# It's Chili season - show your recipes



## StephanFowler (Oct 3, 2011)

Here's how I make chili


[video=youtube;gbzJ0jwcEiQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbzJ0jwcEiQ[/video]

4 Lb Chuck Roast cubed 
1 Lb Andoille sausage 
4 Large Sweet Onions 
1 Cup Brandy (substitute beer here if you want)
1 Poblano pepper 
2 Serrano peppers 
1/2 Habanero pepper 
4 Large firm tomatoes 
Seasonings - Smoked Chipotle chili powder, salt, pepper, paprika to taste


spices cooks in a crock pot for at least 8 hours it's best to let it cook and then cool to rest for at least 24 hours prior to eating. Thanks Stephan


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## mateo (Oct 3, 2011)

mmm... chili, I'm still refining my recipe, but it's like yours -- a chili con carne style, no beans, corn, mushrooms... etc. 

Although a big breakthrough was making my own chili powder:
3 Ancho Chiles
2 Guajillo chiles
3 chiles de arbol
2 Dried chipotle chiles
2 Tbs cumin seed

Toast all that in a skillet (after coarsely chopping chiles and removing seeds), once fragrant cool and grind. Then add:

1Tbs. smoked paprika
2 tsp oregano
2tsp garlic powder (maybe some onion powder)

 Yum! My chili has about 3 Tbs of this in it... about one Tbs per pound of meat I use.

I like caramelizing the onions first... I'll have to try that sometime, probably adds some nice depth and sweetness to balance the chiles.


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## StephanFowler (Oct 3, 2011)

and the brandy is weird, 

If I set two bowls in front of you, one with the brandy and one without you'd know something was different, but it's really subtle


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## The Edge (Oct 3, 2011)

Chili is the first thing I ever learned how to make, and now the recipe usually comes down to my mood at the time.

First decision is whether I'm being lazy or not, which is the choice between ground beef and chuck. If I choose chuck, I'll cut it into roughly 1//2" cubes. The meat is then heavily browned, then removed.

Next, I start to caramelize the onion to which I add a mix of the following ingredients:
Guajillo chiles (add a bright vibrant chile flavor)
Ancho chiles (earthy chile flavor)
Chipotle chile (smoky heat)
serano or jalepeno chiles (fresher flavor)
cumin seeds
coriander seeds (I usually double the amount of coriander to cumin, but this is a personal preference)
2 or 3 cloves
and garlic powder

I'll let these flavors develop quite well before I add tomatoes, roasted red peppers, roasted pablanos, and for me beans.
Then I'll add water or stock to cover and simmer for at least 2 or 3 hours.

Before serving, I'll chop cilantro and add it to the pot to keep the flavor fresh and pungent.


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## The Edge (Oct 3, 2011)

I'm going to have to give the brandy a shot, that sounds pretty good.


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## EdipisReks (Oct 3, 2011)

can't go wrong with a classic.


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## stevenStefano (Oct 3, 2011)

I normally use beer when I make chilli and I think it makes it awesome but brandy is interesting. I've also heard of people making it with Martini


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## mr drinky (Oct 3, 2011)

You're right. It is time to start thinking about chili. 

If you want ideas to try out, here are some of the winning recipes from the International Chili Cookoff dating back to 1970.

Chili Recipes

Btw, America's Test Kitchen tested chili powders a while back and Spice Island Chili Powder was the clear winner. I've only made chili a half dozen times, but this year I am going to try the Cook's Illustrated recipe that was mentioned in Jan 2011. Here is their recipe.

k.


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## Kyle (Oct 3, 2011)

I didn't grow up eating much good chili so I don't have any preferences for it. To me chili is a great way to get rid of leftovers, so I usually just go with whats in the frdige and pantry. Last week I had a couple pounds of leftover smoked rib trimmings so I started with that and used only stuff I had on hand to make a pot of chili: 4 ears of corn leftover from a party the day before, 3 cans of beans (black, kidney and pints), fresh hatch chiles, onion, bell pepper and spices. It wouldn't win any awards and purists would scoff at the amount of beans, but it super cheap and my roommates devoured up the whole pot in two days. 

