! Warning. Polarizing thread. !

[Bier Meister 1,514]

I have recently been hanging out with the father of one of my daughter's classmates. His wife runs with the PTA. Tomorrow is our school's Harvest Festival. So he has been assigned to run the annual chili cookoff. She has been trying to take care of all of the volunteer hours. I have been roped into the cookoff and helping with one of the booths. i have no problem helping a friend, the school, and the community, but have not entered any competitions or contests since i stopped cooking professionally

 

It is a bit of a no win.... if i win "oh, that's not fair. He was a professional." If i do not win, it makes me look a bad chef. so made this today for tomorrow.

 

the controversial part.... some people care a bit about chili.

 

recipe:

 

3 tbs olive oil

3 pounds beef shoulder, cut into large cubes

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbs ancho powder

1 tbs pasilla powder

1 tbs corriander

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs paprika

1 tbs oregano

3 tbs cinnamon

2 onions, diced

10 garlic cloves, halved

3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped

3 tbs brown sugar

1 serano, seeded

2 tbs tomato paste

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand

1/3 C molasses

1/2 cup masa harina

shredded cheese for garnish (queso fresco)

2 bunches chopped green onion

1 1/2 cups sour cream, for garnish

 

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Season the beef shoulder all over with salt and pepper, add it to the pot and brown it. As it's browning stir in the chili powders, coriander, cumin, paprika, oregano and cinnamon. Lower the temperature under the meat to "toast" the spices. In a food processor puree the onions, garlic, chipotle peppers, serano, tomato paste and br. sugar and add it to the pot. Increase the heat to medium to steam vegetables a little and sweeten the peppers. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch, about 1 quart, and add tomatoes with their liquid. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Add molasses. Reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is fork-tender and comes apart with no resistance, about 2 hours. As it cooks down, add more water, if necessary. When done, stir in the masa harina. Take a potato masher (or two forks) and mash the chili so the meat comes apart in shreds. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish each serving with the shredded cheese, gr. onion, and sour cream.

 

if you like beans, go ahead and add a can or two...kidney, white, and/or pinto.

 

[fandandy 3,311]

Good luck.

[Brad GLuckman 518]

Ive never had chili with anything but hamburger meat. These large beef shoulder cubes...i dont know. Im resistant to change

[Bier Meister 1,514]

you can do it with ground meat. there have been times i have used both in recipes

[wiffleball 4,645]

Some of the best chili I've ever had included chopped up smoked beef brisket ground beef was used strictly as a thickener a little bit of corn without going overboard for sweetness and depth of flavor and along with a little bit of chocolate actually very finely ground carrots for sweetness and moisture. I have to admit, most of those are not ingredients I would have included, but it was pretty damn good.

[Bier Meister 1,514]

i have used cocoa and espresso at times. very good in chili

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

So... my friend does a rib cookoff at the local elks club... loads up his smoker and sets up all day cooking. Him and another guy. The other 8 competitors show up an hour before with pressure cooked ribs and some cheap azz hunts sauce.

 

Him and the other guy finish dead last.

 

He vowed never again. Your average jackass who eats a steady diet if mcdonalds mcribs and kfc doesnt know squat about flavor profiles.

 

Your recipe sounds amazing ... half the ingredients I couldnt find in this podunk town.

 

I wouldnt worry about winning unless they have professional judges. If its the principal and the football coach... forgrt it. If its not ground beef.. they will vote thumbs down on texture alone.

[RaiderHaters Revenge 3,592]

sounds delicious Bier, question, I dont eat beef or pork, what would be the ideal Turkey replacement?

[Bier Meister 1,514]

reality is, i do not care about winning a school's chili contest. three other students and myself would occasionally compete in culinary competitions around colordao. very fun. when i was in vail, i would compete in the local events (lamb, veal, rabbit, elk, etc). also fun. i had no issue with subjective palettes knowing that they also judged on technique and difficulty.

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

sounds delicious Bier, question, I dont eat beef or pork, what would be the ideal Turkey replacement?

Health reasons? I can see the red meat.. but pork? Braise some pork shoulder and its better than anything.

