Chili, Chili, Chili!!

[SierraCook]

Ah, a grilled cheese sandwich sounds so good right now. But no I will behave myself. Maybe I will have one for lunch tomorrow.

 

[Juliev]

lol.. I had to go over to the "Bread/sammiches" topic and post a grilled cheese with velveeta.. lol

 

[Juliev]

which is ALSO awesome with chili

when I worked as part of management for a pub/restaurant in town, we used to run that as a lunch special.. people loved it!

 

[SierraCook]

With all this talk of chili and cheese. I am going to make chili for dinner and have the grilled cheese for lunch. I guess I better put the beans to soak before I go to bed tonight. The crockpot will be working tomorrow.

 

[Juliev]

yeah.. it's the best when you make it in the crockpot. The last batch I made in my dutch oven.. just lacking time.. turned out good! And, I have some in the freezer in single-serve portions..that's why I love this time of year.. I can do that with soups, etc.

a friend of mine got a crockpot for her b-day over the summer.. and it's the kind without the removable crock.. I think that would be such a pain to clean!

 

[SierraCook]

I agree about the single serve portions. I package up all my leftovers that way. You are right the removable crockpots are the best. I used to have one that was not and it was a pain to clean. I just put the beans to soak.

 

[Juliev]

the next chili I make is your white chili recipe... I have never had that and I have always wanted to try it!

 

[Juliev]

oh.. if you ever use canned beans and are worried about sodium content, make sure to rinse them off well, and that takes a lot of the salt out.

 

[SierraCook]

Thanks, I always rinse any kind of canned beans I use and if they are available I buy the low sodium kind.

 

[Juliev]

what kind of chili are you making tomorrow?

that sounds good for a sunday.. it's getting "chili" here again.. lol.. we had a spell of warm temps the last few days.. it's supposed to be cold tomorrow.. only high of 50°F.. I just wish it would stay warm or stay cold and not go up and down.. but, what do you expect for this part of the country? :?

 

[SierraCook]

I am going to cheat and use the recipe below which calls for Carroll Shelby's chili kit. It has all the spices in it and you just add what you want to taste.

Texas Chili

1-2 lbs. stew meat (cut into 1” pieces, fat trimmed) or 1-2 lbs. hamburger
1 package of Carroll Shelby’s Chili Kit
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1- 4 oz. can diced green chilies
1-16 oz. package pink or kidney beans

The night before: rinse beans in colander. Pick out any bad beans. Place in a bowl with 2 inches of water over the top of the beans. Let soak overnight. The next morning, brown stew meat or hamburger. Drain. Pick out any beans that are floating on top of the water. Drain beans in colander. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Place meat in slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, tomato sauce, water, green chilies, large seasoning packet (to taste) from chili kit and soaked beans. Cook 9-10 hours or until beans are done. For thicker chili, mix Masa flour (white packet from chili kit) with 1/3 cup water. Stir into chili the last hour of cooking time. Makes 6 servings.

 

[Juliev]

sounds good!

 

[mudbug]

need a Texan to answer this one:

Isn't it so that "authentic" Texas chili contains NO beans?

 

[SierraCook]

need a Texan to answer this one:

Isn't it so that "authentic" Texas chili contains NO beans?

You are right, mudbug, typically Texas chili does contain no beans. Initially, the recipe I made had no beans and I added the beans to the recipe, but did not change the name.

 

[mudbug]

thought so. I like both kinds, just wondering.....

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

All of these chili recipes look very good. But there is one thing missing, at least if you're looking for that traditional Boston style chili, or U.P. Michigan style. That flavor is celery. Gotta have it. It just isn't chili without it.

Of course I'm talking about the tomato sauce and chile pepper based chili recipes, not the white varieties.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Audeo]

need a Texan to answer this one:

Isn't it so that "authentic" Texas chili contains NO beans?

Right on, Mudbug! Right on! What amazes me at chili cookoffs here is that almost all omit beans, the meats and consistencies very wildly! There are those who believe in cubed meat in an almost broth, and those who insist on ground meats in a thick, thick sauce.

Kinda reminds me of Dr. Seuss' Butter Battle Book....those who eat their bread with the butter side up, and those who eat theirs with the butter side down...!

 

[AllenOK]

I've been thinking about trying to improve my "basic" chili recipe and "bump it up a few notches" (sorry, couldn't resist). My basic recipe is pretty common, hamburger, browned off, then add onions, garlic, and seasonings. Once the onions are cooked, crushed tomatoes and beans, and simmer for an hour or so.

I use my own "mexican seasoning blend", which includes chili powder, cumin, ground chipotles, garlic powder, etc. My DW just uses chili powder and maybe some salt and pepper.

What I'm thinking of using, is a mix of hamburger and some kind of sausage (I saw that someone else already does that), either Italian or Chorizo. I'd also like to add a few Chipotles (packed in Adobo), seeded and minced. I'm even thinking of adding a little Mexican Chocolate to give it more of a Molé type flavor.

I do know that if I use the Chorizo and Chipotles, I'll have to adjust my seasonings. I may even have to forego using my seasoning blend, and go with chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.

I also would like to have a pronounced smoky flavor in my Chili. Depending on what ingredients I use, I may achieve that with the Chorizo and Chipotles, but if not, I may have to add a few drops of Liquid Smoke.

Would any of you care to add your 2¢?

 

[Audeo]

Well, I'll put in my Widow's Mite anyway!

Allen, I am all behind you on this idea! I usually put chorizo in mine and a few dashes of dried chipotles. The reason I started doing this is because the very BEST chili I EVER had in my life was served by an old family mex restaurant in the TCU area of Fort Worth called Cara's. The owner, John, went to school with my husband and was willing to impart his mother's recipe included chorizo and chipotles, but wouldn't give up anything else. Your suggestion of chocolate really has me thinking that I'll try that next time. I love smoky chili!

Hmmm....makes me think today's weather would allow for some chili and it's still early in the day....

Good luck! I say go for it!

 

[AllenOK]

Well, I was able to find some bulk Chorizo, so I bought 8 oz, which I'm going to mix with some hamburger. I couldn't find any Chipotles in Adobo at that store, but I did find some Chipotle sauce. I'll use that. Normally, I add my seasonings in when I brown my meat, to caramelize the seasonings somewhat. I don't know if I want to do that this time, as I'm not sure how "hot" this is going to be, and my DW is not acclimated to my heat tolerance.