Once the weather cools I think I'm going to try my hand at a good chili recipe and see how it goes.


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## wenus2 (Oct 3, 2011)

mr drinky said:


> If you want ideas to try out, here are some of the winning recipes from the International Chili Cookoff dating back to 1970.
> Chili Recipes


Great Link. I've competed in a handful of ICS competitions, it's really a good time. Never won, but we do have a handful of peoples choice trophies collecting dust.

If you are a chili fan and really want to step up your product, the best improvement you can make is to increase the quality of your chili powder and cumin. While I will not doubt America's Test Kitchen's ranking of grocery store brands, I will add that Gebharts is the choice of many pros. Beyond that, none of those options hold a candle to using a REAL FRESH NEW MEXICO CHILI POWDER. Also be sure and check out the SW Blackening Rub from these guys, it's on a whole 'nother level than what most of us are used to seeing.
Chili powder has a short shelf life, sealed or not. Almost anything sitting on your grocery store shelf has already lost most of its ooomph. Keep your chili powder sealed air-tight in the freezer to get the most out of it.

Also, don't forget the tortillas OR cornbread!


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## SpikeC (Oct 3, 2011)

The ATK recipe recommends making your own chili powder, not using grocery store brands.


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## mr drinky (Oct 3, 2011)

Yeah, I saw that, but back in 2005 they tested the store brands and picked the best one.

k.


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## SpikeC (Oct 3, 2011)

So how about using pork instead of beef in chili? I do pork chili verde, but why not pork red?


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## StephanFowler (Oct 3, 2011)

SpikeC said:


> So how about using pork instead of beef in chili? I do pork chili verde, but why not pork red?


 
I've subbed pork loin for the chuck roast before and it works ok

the pork tends to dry out if your not really careful

I went with 4 hours on the crock pot and it was about right


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## Kyle (Oct 4, 2011)

StephanFowler said:


> I've subbed pork loin for the chuck roast before and it works ok
> 
> the pork tends to dry out if your not really careful
> 
> I went with 4 hours on the crock pot and it was about right



What about subbing pork loin for pork butt? Much higher internal fat content and won't dry out as much.


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## The Edge (Oct 4, 2011)

lus1: on pork butt


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## HHH Knives (Oct 4, 2011)

Great recipes, I have never used Pork Butt, lol but almost always use some pork sausage! 

Im cooking a big pot of chili this weekend for the Get Together! Thanks for posting It gives me some new fresh ideas and will make this batch better!


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## 9mmbhp (Oct 4, 2011)

SpikeC said:


> So how about using pork instead of beef in chili? I do pork chili verde, but why not pork red?



Carne Adovada - pork stewed with red chile - is very popular in New Mexico.


One of the glories of New Mexican cuisine is carne adovada, that is, adoboed meat. The dish is really a variant of carne en chile colorado discussed hereabove. The sauce is just a simple version of the one described above,* in which one uses only dried red New Mexican chiles, some water, a healthy dose of garlic and perhaps some oregano. The meat used is pork (shoulder is a good cut), preferably not too fatty, cut into pieces, the size and form of which can vary according to personal taste, though in the versions Ive had in (or from -- see below) New Mexico the pieces have been fairly small chunks. Crucial to this dish is the fact that the meat is marinated for a long time (at least overnight) in the red chile sauce; some extra garlic cloves can be added to the marinade. Actual cooking is done slowly in a not-too-hot oven (300-325º for several hours) and some people finish the dish briefly in a hot pan or under the broiler (e.g., Regina Romero). The finished product should be fairly tight, sufficiently so that it can serve as a not at all sloppy filling for a tortilla or burrito.​
_
* If one surveys a lot of recipes for this dish, one comes across versions in which the red chile sauce includes some flavourings beyond the chiles and garlic mentioned above; oregano is quite common and cumin is also a fairly common addition and there are yet others Ive seen. But the best examples of this dish that Ive had were, I firmly believe, *maximally simple* (and when we've made the dish, that's how we've done it). One such version, made on one of the Native American pueblos in New Mexico and brought to us (frozen) by a friend a couple of weeks ago was to my mind pretty much perfect. Red chiles of medium heat, garlic and pork. In a word: wow. _​


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## 9mmbhp (Oct 4, 2011)

I neglected to attribute the two paragraphs in my previous post, they come from the last post of this discussion (which is worth reading!).