[Bier Meister 1,514]

sounds delicious Bier, question, I dont eat beef or pork, what would be the ideal Turkey replacement?

 

 

go with ground turkey.

[BunnysBastatrds 1,921]

Put a Halloween size Snickers bar in it. I guarantee a win. A buddy of mine puts one his in crawfish boils and jambalaya cook offs. He never loses.

[MTSkiBum 1,594]

Before I opened this thread I expected it to be about magnets or at the very least the north/south pole.

 

 

Misleading thread titles

[MTSkiBum 1,594]

 

if you like beans, go ahead and add a can or two...kidney, white, and/or pinto.

 

 

 

 

No beans in chili.

[kutulu 1,551]

Beans! Beans!

[RaiderHaters Revenge 3,592]

 

 

go with ground turkey.

 

seems blah compared to what you mentioned

[RaiderHaters Revenge 3,592]

Health reasons? I can see the red meat.. but pork? Braise some pork shoulder and its better than anything.

 

was raised without it, my parents were hippies, they were organic before organic was a thing. Chicken and Fish was all we ever had, by the time I was 15 I didn't really care one way or another.

 

Now its a choice but its alot to do with how mass produced meats are treated

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

 

seems blah compared to what you mentioned

 

I had a pretty good seafood chili once. Had shrimp, scallops, and some sort of fish in there. It was different, but tasty.

[wiffleball 4,645]

 

I had a pretty good seafood chili once. Had shrimp, scallops, and some sort of fish in there. It was different, but tasty.

Yeah, the renamed it Cioppino.

[jerryskids 5,207]

Bier, I'm no chef, but that is a hella lot of spices. Doesn't a recipe reach a point where there are too many spices?

[Bier Meister 1,514]

Bier, I'm no chef, but that is a hella lot of spices. Doesn't a recipe reach a point where there are too many spices?

 

 

try to think of this as putting together a rub. the actual amount of spices is not tremendous. they meld with each other and provide different layers of flavor.

[Bier Meister 1,514]

 

 

No beans in chili.

 

one area of controversy

 

seems blah compared to what you mentioned

still has a lot of flavor

[Djgb13 2,338]

Bier, I'm no chef, but that is a hella lot of spices. Doesn't a recipe reach a point where there are too many spices?

No such thing! Love me some spices. Would love to try it

[wiffleball 4,645]

Bier, I'm no chef, but that is a hella lot of spices. Doesn't a recipe reach a point where there are too many spices?

Was kinda thinking the same thing. I mean, hard to believe the Parilla isn't overpowered by something like Molasses.

In fact, seems a lot like there are some offsetting flavors in there that wouldn't 'stack' as much as 'counteract' each other.

 

...But the guys at Whole Foods probably love it.

[NorthernVike 2,080]

I just use Carol Shelby chili mix.

[tanatastic 2,061]

Chili is life, I also love 2 cans of beans in there. 1 kidney, 1 other. I tear up flour tortillas in the bowl or dip bread and butter. I can dust bathtub sized vats of good chili. No need for that molasses though.

 

Another thing I love in chili is corn kernels either frozen or canned is fine.

[RaiderHaters Revenge 3,592]

 

one area of controversy

still has a lot of flavor

 

thats how we make it now, also with kidney beans and I add a ton of tabasco after cooking it

 

I was just looking for a variation, maybe a turkey leg?

[wiffleball 4,645]

 

thats how we make it now, also with kidney beans and I add a ton of tabasco after cooking it

 

I was just looking for a variation, maybe a turkey leg?

ostrich

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

Chili is life, I also love 2 cans of beans in there. 1 kidney, 1 other. I tear up flour tortillas in the bowl or dip bread and butter. I can dust bathtub sized vats of good chili. No need for that molasses though.

 

Another thing I love in chili is corn kernels either frozen or canned is fine.

Agreed. I like to use one can of red beans, one of black, and one of corn.

 

When it finally starts cooling down around here, I will have to rustle up the necessary ingredients to make a vat.

 

Im also thinking of making a curry chili. Basically regular chili but use yellow curry instead of tomato and chili powder. Prolly cut some potatoes up in there.

