There are as many ways to make chili as there are to make chicken soup.
Here's my way:
Brown 1 pound ground beef or 1 inch diced stew meat. Drain and set aside.
Add about 2 tbs of whatever oil you cook with to the pan you browned the meat in
on medium heat.
Put a teaspoon of cumin seed and a teaspoon of ground coriander into the oil and stir
till you get a sweet/smokey smell. (10 to 15 seconds)
Now add the following: a diced onion
a diced red bell pepper
two diced poblano peppers
a jalapeno pepper which has been roasted under a broiler
till the skin is charred. (don't remove the charred skin and
chop it finely)
While the peppers and onion are cooking add the following:(stirring constantly)
1 TBS ancho chili powder
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
a good pinch of dried oregano
When the mixture is homogenous add 1 TBS tomato paste and stir till the paste turns
really dark brown to black.
Return the meat to the pan.
Prior to all of this you will have taken a can of whole Roma tomatoes , poured them
into a strainer and collected the liquid in a bowl.
Chop up two of the tomatoes and add to the pan.
Add some of the liquid you drained from the tomatoes a little at a time until you get a
consistency you like.( you can also use beer or a beer/tomato liquid combo.
whatever makes you happy)
Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for at least 3/4 hour (longer if using diced stew
meat).
As long as you keep an eye on the pan the longer the simmer the better.
About 20 minutes before serving, add one can of drained and rinsed beans. My
personal favorite beans to use are, in descending order: Black
Small Red
Pinto
Kidney(a distant 4th)
If you like cilantro, add chopped cilantro to taste just before serving.
It goes without saying you should also check and adjust your salt just prior to serving.
If you want more or less heat adjust the amount of jalapeno or chipotle.
If you want a more "what is the secret ingredient?" taste ,try adding 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
or 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder or both after you put the tomatoes in.
I don't measure and I've never written a recipe down. So if something seems off feel free to adjust the amounts on anything in the recipe.
I make mine by sauteing some diced onion and garlic in a bit of vegetable oil. We don't care for green pepper but you can add some of that if you like it. Then I add some ground venison (ground beef works fine, as does beef or venison stew meat) and brown the meat. Pour the grease off if your meat has a lot of fat. Stir in the chili seasonings (you can get a pre-package spices if you don't make your own). Add some tinned crushed tomatoes, and some tinned beans (rinse them first)-- kidney, pinto or black. Then I drink half a beer and pour the rest into the the chili. Stir, bring to a boil, taste, season. Reduce heat and simmer. For the pepper-bellies I'll throw in a split jalapeno, but fish it out before serving. Taste, season and simmer for 30 minutes.
In a large pot, on high heat, add 3 T vegetable oil, add 2 lbs. minced beef, brown for 8 minutes or so, add 1 onion chopped medium. Saute for 8 minutes. Add 4 cloves garlic, saute 30 seconds. Add 2 T tomato paste, saute 5 minutes. Add 2 T Chili powder, 1 T Ancho Chili powder, 1 T cumin, 3 T Paprika, and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce. Add 1 cup lager beer. REduce for 5 minutes. Add 4 cups beef broth and 1 cup water. Simmer 2-3 hours. Serve with shredded Cheddar and mined onion. (For extra flavor, consider adding Worcester sauce, some powdered espresso, some dark chocolate, or marmite.)
5 Comments
Here's my way:
Brown 1 pound ground beef or 1 inch diced stew meat. Drain and set aside.
Add about 2 tbs of whatever oil you cook with to the pan you browned the meat in
on medium heat.
Put a teaspoon of cumin seed and a teaspoon of ground coriander into the oil and stir
till you get a sweet/smokey smell. (10 to 15 seconds)
Now add the following: a diced onion
a diced red bell pepper
two diced poblano peppers
a jalapeno pepper which has been roasted under a broiler
till the skin is charred. (don't remove the charred skin and
chop it finely)
While the peppers and onion are cooking add the following:(stirring constantly)
1 TBS ancho chili powder
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
a good pinch of dried oregano
When the mixture is homogenous add 1 TBS tomato paste and stir till the paste turns
really dark brown to black.
Return the meat to the pan.
Prior to all of this you will have taken a can of whole Roma tomatoes , poured them
into a strainer and collected the liquid in a bowl.
Chop up two of the tomatoes and add to the pan.
Add some of the liquid you drained from the tomatoes a little at a time until you get a
consistency you like.( you can also use beer or a beer/tomato liquid combo.
whatever makes you happy)
Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for at least 3/4 hour (longer if using diced stew
meat).
As long as you keep an eye on the pan the longer the simmer the better.
About 20 minutes before serving, add one can of drained and rinsed beans. My
personal favorite beans to use are, in descending order: Black
Small Red
Pinto
Kidney(a distant 4th)
If you like cilantro, add chopped cilantro to taste just before serving.
It goes without saying you should also check and adjust your salt just prior to serving.
If you want more or less heat adjust the amount of jalapeno or chipotle.
If you want a more "what is the secret ingredient?" taste ,try adding 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
or 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder or both after you put the tomatoes in.
I don't measure and I've never written a recipe down. So if something seems off feel free to adjust the amounts on anything in the recipe.
http://www.food52.com/recipes/7124_chili_con_carne