maybe it's just the carnivore in me, but if you want beans, order some baked beans on the side.

[Arkansas Granny]

12. When I make chili, I make it the way I like it and that includes beans.

When I eat chili without beans, it seems like something is missing regardless how good it might be.

One of the best pots of chili I ever made was over an open campfire beside the creek and started out to be a pot of beans. We kept adding meat and other ingredients to it and wound up making chili instead. Simmering over that smoky fire put a flavor in it that I've never been able to duplicate indoors.

[hippywife]

14. I don't know why it's such

a huge controversy, especially down here in the OK/TX region. I say folks should just eat it how they like it, no biggie. However, I gotta agree with Granny, for me it does seem that something is missing if there is just meat in sauce. Guess it's the old training that you have to eat something else, too, I guess. That's why I like the Cinci style so well, I think...it's served over spaghetti and when I add lots of veggies and stuff on top, it feels more like a meal.

But, hey! Whatever blows yer hair back, ya know! LOL

[NashVegas]

27. I Say Existentialism Is Such a Personal Thing

That beans can be okay. I'm not into them, personally.

I've an acquaintance in the Netherlands who adds potatoes. Potatoes!

[DrDan]

13. chocolate

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1748,131178-251196,00.html

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1949,157182-244205,00.html

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1649,147179-228205,00.html

just a couple of the cooks.com recipes that call for chocolate.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

15. Beer

Whatever you're drinking while you cook. Gives the whole thing a nice finishing touch.

[Arkansas Granny]

20. Do you add the beer while it's simmering or at the end?

[Tangerine LaBamba]

21. When all the ingredients are in,

I throw in the beer.

If I'm using, say, three pounds of meat, I'll add about 12 oz. of beer. Let, just let it simmer for a few hours, After that, it's in the refrigerator overnight, to let the flavors marry, and then I reheat it and it's ready to go.

[brer cat]

16. Fun thread, Crisco!

We brown ground round, add a jar of salsa and whatever beans are handy. We made our own salsa this summer when tomatoes and peppers were plentiful. Very quick and easy.

[NashVegas]

31. Indeed

I'm loving all the variations.

[Dora]

17. Pork chile

I like a moderately spicy, pork roast chile made with chicken stock, pinto beans, canned hatch chiles and white posole. Mmmmm.

[NashVegas]

32. Sounds Like Something I'd Like to Try

Someone else listed pork. Who knew?

[pengillian101]

18. Real Texas Chile

Link from before. It is the best recipe. It is a very dense chile. No beans. Truly wonderful wrapped in a tortilla and served with sour cream. This recipe won awards in the 1970's and the recipe was not wide recognized. Family Circle magazine had lots of good recipes then.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=7464157&mesg_id=7464469

I am ready to start making soups and chili now that it's Fall. Happy cooking, all!

[NashVegas]

30. Ah. I Have Seen Those Chilis

So many recipes to choose from. I'm a Libra, impossible to decide.

[eridani]

19. Very standard hamburger and bean chili

Pinto beans in a prssure cooker for an hour. Then fry about 1 to1 and 1/2 lbs lean ground beef with a big onion (chopped) and a couple of cups of sliced mushrooms. I have a mix of 6 different chili powders that I get at a local Mexican grocery. That, salt, and a couple of teaspoons of dried thyme and a large can of tomato sauce.

[Tab]

22. I know some people like to add coffee

to sort of "punch it up"

[Arkansas Granny]

34. That's the first time I've heard of adding coffee. I've seen several ideas in

this thread that I'm going to have to try.

[NashVegas]

35. So I Decided To Try Making a Chicken Chili Last Night

Right now, the stew is in the fridge ... more stewing this afternoon.

I used a leftover gob of gravy and stock as the fluid base, and utilized some of y'all's coffee tips by grinding dried ancho peppers in the Braun w/some leftover grounds from previous use.