Nicholas Mosher
Sous Chef
Ok, so I just spent two hours reading every single post in the Chili section here. Lots of great experimentation and tips!
I've made plenty of chili in the past, but nothing has really stood out as amazing. I really want to attack the subject and come up with something great. I grew up with the ground beef, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and beans in a pot. Sure it fed everyone and was good, but not anything amazing.
Looking at all the regional claims to fame. Texas red, mexican mole based sauces, game chili's from the mid-west & mountains, health-nut turkey, etc. The purity of texas-red appeals to me, as well as the flavor depth and complexity of the Oaxacan sauces like the various mole's (Like Mole Poblano). I want a bean-less chili, and am leaning towards 3/4" cubes of beef chuck for the meat. I want plenty of sauce, more than a braise, but less than a soup/stew. I'd like the sauce to be fairly smooth, and very deep in flavor with plenty of viscosity to nape. So my immediate thoughts are a large reduction of beer, beef stock, and crushed tomatoes as a cooking liquid. Thickening with torn pieces of corn tortilla/crushed tortilla chips also catches my interest, but I'm worried it might make the sauce gritty (Does it fully dissolve?). How about using Masa Harina, that inferior masa product - or wold I be better sticking to torn corn tortillas/chips?
As mentioned above, I'm interested in the flavor associated with mexican mole's. Unsweetened Oaxacan chocolate, toasted nuts, coffee, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, anise etc. I've read the old tales about the Mexican nun preparing the first mole with spices from the orient, powdered chocolate blowing in through the window, etc. Would pepitas (punkin' seeds) be traditional? What other nuts are native to Mexico and the Southwest? I see a lot of recipes with ground peanuts, almonds, and sesame seeds. The chocolate and toasted nut butters interest me most.
Then of course the "Chili Powder" (with an i) and dried chile's (with an e). I have Alton Brown's DVD on chili, and definetly like the looks of his method/chili powder recipe. I definetly love the smokiness of dried Jalapenos (chipotles) and the flavor of them (as well as the heat). To be honest, I haven't experimented much with other dried chile's (with an e). I have some stale-tasting powdered ancho, but thats about it. I don't want this to be the worlds hottest chili, but I also don't mind a good hit of heat either. I'm not a raw Habanero kind of guy, but I love fiery Thai dishes made with bird chile's and Hot Tamales are my favorite candy (cinnamon fire haha). I was thinking of starting with anchos, cascabels, arbols, and chipotles.
I'll be making a run to the store later today for dried chiles, mexican bittersweet chocolate, nuts, chuck, and some beer.
Speaking of beer, some people swear by dark beer, while others say it overpowers everything and to use an amber ale (or even a lager in some recipes).
I realize there are a zillion recipes for chili, but I'm just looking for some help, answers to questions above, and opinions/recipes that might work with my goals.
I was thinking rice n' beans would be a great pairing with the stew, or maybe just some tortillas.
I've made plenty of chili in the past, but nothing has really stood out as amazing. I really want to attack the subject and come up with something great. I grew up with the ground beef, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and beans in a pot. Sure it fed everyone and was good, but not anything amazing.
Looking at all the regional claims to fame. Texas red, mexican mole based sauces, game chili's from the mid-west & mountains, health-nut turkey, etc. The purity of texas-red appeals to me, as well as the flavor depth and complexity of the Oaxacan sauces like the various mole's (Like Mole Poblano). I want a bean-less chili, and am leaning towards 3/4" cubes of beef chuck for the meat. I want plenty of sauce, more than a braise, but less than a soup/stew. I'd like the sauce to be fairly smooth, and very deep in flavor with plenty of viscosity to nape. So my immediate thoughts are a large reduction of beer, beef stock, and crushed tomatoes as a cooking liquid. Thickening with torn pieces of corn tortilla/crushed tortilla chips also catches my interest, but I'm worried it might make the sauce gritty (Does it fully dissolve?). How about using Masa Harina, that inferior masa product - or wold I be better sticking to torn corn tortillas/chips?
As mentioned above, I'm interested in the flavor associated with mexican mole's. Unsweetened Oaxacan chocolate, toasted nuts, coffee, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, anise etc. I've read the old tales about the Mexican nun preparing the first mole with spices from the orient, powdered chocolate blowing in through the window, etc. Would pepitas (punkin' seeds) be traditional? What other nuts are native to Mexico and the Southwest? I see a lot of recipes with ground peanuts, almonds, and sesame seeds. The chocolate and toasted nut butters interest me most.
Then of course the "Chili Powder" (with an i) and dried chile's (with an e). I have Alton Brown's DVD on chili, and definetly like the looks of his method/chili powder recipe. I definetly love the smokiness of dried Jalapenos (chipotles) and the flavor of them (as well as the heat). To be honest, I haven't experimented much with other dried chile's (with an e). I have some stale-tasting powdered ancho, but thats about it. I don't want this to be the worlds hottest chili, but I also don't mind a good hit of heat either. I'm not a raw Habanero kind of guy, but I love fiery Thai dishes made with bird chile's and Hot Tamales are my favorite candy (cinnamon fire haha). I was thinking of starting with anchos, cascabels, arbols, and chipotles.
I'll be making a run to the store later today for dried chiles, mexican bittersweet chocolate, nuts, chuck, and some beer.
Speaking of beer, some people swear by dark beer, while others say it overpowers everything and to use an amber ale (or even a lager in some recipes).
I realize there are a zillion recipes for chili, but I'm just looking for some help, answers to questions above, and opinions/recipes that might work with my goals.
I was thinking rice n' beans would be a great pairing with the stew, or maybe just some tortillas.
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