USVI-On-Line

I have been put in charge of cooking for my department's entry into the first annual City Chili Challenge. I tend to make pretty basic chili. We need something "special" to stand out. I know there are several great, creative cooks on here. If you have any unique "must have" ingredients that you think gives you Chili something special....hit me with it!

Well, I don't recommend extreme acts of food protest for everyone, but it has always worked for me. This is something that Sweet Christine and I whip up for chili contests. This recipe rather backed into the name.

SATAN’S SPHINCTER CHILI
Prep time: 6 hours
Cooking start to finish: 4 hours

The Meat Course

1 lb sliced bacon
6 lb beef chuck, minced
2 lbs pork butt, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or rendered beef suet)
2 large white onions, chopped
12 fresh jalapeno chilies, seeded and chopped

• Cook bacon in skillet and chili pot over moderate heat, turning, until crisp. DO NOT BURN!
• Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain and pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot.
• Crumble bacon.
• Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper.
• Add oil to skillet and chili pot and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. DO NOT BURN!
• Brown pork and beef in batches without crowding and transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate.
• Add onion and jalapeños and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened.

First Spice Dump

Peanut oil to cover bottom of large pot
2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
1 bay leaf
2 dried chipotles - whole
2 dried Ancho chile pods – pureed
¼ cup Extra Hot Lumbre Chili Powder (add more to taste)
½ cup Hot Sandia Chili Powder
1 cup Medium Big Jim Chili Powder
1 (7-oz) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - pureed
2 Tablespoons Rocoto Red Hot Pepper Paste
8-16 oz water
2 14 oz cans beef broth
1 cup water
12 oz non-hoppy beer – Whirlwind Wit or homebrewed wit

• Place pot on flame tamer
• Grease bottom of pot with peanut oil and heat to moderately, not smoking
• Mix dry ingredients and garlic for first spice dump in a large bowl
• Add chipotle puree, Rocoto paste and water to bowl to make a paste the consistency of a thick sauce (moderately thick)
• Fry spice paste in pot until aromatic and slightly darker
• Add meat to pot with any juices accumulated on plate
• Add broth and water until the consistency is slightly thinner than desired for serving
• Simmer chili, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pork is very tender, about 2 hours.
• Add water as necessary
• Adjust earthy heat with ground chiles

Second Spice Dump – 30 minutes prior to judging

1 Tablesoon Tabasco Sauce
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons crushed black pepper
12 to 32 oz can crushed tomatoes, puree or tomato sauce (to taste)
1+ Tablespoon salt (to taste)
2 (19-oz) cans pinto beans, pureed (to consistency and taste)
2-4 Tablespoons roasted ground cumin (to taste)
Habanero – very finely mnced (to taste - 6)
1 lb smoked pork butt, shredded (or more to taste)

• Add Tabasco, coriander and black pepper
• Add smoked pork butt
• Add tomatoes to taste
• Balance tomatoes with salt
• Thicken with pinto bean puree
• Adjust earthiness with roasted ground cumin
• Adjust sharp heat with Habaneros

Right Before Judging

1lb crumbled bacon
Jerome's Hot Sauce (to taste)
Idiot Boys Hot Sauce (to taste)

• Add bacon.
• Adjust heat to pain threshold with Jerome's and Idiot Boys
• Remove whole chipotles and bay leaf


You can buy the best ground red chilis at http://www.hatch-chile.com/catalog.asp?categoryid=8875 . We also have a spreadsheet to adjust the proportions given total batch size.

Cheers, RickG

Rick - that recipe looks GREAT. I can't wait to get lots of chili recipes!!!

I wanted to share this recipe that we got out of a Nantahala Outdoor Center recipe book years ago. We have always loved their chili.

I am quite sure you can't use this recipe in a contest, but it can give you some ideas. Plus, I just wanted to share it...

Nantahala Outdoor Center
Chili Beef Soup

Serves: 8
Difficulty: Class II
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes

Measure Ingredients

½ lb. Ground Beef
1 cup Onion (chopped)
½ cup Green Pepper (chopped)
1 teaspoon Ground Oregano
1 teaspoon Basil Leaves

16 oz. Whole Peeled Tomatoes (chopped) and their juice
32 oz. Canned Tomato Sauce
32 oz. Canned Kidney Beans (rinsed) – I use the ones in Chili Gravy
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Bay Leaf
1 tablespoon Chili Powder
Dash Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Sugar

Step 1. Brown beef with onions, peppers, basil and oregano
Step 2. Drain the grease
Step 3. Add the remaining ingredients
Step 4. Simmer for 30 minutes (stir occasionally)
Step 5. Serve hot or cold

DELETED

My chili is pretty basic too -- the only excitement is that I use beef from my dad's farm and my "secret ingredient" is Old El Paso taco seasoning (I saw someone else post once -- I think here -- that they used it and I felt like a big loser). However, I will say that I once had someone else's chili who put huge chunks of veggies -- onions, pepper, tomato and even mushrooms in her chili and it was delicious that way.