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## wenus2 (Oct 4, 2011)

interesting link 9mmbhp, thnx for sharing.


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## rahimlee54 (Oct 5, 2011)

Anyone have a great cornbread recipe to go with the chile?


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## Amon-Rukh (Oct 5, 2011)

My fiancee doesn't eat red meat, so I generally do chili with chunks of chicken instead of beef. Pork sounds good too; I'll have to give that a try some time. 

For cornbread, I usually more or less just follow Alton Brown's recipe: online version here with some basil added. I like to make my own creamed corn for using in this/eating on its own too.


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## bikehunter (Oct 5, 2011)

rahimlee54 said:


> Anyone have a great cornbread recipe to go with the chile?


 
I know you "from scratch" purists will cringe (or those who like "Southern style" cornbread, with no sweetness), but I take an ordinary box of Jiffy cornbread mix, saute some onions, bell pepper and a finely minced jalapeno or serrano, add a little honey (adjust your added liquid). Pour the batter into a greased, preheated 8" cast iron skillet, 400 degree oven. 20 minutes later, you have a tasty, beautifully browned hunk of cornbread that's great with chili, hamhocks and beans, beef stew, or whatever. Not fancy but I really like it.


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## SpikeC (Oct 5, 2011)

Add some frozen corn to that and you've got something!


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## bikehunter (Oct 5, 2011)

SpikeC said:


> Add some frozen corn to that and you've got something!


 
Oh, damn...thanks. I forgot that. I do use corn.


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## Ratton (Oct 5, 2011)

rahimlee54 said:


> Anyone have a great cornbread recipe to go with the chile?



Try this, you'll love it!!!

 * Cast Iron Skillet Corn Bread*​ *Ingredients:*
*Dry:* *1. 1 ¼ cups coarse corn meal*
* 2. ¾ cup all-purpose flour*
* 3. ¼ cup granulated sugar*
* 4. 2 teaspoons baking power*
* 5. 1 teaspoon kosher salt*
* 6. ½ teaspoon baking soda*
*Wet: 1. 1 1/3 cups buttermilk*
* 2. 2eggs, lightly beaten*
* 3. 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted*
*Procedure:*
*1. **Preheat oven to 450 degrees, and place a 9 inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while making the batter.*
*2. **In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.*
*3. **In another bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients, reserving 1 tablespoon of butter for the skillet.*
*4. **Now whisk together the dry and wet ingredients.*
*5. **Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven.*
*6. **Reduce the oven temp to 375 degrees.*
*7. **Coat the bottom and sides of the hot skillet with the remaining butter.*
*8. **Pour batter into the skillet and place in the center of the oven.*
*9. **Bake until the center is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 2o to 25 minutes.*
*10. **Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve! :cheffry:*


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## bikehunter (Oct 6, 2011)

This looks killer, Ratton, but WAAAAY too elaborate for a lazy old bachelor. <G>


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## WillC (Oct 6, 2011)

This thread is making me hungry..... I kind of make my food up as I go along, But like a zesty chilli and add limes lime zest of fresh OJ to mine to balance a touch of sweetness. As well as naga chilli if I've got any on the plant.


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## mc2442 (Oct 7, 2011)

might have to work a batch of chili into the weekend plans


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## apicius9 (Oct 7, 2011)

Really great stuff here. Nothing like a hot chili on a cold Hawaiian winter night  just wondering, does anybody have a good recipe for a green pork chili? I remember having one in Vale, CO, of all places that was fabulous, but I never tried one myself. 

