As far as the rest? I think i'm gonna go Texas style, but we'll all find out what I actually do when I get to that bit. Knowin' me I'll zig-zag all over the place. I mean I could make a curry paste. Massaman curry is not yet off the table, but I think it'll end up being Chili con Carne.
I of course love smoked meats of all kinds, but also like quick cooks like chicken portions, pork tenderloins, steak and fish. Really into cooking of all kinds.
My outdoor kitchen has a Lone Star Grillz Adjustable and it is wonderful. There also is a Pit Boss 5 Burner Ultimate Griddle and a Pit Boss Copperhead pellet grill.
There is an outdoor fire pit that has grilling capability and limited Santa Maria-style grill raising and lowering.
Okay, this cookoff is over. All you folks still cooking can just shut it down and order a pizza.
The winning cook started with a chuck roast that was just under 2.5 pounds. It was dry brined overnight. Then it was put onto my Kamado at 250 with lump and a little bit of mesquite. It was cooked to 170.
And here is Chuck posing with all his friends who are to join him in the pot.
First, thee ancho chilis and two guajillo's were warmed in the pot and the stems and seeds were then removed.
Then they went into some beef broth and were microwaved about 4 minutes on high.
After steeping a half hour, that made a lovely paste in the blender.
The beef got cut into chunks and put in three piles. Top right already has enough bark. Bottom left is the fat to be rendered for browning the middle pile.
Magic happening here.
After cooking the onions and cumin seed in the remaining fat after browning the chunks in two batches and removing them, the garlic and oregano got added for a quick cook before deglazing with the first can of fire roasted tomatoes. Then the paste went in and the rest of the tomatoes. Yes, I put beans in there. I'm not from Texas.
And here we are, ready for the long simmer:
Because I am from Oklahoma, chili needs to be served as Frito chili pie. Sadly, my Publix didn't have regular Fritos, but it did have scoops.
Because this is such a serious competition, I didn't dress formally like DavidNorcross, but I did serve the Frito chili pie in fine china imported from Spain.
Ok, so I like beans in my chili, full disclaimer. In fact, I like my chili with hearty chunks of lots of things in it, but I didn't do any carrots. lol Nor snails.
So, started out with a chuck, about 4.xx lbs. Salted well, sat for about an hour, hour and a half. Then, onto the smoker:
Chunked up and removed pieces of stringy fat and silverskin - the GSD got some of those:
Spices and seasonings and the obligatory jalapenos, though in my house, it can't be too hot, The Wife is more sensitive than I, and she doesn't like it too spicy. So I had to remove the seeds and ribs:
Next added various colors of bell pepper, onion and a can of charro beans, as well as some whole tomatoes I crushed up by hand:
Had to be cooked on the smoker:
This chili is the one on the top.... the bottom is coming up next!
So, one chili just won't do - this is a contest! So I had to do TWO chilis, and I may do another tomorrow. We'll see...
On to Numero Dos -
Start with a pork butt, deboned, spread it out to get more smoke into the interior:
Likewise chunked up and shared bits with the GSD - I pulled out about 1/3 of this thinking it was too much and froze it for a future cook.
Also likewise smoked the garlic, jalapenos, tomatillos and some poblanos, though I had plenty of the Hatch chilis I earlier roasted, so I used those. The poblanos will likewise get frozen.
Threw all that in with a couple of bunches of cilantro (stems mostly removed), juice of 1 lime, some salt and a pinch or two of sugar:
At then end, after simmering several hours on the smoker, I added some heavy cream - this toned down just a bit what turned out to be a couple too many jalapenos for my wife (and I didn't take out the seeds & ribs in this batch, either) and lightened the color and added a really delightful creaminess to the dish.
So now for the artsy fartsy official entry submission shots!
Chile verde topped with some sliced radish, red cabbage, cotija and a little Mexican crema. And of course, paired with an appropriate beverage selection!
And the red, with some Mexican cheese blend and some sliced up Muenster cheese, which goes amazingly with TexMex and Mexican (if ya'll have never tried Muenster in Mexican food, you should! You're missing out!) - also with similarly appropriate beverage choice:
Hope ya'll enjoyed the view, I spent a good amount of time on this today, but it was worth it and I have 2 giant pans of chili I can freeze in batches and eat for the next month or two!
Oh, and I think I should get bonus points for ALL OF IT being done on the smoker!! Every bit! Meat, veggies and completed dishes, no oven, no stove, nothing except the blender for the chile verde puree.
I knew it was going to turn cold here overnight (it actually snowed here in Southern Illinois), so I had planned to fix chili for supper. Then I saw this cook-off and decided to be social and participate with my chili cook. Then I saw pictures of all the other cooks...
I hate to be the one to follow realdocBBQ, but here goes...
His was made-from-scratch...complex...detailed...impressive...
Mine was put together in the slow cooker in about 15 minutes this morning, with whatever I had on hand. Leftover, frozen pulled pork, chili powder, northern beans, avocado salsa (because we didn't have salsa verde), and those little cups of diced green chiles.
Here is where I found the recipe that I tried to follow.