I think that the secret to great chili is to just throw it all in a pot and never make it the same way twice, so maybe I've said something here that will help you come up with the perfect recipe.

Sometimes I mix up corn bread batter and put it on top and then cook it with the lid on for 20 minutes and people love it that way. However, usually chili cook off judges are real die-hards, and that might not help.

Cocoa!! It gives it a little bit of a sweet flavor before the burn

XOXO
Bug

some times I throw cinnamon in mine.

My dad is famous for his award-winning chili


Secret ingredient? Time. And I don't mean thyme.

This ends up being a very colorful chili. It tastes good, and because I add the veggies 1/3 at a time, the texture is interesting.

Ingredients:
Lean beef. Tough is ok, because you cube it -- 1/2 - 3/4 inch -- and cook it a long time. Stew meat is great, but cube it smaller.
Beer -- stale is ok, if you have one sitting around. I use PBR.
8 or 15-bean dry soup mix for the beans. Not too many -- maybe 8 oz. Don't use the spice packet.
Red, yellow, orange, and green bell peppers.
Chili powder.
Hot Sport green chiles. Small can.
Jalapeno and/or habanera to taste.
Any other peppers that your grocer might have: sweet banana, Hungarian wax, anaheim
Vidalia and red onions.
Tomatoes: Diced, stewed, fresh, whatever. No skin!
Snow-cap mushrooms

Timeline:
Soak the beans overnight.
You can slice & dice the peppers and onions ahead of time, too.

Six hours before serving:
Rinse the beans.
Brown the beef, with 1/3 of the peppers and onions and some chili powder.
Add 1/2 can of beer; let the beer cook down. The acid in the beer helps tenderize the meat.
Add 1/2 of the beans.
Add 1/3 of the tomatoes
2 hours later . .
Add 1/3 of the peppers, onions, tomatoes
Add 1/2 of the beans.
2 hours later . .
Add last 1/3 of the peppers, onions, tomatoes
Add chili powder to taste.
If you need more bulk, drain the liquid from and add canned black and/or dark red beans.
2 hours later . .
Just before serving, slice (vertically) and add the mushrooms.
Serve with oyster crackers, grated cheddar, jalapeno slices

Throughout, taste & adjust. I mostly adjust with chili powder.

If you really like Steak & Shake chili, put in some worcestershire sauce (with the meat) and chocolate (with the last 1/3 of the veggies).

Late breaking info:

I probably should have said something about cooking the meat -- brown it to the point of caramelization. Use half muscle, half ground. Drain fat, if there is much.

I made this for a chili cook-off to benefit my sons' marching band last year. It was different than all of the other entries...

Green Pork Chili

1 pound Pork, smoked and chopped
1 medium Onion(s), minced
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon Olive oil
2 pound(s) Green chilies, roasted and chopped*
1 teaspoon Cumin
pinch Salt
pinch Black pepper
3-4cups Chicken stock
1 bottle Beer, dark

* I grabbed an assortment of chilies (peppers) from the produce section - anaheims, poblanos, jalapenos, whatever they had. I roasted them on the grill, then removed the skin before chopping them. I advise you to wear gloves during this part - I didn't and my hands burned all night!!

In a large dutch oven-type pot, saute garlic and onion in olive oil.

Add pork and mix until heated.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil.

Simmer, partially covered, for 2-3 hours.

Vicki - The best additive to any chili is chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It adds a really nice smokey flavor. Also, a lot of heat, so either reduce the seeds or use less chilis (2-3 give a nice heat to a bit pot).

alw1977 wrote:Vicki - The best additive to any chili is chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It adds a really nice smokey flavor. Also, a lot of heat, so either reduce the seeds or use less chilis (2-3 give a nice heat to a bit pot).

Ja, chipotles are great. We have friends who only use the sauce from the Chipotles en adobo. I like to use a puree. We also like the warm heat from straight dry whole chipotles. Penzeys sells ground chipotles too. Smokey-licious!

Cheers, RickG

These are a great help, guys. Thanks!

I make pretty standard chili. Sometimes I use lean breakfast sausage (hot flavor) instead of beef.

But I always add a cup of strong black coffee. It seems to add depth of flavor without cooking for hours.