[wiffleball 4,645]

Beans! Beans!

while technically, you can put beans in chili, if I am served chili with beans, I eat it while I''m kneeling.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

"That's not fare", is about the worst insult a chef could receive.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

you can do it with ground meat. there have been times i have used both in recipes

 

I usually put in some steak tips and ground beef/pork as they add texture.

 

Beans - I can take them or leave them. Usually I skip them.

 

I usually also add chopped peppers (green, yellow, red) to add a little more veggies.

 

Cocoa and/or coffee are usually in the mix as well.

[dain11279 928]

Love my chili nice and spicy, and no beans is the correct answer

[Cruzer 1,992]

Noted Chuck Wagon cook (Kent Rollins) famously says 'he's never made the same batch of gravy twice'... I'm sort of the same way with chili. What makes chili so fun to me, tastes aside, is the hodge-podge creativity that comes with it. I never really know what I'm going to put in it - a lot of times, it depends on what I have on hand, others, what sounds like a good idea to try.

 

That being said, I stumbled onto this chili recipe on YouTube.. It's by far my favorite chili recipe for the slow cooker... My only variation is that I ditch the jar of salsa and the Tabasco - instead I go with an extra can of Rotel, some diced Serrano peppers and Chili de Arbol powder.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvFvU0ADlwQ

[Bier Meister 1,514]

"That's not fare", is about the worst insult a chef could receive.

 

 

professional vs amateur, competitive advantage, blah, blah, blah

[Bier Meister 1,514]

Chili is life, I also love 2 cans of beans in there. 1 kidney, 1 other. I tear up flour tortillas in the bowl or dip bread and butter. I can dust bathtub sized vats of good chili. No need for that molasses though.

 

Another thing I love in chili is corn kernels either frozen or canned is fine.

 

 

when i have served chili on menus i would use tortilla strips as garnish. sometimes with cornbread.

[vuduchile 1,941]

reality is, i do not care about winning a school's chili contest. three other students and myself would occasionally compete in culinary competitions around colordao. very fun. when i was in vail, i would compete in the local events (lamb, veal, rabbit, elk, etc). also fun. i had no issue with subjective palettes knowing that they also judged on technique and difficulty.

I cooked in our school's chili cook off for three years in a row. Pot was emptied quickly and people kept coming for seconds every year. I never won a thing.

 

The head of the PTA won the 1st year.

The health nut gym teacher won the 2nd year with veggie quinoa chili

The mom of the girl who was fighting cancer won the 3rd year.

 

After a year off, I went back again and won with the same recipe.

 

I'm sure yours is delicious. Just try to have fun.

[Bier Meister 1,514]

Bier, I'm no chef, but that is a hella lot of spices. Doesn't a recipe reach a point where there are too many spices?

 

 

Was kinda thinking the same thing. I mean, hard to believe the Parilla isn't overpowered by something like Molasses.

In fact, seems a lot like there are some offsetting flavors in there that wouldn't 'stack' as much as 'counteract' each other.

 

...But the guys at Whole Foods probably love it.

 

i have 7 spices, plus brown sugar

 

we can easily reduce this to chili powder, cayenne, cumin but it will have a very different flavor. if you guys make chili, do as you please. i like the way cinnamon, coriander, chipotle, molasses play off of each other. paprika, cumin add a little smokiness. ancho, arboles, pasilla, cayenne, chili powder all offer something different.

 

skids- being in az i imagine you have some decent mexican and southwestern markets. you probably have better access to a broader range of ingredients for dishes like this. would you really prefer chili powder to ancho and pasilla?

[Bier Meister 1,514]

wiff- i have been on here since about 2000. have you made any of the recipes i have posted? do you cook at home? what do you like to make?

[TimmySmith 2,782]

professional vs amateur, competitive advantage, blah, blah, blah

Woosh!

 

Anyway, the only route is trying to kick everyone's ass. Better damned if you do, then don't.

 

Lastly I am a fan of leaving chunks of meat in tact, rather than mashing them (if I am doing chunk chili rather than ground). So many people do ground or pulled. Gives a different texture.