Stefan


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## 9mmbhp (Oct 7, 2011)

Hey Stefan -- 

You might find this site interesting.

And here are some other recipes which I clipped out of the Denver Post years ago. I usually make something close to the JC Trujillo recipe though I do add a little bit of chopped tomato and onion (some do, some don't, it is a parochial thing). 


Auggie Sena's Green Chile
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1-1/2lb boneless pork butt, not trimmed
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 Tbsp flour
1-1/2lb roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped green chile
1 can (14oz) tomatoes, chopped, with liquid
salt to taste

Place pork, whole, in a pot an cover completely with at least 2qts, but not more than 3qts, of water. 
Bring to a boil then reduce heat until the water is simmering vigorously.

Cover pot and cook until the pork is tender enough to pierce easily with a fork, about 2 hours.

Drain and reserve boiling liquid, When cool enough to handle, cut pork into 3/4" cub, trimming fat as you go.

Heat vegetable oil in bottom of a 5qt pot over medium heat. Add garlic and flour and fry, stirring constantly until
mixture is a uniform pale brown, about 2 minutes. (Remove pot from burner if it starts to color too quickly).

Add reserved liquid, cubed pork, chiles and tomatoes and stir to dissolve flour.

The mixture should reach 1" below the rim of the pot, if not, add water until it does.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a vigorous simmer. Cook three hours, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt.

Makes about 1 gallon.

==================================================================

Brandy Mauro's Green Chile
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3lbs boneless pork butt, cubed
1 to 1-1/2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 qt canned tomatoes, chopped
2lbs roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped green chile
1/4 cup flour, dissolved into 1/2 cup of water
salt to taste

Place cubed pork, onions and garlic in the bottom of a pot and just cover with water.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a vigorous simmer. Simmer about 1-1/2 hours until pork is tender.

Add additional water as needed to keep pork covered.

Add tomatoes, chiles and 2 qts water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a vigorous simmer.

Whisk in half of the flour-water mixture. Let simmer 10 minutes. If you want the chile thicker, add more flour-water mix.

Reduce heat to a light simmer. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours until flavors are blended. Season to taste with salt.

Makes 1-1/2 to 2 gallons.

==================================================================

J.C Trujillo's Green Chile
-----------------------------------

2 to 4lb pork roast (shoulder or boston butt)
4qts water
3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1 Tbsp chile pequin or chile rojo (any sort of medium hot dried ground red chile)
2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp fat (bacon, vegetable or canola oil)
3/4 cup flour
4 cups diced, peeled, seeded green chile

Trim fat from roast, place roast, water, garlic, dried chile and salt in a pot. 

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 4 hours until meat shreds easily. 

Remove meat, debone and shred into small chunks, removing fat and gristle as you go. 

Strain the broth and skim off fat.

Put fat in a clean 5qt pot, heat and stir in flour. When roux starts to color, being adding broth one cup at a time,
stirring constantly. When mixture thins out, add the remaining broth. 

Add meat, green chiles and seasonings.

Simmer gently for at least two hours.

Serve with hot flour tortillas.

Makes about 1 gallon.


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## SpikeC (Oct 7, 2011)

That would be chili Verdi. I use tomatillos and a standard soffrito, brown the pork chunks well, and throw in some taters.
I process the tomatillos into slop. I use anahiems for the chili as my spouse does not tolerate heat, but hot ones make it best.
I use corn flour to coat the pork prior to browning.


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## bikehunter (Oct 7, 2011)

And "slop" would be like a puree? LOL


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## SpikeC (Oct 7, 2011)

Yes, I use a stick blender, or foot processor, if it happens to be out on the counter.


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## Kyle (Oct 7, 2011)

I make a darn good smoked chile verde, if I do say so myself. I start off with a 6-7 lb pork butt, season liberally with salt, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and dried oregano. Then I smoke it for 3-4 hours or until the internal temp reaches about 160. While the butt is smoking I roast tomatillos, onions, pasillas, anaheims (or NM Hatch chiles when in season) and then make a fresh salsa verde. Once the butt has reached the desired temp, I drop the whole thing in a dutch oven with the salsa and let it simmer for a couple hours. Once the butt reaches 200 internal it will pully apart easily, then I mix the salsa and shredded pork and service over rice with tortillas.

