I Call It Chili

[Glenn B]

I just had a big bowl of chili the wife made today
Made with 93% lean beef and half ground veinsion.
She tossed in a can of Rotel and is was dang good fellas.

It had exactly no beans, mushrooms, chunks of bell peppers, boiled eggs, or any damn other crap some people toss in and think its okay

What a shame the beef wasn't nice well marbled prime rib meat but then such is the diet of choice of many during this age of millennials - low fat & tasteless everything.

 

[TxStetson]

What a shame the beef wasn't nice well marbled prime rib meat but then such is the diet of choice of many during this age of millennials - low fat & tasteless everything.

I can assure you he’s no millennial.

 

[Vaquero]

I can assure you he’s no millennial.

Yep. Not even close.

 

[Vaquero]

And, prime rib ain't chili meat.

 

[smittyb]

And, prime rib ain't chili meat.

Sure ain't, and neither is lean ground beef.

 

[vmax]

What a shame the beef wasn't nice well marbled prime rib meat but then such is the diet of choice of many during this age of millennials - low fat & tasteless everything.

You got no idea who in the hell you're talking to....and no Texan makes chili with prime rib....where the hell did you come from...Las Vegas?

 

[TxStetson]

You got no idea who in the hell you're talking to....and no Texan makes chili with prime rib....where the hell did you come from...Las Vegas?

New York.

 

[Big Green]

If I make chili after brisket, I like to put the leftovers in the chili, sure makes for an expensive chili though.

Years ago Shiner had their smokehouse beer which was a mesquite flavored beer. I liked adding that to the pot.

Think I’ll grab some stuff tomorrow after work. Throw it all in the slow cooker tomorrow night. Love the way the house smells the next morning.

Then back in the fridge that day and back out again after work the next night. Let it reheat on “warm” all night and have for lunch. I’ve always thought it tastes better after cooking and reheating than eating the same day.

 

[deemus]

If I make chili after brisket, I like to put the leftovers in the chili, sure makes for an expensive chili though.

Years ago Shiner had their smokehouse beer which was a mesquite flavored beer. I liked adding that to the pot.

Think I’ll grab some stuff tomorrow after work. Throw it all in the slow cooker tomorrow night. Love the way the house smells the next morning.

Then back in the fridge that day and back out again after work the next night. Let it reheat on “warm” all night and have for lunch. I’ve always thought it tastes better after cooking and reheating than eating the same day.

Yep. Just sat out 2 lbs of mule deer burger. Dang I’m hungry.

 

[sidebite252]

Go to your neighborhood small bodega, buy a sandwich bag of dried red chili peppers for around $1. Grind to powder in a spice grinder - ta-da, chili powder. I dehydrate peppers I like when they're in season; Serranos, habaneros, etc. and grind them also for a little kick. Cumin seed fresh ground is much more flavorful. The meat is always chunks I've marinated rolled in flour and browned in suet (usually rendered brisket fat) or bacon grease (whatever you have, lard is fine). Add chili powder, onions and garlic (if you like) stir well. Slowly add beef base or plain water (chicken broth works if you like it) stirring continuously to make a roux. Add water (or beer) to desired thickness and spices like cumin, salt, pepper, cilantro, epazote, whatever. From there add chopped peppers, beans, tomatoes and other adulterants if you must and water as required.

Basic red chili, tweak to taste, hope that helps 'cuz it was a pain to type on a phone.

This sounds good

 

[BRD@66]

Chili made with ground meat isn't chili, it is mock chili. Embarrasses me to say that I grew up thinkin' that it was real chili.

 

[TJjerry]

Maybe it's a perspective thing. I don't make my chili for fellow Texans. I make it for family. They especially like the chili I make and call, "Jerry's Vegetarian chili with Beef and Pork."

 

[deemus]

Chili made with ground meat isn't chili, it is mock chili. Embarrasses me to say that I grew up thinkin' that it was real chili.

Its definitely chili. Poor folks sometimes can only afford hamburger. Poor folks made chili what it is today.

 

[Brains]

This is the point I think everyone misses. Chili isn't something you get all snobby about. It's kinda like the best gumbo, you just look at what you have, make a roux, and you make it work.

 

[Whistler]

I don't think its all that snobby to call something what it is or isn't. I can make a beef stew and call it chicken and dumplings but it isn't and just calling it that doesn't make it so or make it snobby.

Sure a lot of folks have different recipes but there comes a point when you've diverged so far from the original dish its just not that anymore.

 

[avvidclif]

Just as a note about the hamburger meat comment. Usually I can buy roasts for $1.50-$2.00 cheaper a lb than hamburger and often brisket is cheaper yet. I slice strips from whatever I get and run it thru my grandmothers hand operated grinder with the chili grate on it. Viola, chili meat. And yes I use Wick Fowlers 2 Alarm mix with a few changes, NO BEANS. They are in a separate pot. 25 minutes in an Insta-Pot and it's ready. Same for beans, 25 min. Mix if you want. Longest time is waiting on the cornbread.

 

[Brains]

I don't think its all that snobby to call something what it is or isn't. I can make a beef stew and call it chicken and dumplings but it isn't and just calling it that doesn't make it so or make it snobby.

Sure a lot of folks have different recipes but there comes a point when you've diverged so far from the original dish its just not that anymore.

The argument really goes back to "who decided what 'real' chili is?" then, doesn't it? Nobody really knows. Go ahead, Google it and get an "authoritative" answer, then Google it again and get another.

 

[Whistler]

Good point. Generally I consider the dish served by the San Antonio "Chili Queens" to be a baseline. I can't find much reference prior to their popularization of the dish which is well documented.

The Institute of Texan Cultures references the linked recipe
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4108397

One man's opinion, no less or greater than any other though I do find the debate amusing.

 

[TheDan]

It's kinda like the best gumbo, you just look at what you have, make a roux, and you make it work.

roux + okra, then whatever else you want

 

[BRD@66]

Just as a note about the hamburger meat comment. Usually I can buy roasts for $1.50-$2.00 cheaper a lb than hamburger and often brisket is cheaper yet. I slice strips from whatever I get and run it thru my grandmothers hand operated grinder with the chili grate on it. Viola, chili meat. And yes I use Wick Fowlers 2 Alarm mix with a few changes, NO BEANS. They are in a separate pot. 25 minutes in an Insta-Pot and it's ready. Same for beans, 25 min. Mix if you want. Longest time is waiting on the cornbread.

Sounds about right to me.