This may not even count as chili to a purist, but it was awfully good on the first cold day of the season.
Last edited by Brian_M; November 12, 2022, 08:02 PM.
Reason: Edited to try to clean up grammar.
I agree with you, chili is a meal at heart - not about sticking to some arbitrary 'rules' about whether it's truly chili or not. Kind like those sammiches from up in the Philadelphia area, if you ask me! lol
I can make a dang, dang fine pot of Texas Red, sans frijoles, of course, but I wanted to try something different for the contest so I checked in with Mike Hultquist's great site for some inspiration and found this gem. I made it pretty much according to Mike's recipe, except for my absolutely necessary riff and it is fantastic!
So, without further ado, my Requiem Pour le Ragout :
The Prelude:
The Saute'
The Blooming of the Spices
The Lifter of the Fond
The Beaning of the Pot
The Simmer
And the Crescendo of The Secret Ingredient!
You tell those boys in Terlingua that CaptainMike is coming, and he's bringing the official vegetable of Hell with him!
Last edited by CaptainMike; November 13, 2022, 11:48 AM.
Guajillo, Ancho, and Morita. Ended up throwing in some Japonese too.
And ended up with twice as much adobo as I needed, but that's fine, I'll turn the rest into salsa or use it for chilaquiles .
While things were cooking someone got optimistic for floor chicken:
Like, really optimistic:
She normally won't stay that close to me, but chicken might happen. (She did get some chuck)
Got the chuck cubed up and everything going on the side burner of the gasser, then moved everything back to the kettle once the spare ribs were close to where I wanted 'em:
I was really tempted to just let these ride and eat 'em:
After another hour or so for the spare rib meat to cook, I did a final seasoning of fish sauce, brown sugar, black pepper and shiitake powder:
And now it gets to sleep in the fridge until tomorrow.
I'm going to go ahead and declare myself the winner, not merely because mine was obviously the best chili, but also because I'm the only person to include cat pictures. And that means I win, because that's how the Internet works.
Currently own:
Weber 22 and 26 Kettle.
Regular gasser with rotisserie.
Custom built horizontal stick burner.
Custom built duel fuel "whole hog" cooker.
​​​Many other tools of the trade.
Keeping with the do something different; boss lady purchased some ground pork for a Thai dish but didn't have time to prepare.
So! My Chili tonight had pork as the meat. Added onion, mild peppers, garlic, chopped tomatoes, a spice blend and three beans. It was very nice (wife had two full bowls and considered #3). Overall it was pretty dang good!
The poor weather kept us from cooking over a wood fire however this was good time as always
LSG Adjustable Grill/Smoker, MAK Pellet Grill, Large BGE with Several Attachments from the Ceramic Grill Store, Weber Genesis E335 Gasser, Cast Iron Pans & Griddle, Grill Grates, Mostly Thermoworks Thermometers, Anova SV Stick, BBQ Guru Controller and Fan
Bronco Pro Barrel Smoker
PBC
Pit Boss 757GD Griddle (2)
Blaz'n Grill Works Grid Iron
Weber Genesis E-310
Original Original Grilla
Smokey Joe® Charcoal Grill 14"
Fireboard 1
Thermoworks ThermoPop
Thermoworks Thermapen Mk4
Thermoworks Smoke Thermometer with gateway
2 iGrillminis - from before they were Weber.
Brisket 2, which was the bigger of the two, is history, except for one slice and few crumbs. But Brisket 1 will make some chili, and a few other meals. My chili is going to be quick and simple, after preaching twice I'm putting a nap at the top of my priority list.
I just wanted to comment on these briskets. I got lots of compliments on Sunday, and a few people (at my wife's suggestion) took some home for sandwiches. The best was the church secretary who said she had some brothers in law who kept trying to make brisket, but in never turned out well. But that my brisket was great! Thanks to those from whom I have learned so much. This site and all of you are why I get those compliments.
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
Wow! So many amazing chili entries! And one spaghetti entry! I'm blown away. While I won't get to participate this time around, I am for sure getting some great ideas for a future pot of chili here in Alabama! I'll be using some dried peppers in the pantry in my next pot of chili for sure - hadn't thought of that, but now I've seen the light.
This weekend I have been working to complete a flooring project, and also helping manage a 22 month old and an extra dog that are staying here along with my daughter, and SWMBO directed that the beef I had thawing in the fridge needed to be made into cheeseburgers, not chili, as both she and the 22 month old wanted burgers. Yes, the grand baby woke up yesterday saying she wanted burgers for breakfast. I put her off until about 6pm, but finally got her that burger!
Keep on posting the entries - I need more awesome chili inspiration!
I’ve got a couple chuck roasts dry brining to be smoked for my chili but texastweeter is tempting me to just smoke them for pulled beef and make a vegan chili for my chili entry today. Yum…vegan chili with lots of beans 😂
Most of the chili I made yesterday will get frozen away for next weekend when we have my wife's students over. Half of them are vegetarian or vegan, so I will also make a big batch of my sweet potato black bean vegan chili for them. Maybe I'll spam this thread with pics even though the event will officially be over.
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