Ok I dont need directions or anything, but I have a question about cooking and more specificly chilli I always cook the meat before I put it in the chilli pot. Is it ok to put the raw meat in the pot and have it cook over the next couple days? what is the texas way? see I am a bit hesitant to throw raw stuff in there and hope for the best. tips?
I wouldn't. You want to drain the fat off first. I'd even rinse it under water before I dumped it back in the pot.
You will need for Bama's World-Famous Radioactive Chilli: 2 cans of Bush's Chilli Hot Beans 2 cans of condensed tomato soup hamburger meat to your satisfaction, drained 1 can diced tomatoes 1 white onion 1 packet of chilli seasoning Bottle of Texas Pete hot sauce Jalapeno peppers a bit of flour First add soup, beans, tomatoes and seasoning to a crockpot and stir well. Chop up your onion. Next brown the hamburger and sliced onion together and drain off the fat. Add browned hamburger and browned onion to mixture and stir thoroughly. Add jalapenoes to the mix and stir thoroughly. Pour flour and mix with tap water from the faucet until flour turns to a thick paste. Pour paste into chilli and stir thoroughly. Add hot sauce to taste. Allow to cook on low for at least three hours (depending on your crockpot). Garnish with Mexican blend cheese (Monterey Jack, cheddar) and serve. If you are wondering why I put pasty flour into my chilli, it is to thicken it. I usually fill up half of one of the empty cans for either the beans or tomatoes with the flour and stir in the water.
Exactly! True story: Back when Mrs. Behad and I were still dating, we were part of a chili cook-ff team. We had a great recipe, and won several contests (enough to qualify for the Terlingua state finals). One such contest, myself and a friend went around to other booths to "check out" the competition. We came across one booth, and they had put beans in their chili. Of course, we said nothing, but someone else tipped them off. While we were standing there, we saw this other team trying to pick the beans out, one by one. It was too funny!
Good God almighty.....you don't really do that, do you? Why use meat at all if you're just going to rinse off the flavor? Besides, you'll never get off all the fat anyway. If you want to remove more of the fat.....while still retaining the flavor....simply add water to the meat in a stock pot and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. The boiling "shakes" the fat off the meat, and it all comes to the surface of the water. Then you can use a ladle and a gravy separator to remove the fat from the water. The water retains the flavor (instead of running down the drain), and almost all of the fat is gone. If you don't have a gravy separator (I don't consider a kitchen complete without one), you can use a tall glass and a table spoon.
Sorry, but I LOVE beans in my chili... A bottle of good beer does wonders for a chili recipe. I like Ziegen Bock...
Most folks brown the meat first. I don't know what temp. you have to reach to kill e-coli, but find that out & just make sure your chili gets that hot if you're using raw meat.
Once you're ready to move up from the amateur ranks to the professional level , give up the chili powder and use dried chilis (ancho, New Mexico, try out different kinds). You have to reconstitute the dried chilis by simmering them in water for 20 -30 minutes and then use a strainer to separate the *fruit* from the skin, stem and seeds. It takes a little extra time, but it's well worthwhile .... Mmmmmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Just make sure they grown deep in the jungle primeval by the inmates of a Guatemalan insane asylum...
My mom puts beans in the her chili, it seems like she uses 2 kinds of beans. She also only uses lean cuts of meat, no ground beef whatsoever. It is a painstaking process, cutting that meat down to tiny pieces, but worthwhile for flavor, texture, and health reasons.
Great thread TVOR! Thanks for the recipe Bama! I'm going to gice it a whirl, but with fresh pepper and tomatoes instead of the canned stuff and minus the beans. This can start me on a fresh enchilada sauce as well! I can't wait for the weekend!!!
I have to agree. I love beans in my chili. Ofcourse I also love chili with out beans. Whenever I have home made chili there are beans in it. Not a lot, but enough to add to the flavor. I love chili, whenever I can't get good fresh chili I go and buy a few cans of Hormel "dog food" chili...WITH beans. I love the stuff.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PEOPLE! Chili with beans is not chili. IT"S FREAKING SOUP! Everyone of you blasphemers who think beans belong in chili should be forced to go to San Antonio, stand in front of tha Alamo and eat ten raw jalapenos followed by ten shots of tequila while singing "Texas, Our Texas." Beans suck up the vital chili juices and leave an unpalatable mush that can only be described as a latter-day spin-off of gruel. Meat, spices, liquid. (I use beer as my base... it brings out even more of the flavors.) That's chili. (I will allow... but not favor... grated cheese to be sprinkled on top of individual servings.)
