It's Chili Season!

[turf3]

The thing about no beans in chili is that beans release a chemical while cooking that causes the chili meat clumps to fall apart and the chili becomes soupy and runny.

As long as you confine your perversion to your own bowl, it's OK to put beans in chili. In other words, use a separate pot to cook the beans, use separate utensils than are used for the chili, mix your beans in at the table rather than at the stove, then it's OK. Even the most ardent chilihed will likely let you off with a little (more or less) gentle teasing. You're only in actual physical danger if you should attempt to sneak your beans into the main chili pot and so mess things up for everyone else.

But there's plenty 'nuff beans in Tex-Mex cuisine anyway, pintos, black beans, boracchos, etc. One meal without beans won't hurt you.

I speak of course about real Texas chili, not the various stews, soups, porridges, sopas, caldos, and pastas that people who've never seen a ristra sometimes label chili - despite having no chili peppers a'tall in them!

Don't forget that weird tomato sauce some folks up north call "chili".

 

[IamGroot]

I never met a Chili I didnt like..............south of the Red River.

 

[MJ5150]

I picked up a tip from Jamie Oliver that I'm going to try the next time we make chili. Jamie fried his beans in a skillet with a little olive oil before adding them to the pot. Doing that made them crispy on the outside and soft inside. I'm intrigued.

-Mike

 

[WilbursaurusRex]

made a batch last night that came out great! I’ve switched from poblano and jalapeño peppers to poblano and serrano peppers.

 

[MJ5150]

YUM!
How did you like the new chili pepper combo? @WilbursaurusRex

-Mike

 

[WilbursaurusRex]

YUM!
How did you like the new chili pepper combo? @WilbursaurusRex

-Mike

I loved it! It had a nice subtle heat that blended really well.

 

[MJ5150]

I loved it! It had a nice subtle heat that blended really well.

Right on.
I get so fixated sometimes on making my chili extra spicy that I think I'm missing some of the neat flavors of the milder peppers. Especially when combined as you did.

-Mike

 

[Nedmundo]

I make a simple chili-like mix from Trader Joe's ingredients, which I use over tortilla chips, mixed with eggs, on its own with cheese, whatever. The key here, for a non-foodie like me, is that it's so easy, especially because Trader Joe's is two blocks away. I just mix the following in a skillet:

One pound of TJ's organic ground chicken
Half a tube of the Soy Chorizo
Half a jar of the Corn and Chile Tomato-Less Salsa
Half a jar of Salsa Authentica (but any good tomato salsa works)

My wife prefers a little more of the Corn and Chile salsa and Soy Chorizo. I sometimes add black beans, and of course many other things could be chucked in there too. My preferred cheese is the Unexpected Cheddar.

 

[gln1955]

Right on.
I get so fixated sometimes on making my chili extra spicy that I think I'm missing some of the neat flavors of the milder peppers. Especially when combined as you did.

-Mike

I keep the heat under control and work on other flavors. Those who don't like the heat can enjoy it and for those who do, I supply a variety of chili powders and sauces so they can add the heat of their choice.

 

[MJ5150]

I keep the heat under control and work on other flavors. Those who don't like the heat can enjoy it and for those who do, I supply a variety of chili powders and sauces so they can add the heat of their choice.

I used to have a small lunchbox sized cooler we called the 'torture chamber'. I got it out for myself, or any of our friends who did the 'nothing is too hot for me' line. That was fun to watch.
Side note: then I see that show Hot Ones and think to myself, we did that for fun back in the day, before YouTube and social media. Who woulda thunk there'd be an audience to watch that besides us.
Nowadays, my torture chamber is down to just 3-4 sauces that fit in one drawer in our fridge. Just the right amount. I know what each one does, how bad it does it, and what to expect later on in the day after partaking.
I'm still stuck on preferring my chili to be scorching hot. I figured I would have grown out of that by now.

-Mike

 

[IamGroot]

Chili ™

 

[pisces_bass]

I got inspired to have a go at beef Texas-style red. My first time working from dried chilies.

Let’s do this!

Stemmed, seeded, and toasted chilies simmering in beef broth

After the stick blender

Through the strainer

Now I’ve got a mixture of browned beef chunks, onions, garlic, tomato paste, salt, cumin, coriander, and bay leaf simmering in the chilies in a slow oven for a couple/few hours. I have a good feeling about this concoction!

 

[MJ5150]

That looks like it's gonna be good.

-Mike

 

[pisces_bass]

Oh dang. Final results were very good. The chiles I used weren’t hot so I ended up with a deep, dark, earthy beef stew. Ended up letting it cook 4 hours in a 250F oven. Served with chopped green onions, lime wedges and tortillas.

 

[gln1955]

That looks great. My guess is those chiles were anchos and guajillos, both on the mild side. Lots of ways to liven that up with fresh or powdered jalpenos, serranos, cayenne or hot Hungarian paprika.

I'm curious about cooking in the oven vs. stovetop.

 

[pisces_bass]

That looks great. My guess is those chiles were anchos and guajillos, both on the mild side. Lots of ways to liven that up with fresh or powdered jalpenos, serranos, cayenne or hot Hungarian paprika.

I'm curious about cooking in the oven vs. stovetop.

Yes I used the varieties you mentioned plus negro chilies (the largest on the plate). For my first try I didn’t want too much inherent heat. Next time I’ll add in the smaller dangerous looking ones

I cooked it uncovered in the oven after reading that it keeps the temperature of the cooking chili down below 212F, which keeps beef from drying out. I checked the temp along the way and sure enough it maxed out around 195F in the pot. I added 2 cups boiling water along the way to maintain volume. The beef is tender. I’m happy.

 

[dlb1001]

Oh dang. Final results were very good. The chiles I used weren’t hot so I ended up with a deep, dark, earthy beef stew. Ended up letting it cook 4 hours in a 250F oven. Served with chopped green onions, lime wedges and tortillas.
View attachment 4960118

The dark color reminds me of mole!

 

[MoireBass]

Yes I used the varieties you mentioned plus negro chilies (the largest on the plate). For my first try I didn’t want too much inherent heat. Next time I’ll add in the smaller dangerous looking ones

A few diced habaneros would liven it up considerably. Go slow though.
You're working within the right flavor profile: tomatoes, onions, cumin, garlic, etc. None of that weird stuff like molasses or celery or fruit or pasta.

I'll post my recipe soon.

 

[MJ5150]

It's still cold, it's still wet, and it's still snowing. Time for more chili.
I went with the fancy boy style again tonight, but no beans on hand so those got left out. I'm a little disappointed about that, so I added extra onions.



-Mike

 

[MJ5150]

It's the first day of spring, but I have a hankerin for some chili. Another hour on those beans and in the pot they go.
I added a block of grated Oaxacan chocolate this time. Initial tastes are good. We'll see what it turns into after it simmers down a few hours.



-Mike