Suggestions wanted: thinking of making chili this weekend

[WillTravelForFood]

We like our chili.

It's not thin meat-water, like some people do with their chili. Ours is thick, robust, flavorful.

There's no recipe - just throw in a few cans of tomatoes, whatever meat we decide upon (usually a pork and a beef combo). sometimes we use a little beer, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we add a little chocolate or coffee, sometimes we don't. Some shrooms, some seasonings. let it simmer for a few hours. No matter how it's done, we find it delicious!

What we're looking for are some one or two modifications/suggestions for things y'all have done to make your own chili extra special.

We haven't tried grilling anything or adding smoke flavors via various methods yet (no smoker here yet, but we have a Smoke Gun, which may be an option this time. But if we do smoke gun, do we brown the meat THEN sit it in the smoke, or smoke it THEN brown it up.... or make up the pot of chili, cover the pot with the smoke tube, and smoke that????)

Any unique/special ingredients you're found of putting in? Meat types/combos?

Definitely going with some finely cubed up generic stew meat for this batch, so any other suggestions are on the table. Sausage? ground pork? there some pork/alligator andouille in the freezer that might make an appearance...

Not looking for your recipes, just a few ingredient and/or cook-prep suggestions that might be fun to play with.

[Jim White]

What kind of chili powder do you use? Have you ever instead started with dried chiles, bloomed on a hot skillet, hydrated in boiling water or beef broth and then pureed in a blender? Definitely next level on the flavor.

[WillTravelForFood]

Sounds interesting

[rickgregory]

Beat me to it. Powder from good dried chiles, is also good. Tip: If you don't feel like heating them in a skillet 30 seconds in a microwave also does a nice job blooming them.

[WillTravelForFood]

We do have some dried chili’s from this years garden…. Sounds like a good use of them

[58limited]

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...ic-texas-chili


But seriously, might get some ideas from this recipe:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...an-s-texas-red

[CaptainMike]

ecowper 's is pretty good too.

[ecowper]

My chili is fairly straightforward. The "tricks" are good chili powder, not the cheap, old stuff from the grocery store and smoking the meat and onions. Also, I use chuck roast, not ground beef.

[Debra]

My Husband loves spicy chili.
He always adds a tablespoon of brown sugar to each bowl.
He will not eat chili without the brown sugar.

[WillTravelForFood]

We like "spice", but not "spicy". Big difference between the two. Some heat is fine, but not lip tingly hot. Nobody needs that unless you want to only taste heat. Not us.

[Debra]

WillTravelForFood agreed on the spice.
I do like flavor but heat can go out of control quickly.
One spice we have never used is cayenne pepper. It is just much too harsh and there seems to be little return in a flavor profile for us to use it.

[WillTravelForFood]

Debra : we tend to use smokey chipotle pepper (and tabasco. we like that chipotle tabasco!!)

[STEbbq]

Here is one that I am planning on making soon. There are probably quite a few ideas you could use for yours.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/recipes-technique-food-cooking/soup-chili-and-stew-recipes/1087200-eric-s-smoked-texas-chili

[CaptainMike]

Whoop, there it is!

[ecowper]

Enjoy!

[barelfly]

You say chili…so maybe I’m off on this suggestion because chili is different than what I make, green chile stew or red chile. Do you have any frozen green chile, or access to something like Bueno Green Chile, that is chopped and frozen?

if so, here’s my recipe that I make https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...een-chile-stew

simple, a few ingredients, but packs a punch in flavor!

Or, do you have access to red chile, red chile powder? If so, try my Carne Adovada recipe I posted a few days after Christmas. Again, not chili - but New Mexico Chile.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/recipes-technique-food-cooking/soup-chili-and-stew-recipes/1149212-new-mexican-carne-adovada

Just a few ideas for you that bring a different spin from different cultures. If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up. Happy to help!

[FireMan]

I’ve got the fixins ready fer some chili sittin on my counter. One of my secret weapons I learnt awhile back is to slip a couple of prunes in it. Just pluck em before they burst, although it makes no differnce if they do.
And to start an argument, cowboy chili is on the menu. Can you say beans, eh, eh, eh.

[bbqLuv]

Pinto, Kidney, and Black

[lostclusters]

Black beans must be in my chili. You anti-bean folks are really missing out.

[WillTravelForFood]

No matter the size of the pot, just one can of Hot Chili Beans. Not enough to say it's a "bean chili", but enough to appease those who require beans in their bowl

[tenphases]

Don't bother trying to smoke the meat with the smoke gun. Smoke the vegetable, they will pick up up a lot of flavor quick and impart it to the chilli, especially the onions.

[WillTravelForFood]

Before or after any sweating/browning of the veggies, if those veggies get that treatment?

[ecowper]

WillTravelForFood smoke gun on the onion before browning/sweating the onion.

[tenphases]

before, its what meathead reccomends in his recipe, works great

[glitchy]

Add some green chilies.

[Richard Chrz]

I smoke brisket point, and large passila or poblanos, and use whole canned san marzanos that I hand crush, a few extra spices, and then simmer for another 4-6 hours on the stove top. This won a chili competition, not a huge one, but about 25-30 chili’s

https://richardchrz.blogspot.com/201...uck-roast.html

[JoeSousa]

I always save brisket leftovers for chili. Even the little bits that are left after slicing are great in the pot. When I don't have brisket I will sometimes smoke up a chuck roast. Don't see any reason not to throw the stew meat in the smoker for an hour or two either

[WillTravelForFood]

If we put stew meat on the grill (2-zone, 225 or so) in a pan (perhaps with a little bit of beer in the bottom of the pan???) along with a smoke tube and smoke packets for one or two hours..... should the meat be cut up into smaller "bite-size" pieces Before the cook, or After the cook?

[ecowper]

I smoke a whole chuck roast for 2 hours. Gives time for some of the fat to render nicely. Then I cut it up and brown it.

[Draznnl]

When I am looking to change thngs up just a bit, I will replace the pork I usually use with chorizo.

[Rob whatever]

Smoked ham hocks.

rob

[Bkhuna]

I like my chili made with chilies. I just can't envision Vaqueros riding the range with cans of tomatoes clanging around the saddle bag. Need a good base to make a good chili.

[ecowper]

Cookie had tomatoes and chilis in the chuck wagon. :-)