Also, here is a great green chili recipe that I've used with delicious results.

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1998/06/green-chili.html


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## jmforge (Oct 15, 2011)

I cheat. I use Wick Fowler's Two Alarm mix........so sue me.:lol2: I typically use a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork and substitute beer for one of the two cups of water. After years of going with the straight Texas recipe of no beans, I now will occasionally add a 14 oz can of pinto beans if the urge strikes me. Pintos are my all time fave dried bean. If I was going to make the stuff from scratch, I would basically try to reproduce the Fowler recipe including the cigarette pack sized bag of chili powder. I have tried making chili with tri-tip like "competition" chili and I was singularly unimpressed with the results.


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## wenus2 (Oct 15, 2011)

Kyle said:


> I make a darn good smoked chile verde, if I do say so myself. I start off with a 6-7 lb pork butt, season liberally with salt, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and dried oregano. Then I smoke it for 3-4 hours or until the internal temp reaches about 160. While the butt is smoking I roast tomatillos, onions, pasillas, anaheims (or NM Hatch chiles when in season) and then make a fresh salsa verde. Once the butt has reached the desired temp, I drop the whole thing in a dutch oven with the salsa and let it simmer for a couple hours. Once the butt reaches 200 internal it will pully apart easily, then I mix the salsa and shredded pork and service over rice with tortillas.
> [/url]


 
That's a good idea, I make chile verde about a half dozen times a year and same for BBQ butt, but I never thought to combine em!
I dunno why either, the salsa verde pork tacos are one of my fave things at the local BBQ house.
Sometimes it just takes somebody to say it outloud I guess. 
Anyway, I'm looking forward to doing this. Thanks again!


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## SpikeC (Oct 15, 2011)

I think that I will jump on this bandwagon and pick up a pork shoulder today!


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## HHH Knives (Oct 15, 2011)

I just finished up the left over chili from the Hammer in!! I used beef and pork in my mix for this batch.


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## SpikeC (Oct 21, 2011)

Normally I dust pork chunks with corn flower prior to browning, which provides a nice base for thickening the stew, but this time I did a pork shoulder low and slow in the BGE with my dry rub. 5 hours at 200º and then a couple of hours the next day in the oven wrapped in foil at 300. I made a sauce out of tomatillos and green tomatoes, roasted Anaheim's, garlic, onions and carrots. The pork was then added and heated through, and served over rice. 
I think some thickener would be a good addition, but the tasty factor was certainly there!


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## Burl Source (Oct 22, 2011)

After looking through all the recipes, I made a pot of chili-like stuff last night.
Man, that really hit the spot.
I used stew beef that I cut into smaller cubes, dusted with flour and browned.
A couple chopped Walla Walla sweet onions. A can of chopped green chilis, a jar of salsa verde and a can of black beans.

Not exactly a real recipe or quality ingredients, but it turned out great.


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## SpikeC (Oct 22, 2011)

Sounds like a winner to me!


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## bikehunter (Oct 22, 2011)

Don't worry about fancy ingredients, Mark. Sure, I love to have chili from some guy who used all kinds of secret, esoteric stuff, and cooked it for 8 hours. However, there is only one of me here. Give me meat (hamburger, left over steak, pork or beef roast) and peppers, bell and hot, onions, a decent sauce... and thirty minutes, I'll have something that I can eat for at least a few days. Thirty minutes also gives me enough time for cornbread. BTW, I often make my own sauce, but if you guys can find El Pato "tomato sauce" (the other side says, Salsa de Chili Fresco...in a yellow can with red letters), if you don't like your chili so hot it will make you cry for your mama, you likely won't need any extra hot peppers or other hotsy additions. Fancy isn't necessary, at least not for me.


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