| Chili? - Old family recipe
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I'm a native Texan (8 generations), so I claim more chili expertise than golf expertise.
True chili contains very few ingredients:
Meat should be coarse ground (avoid really lean meat-skim the grease after cooking), figure about a half pound per person. Any red meat will work, since you'll cook it for a pretty good while, a tough cut is fine, it needs grease so don't trim any fat.
Ancho Peppers - These are dried Poblanos, I grind them in a coffee grinder to a course powder, and use about one or two peppers per pound of meat. They can be hot. Outside of the Republic of Texas (except AZ, & New Mexico), you should use fewer peppers, since the residents can't take it.
Comino - This is the spice that gives it the "chili taste" use plenty, it should be ground but add it a little at a time, sampling for what your taste buds like.
onions - Chopped fine - one medium onion per pound of meat.
salt - as much as you like
beer - both for cooking & drinking.
Masa Flour (this is a corn flour)
For vegetable soup, add tomatoes.
Chocolate is a common optional ingredient because it cuts the burn.
Never add beans to chili, if you want beans in your chili, cook pinto beans (never red kidney beans because their skin is too tough), and put them in the bottom of the bowl when it's served. Beans in chili is a controversial subject amongst chili heads, so it's best to allow those who care for them to add them.
In a big, heavy (needs to be heavy to distribute the heat & avoid burning the spices) pot, brown the meat & Onions. If you're making vegetable soup, add chopped or crushed canned tomatoes. Add peppers, comino, salt & pour beer into the pot (enough to make it sloppy), simmer a couple of hours until the meat is tender. Drink a couple of beers & watch a ball game while it's cooking. Taste for hotness, proper amount of comino, etc. The consistency should be about that of a thick gravy, it should generate a slight warming sensation all through your body. Add ground anchos until you think it's too hot then add more. You want something that gets attention.
To tighten the chili After it's cooked, Mix some masa flour in warm water to produce a thick sauce, NO LUMPS. You'll pour this into the chili while stirring, it'll give it a slightly thicker consistency. Cook for about another hour.
Remove from heat & let the chili cool, the grease should rise to the top & you can skim it off if you want, but the grease is where a lot of the flavor is.
Here's the secret, if you wait a while (several hours) before you eat it, the spices have a way of blending into the meat & creating a smooth, yet "inspiring" taste. I like to refrigerate my chili for about 4 hours then re-heat.
To serve, top with ground cheese & chopped onions.
Eat with corn tortillas (Doritos work, but I prefer tortilla chips with a little more thickness), and pickled jalapenos.
Drink lots of very cold beer, avoid lite beers & fancy stuff like Heinekan. Shiner is best, but will be pretty much unavailable outside the Republic of Texas. In UK Boddingtons would be a good substitute.
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Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it's called golf. | 
01-04-2006, 03:43 AM
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