On Chili

[JenniferL]

As promised, here is one of many forthcming posts on any topic of my choice. Before i get started, I want it known that my owner has asked my to forgo spellchecking these or correcting my typos like I normally do. I promised myself when I agreed to do the auction that I'd try to be a good sport about everything. Though I did think at the time that would involve cursteying to novices, not looking dumb. So if I sound illiterate, as well as fat, that's why.

 

Anyways, chili. This is what we had for dinner tonight. It's always the subject of much discussion in our house. I married a Twxan, so chili is pretty much a state religion to him. I am not so emotionally invested, but I do like to do things right, so I've tried to imprve my recipe over the years. Tonight's version was made with ground beef, onions, garlic, chili powder, canned tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper, beer and half of a jalapeno pepper. I like my tastebuds, okay?

 

Usually when I do chili, I use beef stew meat and I cook it in my crockpot. But I buy meat when it's on sale, and ground beef was cheapest this week. I had a chili on Saturday that was mixed ground turey and ground pork. That was pretty good. I don't go out buying fancy meat for chili though, this is cowboy food. It's meant to be made with cheap meats.

 

I go back and forth on using beans. Going back to the whole "cowboy food" idea, I think beans are appropriate. Dried beans are cheap, norishing, lightweight food. So it makes sense that a cowboy might add them to his chili to stretch the meal a bit further. That's why I added the black beans tonight. I know kidney beans are traditional. They add a nice creamy texture to the chili. But I didn't have those ready to go, so I sed black beans.  I considered adding a little brown rice and corn to it too, but then my husband would beat me.

 

As for spice, I admit I'm a whimp. I don't do nearly as much heat as Seggie would like. Today was actually a bit spicier than I normally do, with the addition of the peppers. The peppers were actually my inspiration to make chili. The farmer's markets here are full of them and it seemed shameful to pass up on them, even though I don't like them.  Chili seemed like something I could stand them in.  (The stray pepper half will go in a Thai style stir fry later this week.)

 

The chili I had on Saturday used chocolate. That's not something I've ever used in my chili, but I'm not opposed to it. You want to use a dark, unsweetened chocolate. It gives it more depth of flavor and brings out the spice. Not makes it MORE spicy, just brings it out.

 

Anyways, Heroes is on. I'll finish this later.

[Dwynwen]

Okay, my first attempt at being insane and illogical:

 

Cowboys don't do anything that makes sense.  If they have beans in their chilli, it's because it makes them fart more, and farting is cool.  Everyone knows that farts will make the ladies want to keep those boys company when they are lonely out on the range.  Why else would perfumes and colognes have the word "toilet" in them?

 

You shouldn't have added dark chocolate for a logical reason.  I think your attempt at chocolate chilli is just a vain attempt to imitate Homer Simpson's creative food combinations.

[Ireond]

Okay, I'm changing my opinon on merely liking the auction...

 

I love it!!!

 

  I also like adding a little bit of dark brown sugar, or maybe a bit of molasses to Chili.  If you do it right, and kick up the heat, you should have a sweet flavor at first, and then a hot flavor.  I can also suggest instead of using corn (which I use as well) maybe you won't get into trouble for using Masa (corn flour). I believe Masa is the brand name.  I've yet to try it with black beans.  I'm a big fan of stews that you just through everything in, so I'll probably end up having brown rice in it next time as well.  If you can get some Venison or Buffalo, that adds a wonderful flavor and is healthier for you as well. 

 

 

[Besolyn]

Not a big chili fan, but venison is much better for you (love it in stew!). Not sure about the giant Ga deer, but our little Fl deer have very little fat in/on the meat...usually all the fat is between the skin and the first layer of muscle.

 

Dwyn, the cowboys want to fart more because cows don’t like the smell of things looooong dead, so they use the farts as a barrier to keep the herd together *nods*

[Ireond]

In Indiana, the deer know how good they taste. They even occasionally jump into people's kitchens or grocery stores to remind us. 

 

[JenniferL]

Okay, I'm changing my opinon on merely liking the auction...

 

I love it!!!

 

  I also like adding a little bit of dark brown sugar, or maybe a bit of molasses to Chili.  If you do it right, and kick up the heat, you should have a sweet flavor at first, and then a hot flavor.  I can also suggest instead of using corn (which I use as well) maybe you won't get into trouble for using Masa (corn flour). I believe Masa is the brand name.  I've yet to try it with black beans.  I'm a big fan of stews that you just through everything in, so I'll probably end up having brown rice in it next time as well.  If you can get some Venison or Buffalo, that adds a wonderful flavor and is healthier for you as well. 

 

 

 

Masa harina is the type of flour. In Mexican cooking, it's usually made of corn. It's very fine. I thought about substituting cornstarch last night to get that thickness, but there's also a flavor component.  The chili my friend made on Saturday used masa as well.

 

Really, there's no wrong way to do chili. Unless you're cooking for a Texan.

[Ireond]

Oh, well, if a Texan's involved, the only correct way to do anything is the Texas way.