Posted: 1/11/2005 8:23:26 PM EDT
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I just started my first homemade chili batch. 2 beers 1 lb of hamburger 1 lb of pork sausage 4 ozs of tomato paste 5 cans Bushs Chili beans 1 small onion 1 chili spice pack 1 can water garic, dry mustard, chili powder, brown sugar, franks hot sauce, worsteshire sauce, some diced tomatoes, I plan to let it cook all night in a crock pot and have some in the morning for breakfast. Anything else I missed? |
Sounds tasty. Personally, I never use tomato paste, it gives a bit of a ketchupy taste. The only tomoatoes in my chili are diced up fresh tomatoes (they do cook down a lot though). Not sure about the brown sugar... seems odd but then again, I've never tried it. Might be damned tasty!
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Doh!! I've had it. Wish it weren't so. Tastes like soup. With 2 beers, and some whiskey in ya', I'm still willin' to bet the homemade chili you cook is better. |
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Really chili should not have beans. However, sometimes I make "cowboy chili" or "western style chili" with beans too. It's good stuff, even if it makes the purists cringe. Some suggestions: 1. No ground beef, ideally game meats like elk or venison, but beef is good too, just not hamburger. 2. Use dried beans, not canned beans. Sometimes a mix of beans is good: 60% red beans, 30% pinto beans, 10% black beans. Not too many beans though, lots of meat in proportion to the frijoles. 3. Ease up on the tomato products. Maybe (MAYBE) a small amount of paste and some of those sun dried tomatos in a jar. 4. Onions that are browned with the meat will just about disappear into the broth as pure flavor by the time you're done stewing everything. 5. Don't use a packet labeled"Chili Seasoning". Get your own separate spices, use fresh chili powder, some whole small red chilis browned in with the meat and then subjected to the whole process are tasty. 6. Spices just don't go in all at once. By trial and error you have to learn to add certain spices at certain times. If you brown the meat first (some don't) you can have spices at that stage, you can add spices when your first cooking the whole mix, and add others midway or near the end. When and how they're added will make a difference in how they taste. 7. You probably like 'hot' or you shouldn'y be eating chili, but remember, simply hotter is not better. It's got to be flavorfull hot, otherwise you could just suck on a nice chipotle. This is an art, not a science, have at it. Good luck. |
 mustard=spawn of the devil
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the three C's of chili 1: CUMIN 2: CHILI POWDER 3: CORIANDER I like to get whole cumin and coriander seeds, grind them in a spice mill, and toast all three of the above in a dry saute pan over medium heat. Be careful not to burn the spices, just as the pan starts to show a little smoke, remove the spices from the heat. You can also transfer the spices to a cool pan, or add directly to the chili. Toasting spices brings out a great aroma, and gives them more body. Lots of diced onion, and pass the corn bread please.. |
then it's called something else. 
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My general chili guidelines pretty much mirror what Fighting Hellfish posted: 1) use cubed meat, not hamburger 2) if you add beans, use dried beans, not canned 3) easy on tomato sauce... use paste or better yet, fresh 4) use seperate spices... not a packaged recipe 5) try using spices like fresh cilantro 6) make it spicy enough to taste good, but not just "hot" 7) slow cook for a long time; after 4-6 hours it will be better Experiment, experiment, experiment... practice makes perfect! |
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Anyone else use Carroll Shelby's chili pack? Two pounds of hamburger, one chili pack (spice pack, cayenne pack, masa flour pack, salt), and extras if you want (I like to add dark red kidney beans, drained). Such an easy meal to make. Bake some cornbread while you're preparing the chili, and it's perfect. Jim |
| The secret ingredient - two tablespoons of powdered cocao, and a PINCH of ground cloves. Beer in your chili make it more exploxive later, so if ya like chili farts, add beer. I fyou want flavor, drink the beer and put about 2 shots of JD in the chili after the meat is cooked. OPs |