Please check out my chili recipe? Chili experts wanted

[nicklord1]

Ok here goes

1lb of brasing steak
tin of toms
one onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of cumin seeds
a puree of ancho and mulato chilies
1/2 pint of beer
1 tsp of choc
1 tsp of dried mexican oregano
sour cream and corriander to serve

methodology will come later

few questions ,

is beer better than stock

and with the cumin seeds do you fry it then put it in pestle and mortar

Thank you

 

[jennyema]

Use ground cumin, if you can find it. I've only toasted seeds for Indian preparations and have no idea how the flavor would be in chili.

If you have chili powder avialable use that. It's a blend of cumin, chilis, garlic and oregano.

 

[GrillingFool]

definitely you want to grind or pulverize the cumin.
Personally, I would use both beer and stock!
And more garlic.
Sounds interesting so far.

 

[nicklord1]

btw the chilli is for 3-4 people

 

[JohnL]

Hi Nick,
Sounds like your on the right track. Just remember, chili like many other dishes is a personal thing. Try your base recipe, taste and make adjustments to your liking. Keeping a log for each pot will really help with your progress. And yes you can lightly toast cumin seeds in a dry pan for a few minutes, then grind in a spice grinder or a morter and pestle. I'm with Grillingfool on the liquids, stock and beer or ale.

 

[nicklord1]

cheers , if the dried chillies has any bacteria from the unsavoury process's of mexico farming i take it the cooking process when in puree form will kill it

 

[justplainbill]

btw the chilli is for 3-4 people

1 lb steak for 3 to 4 people sounds like a side dish?

 

[nicklord1]

nope serving it with refried beans

 

[nicklord1]

i can get ancho in powder form shall i go with 1 tbsp for 3 -4 people

 

[Constance]

If it were me, I'd add a pound of hot or regular pork sausage and a can of tomato sauce (or tomato paste plus beef broth).

 

[nicklord1]

i am a small man 125 lbs i cant eat alot

 

[Robo410]

beer is great, if you brown the meat, stock won't be necessary, but can't hurt either. you don't ask about thickeners, and maybe you won't need one. However: if you dust your meat in flour before browning all will thicken automatically. More Mexican would be to sprinkle in Masa (finely ground corn flour) at the end as you need it. Tomato paste also works, as does simmering it down.

 

[nicklord1]

any particular beer ?

 

[Michael in FtW]

cheers , if the dried chillies has any bacteria from the unsavoury process's of mexico farming i take it the cooking process when in puree form will kill it

Yes. The same as killing salmonella in chicken or eggs - hit 160ºF/72ºC for a minute and you kill the beasties.

However - dried chilies were never implicated in the US outbreak, only fresh, raw Jalapeño and Serrano peppers - not ancho or mulato chilies. The FDA tracked down the sources of the contamination, followed the distribution chain, and got them all removed. Had any been sent to another producer who made "dried" chillies from them - they would have been identified and removed from the food chain, also.

I sincerely doubt any got shipped to London. Had there been any concern in the UK I am sure the FSA (your version of the FDA) would have issued warnings about it.

As for your chili recipe .... as others have said, chili is as individual as fingerprints!

I don't use stock, beer, chocolate or masa. And, I don't put beans in my chili, either. However - a little beer isn't necessarily a bad idea since some flavoids in tomatoes are alcohol/fat soluable and will only be released with fat or alcohol. I think Guinness would be too sweet - but Harp would probably work just fine.

 

[GrillingFool]

Nick... slam that chili together with the recipe you have.
There are as many chili recipes as there are people on DC, so you will never
get a consensus! Just go for it, taste and adjust as you go. You will have an
OK pot of chili, with a base to improve on for next time.
As for beer, I like to use something like Amber Ale, Black and Tan (strong flavor),
Brown Ale, or something with a good malt flavor. But I like a strong beer note in my chili!
If you want fruity to balance some of your heat and such, try a hoppy beer like a pale ale.
Since it is the season, maybe an October Fest beer would be appropriate.

Right now, Saranac has 2 sampler 12 packs available. Trail Mix and Winter Beers.
Saranac is a superb beer company to learn from... on the neck label of the bottle, they
describe the beer and what to look for in flavor. I've learned a lot that way.

Cheers!

 

[nicklord1]

chilli methodolgy

1) fry meat till well brown set aside

2) add onion , garlic , ancho puree , cumin , hot chilli powder and fry gently for 8-10 minutes

3) add beef with tomatoes , beer and stock and cook to boiling point then let it simmer away

4) add a little choc near end for curiousity

What do you guys think

 

[marigeorge]

You do mean cocoa and not chocolate, right?

 

[nicklord1]

yes

 

[jennyema]

I have used cocoa and chocolate. They both work fine. I'd not wait until the end though. That sort of undoes the reason you put it in in the first place -- to deepen the flavor.

Just make sure you simmer the chili for a long time to make sure the meat is falling-apart tender.

 

[Jeff G.]

Sounds OK, you might want to add some tomato juice, definitely NOT stock, it will taste like vegetable soup pretending to be chili...