| The Chili | ||||
| Makes about 6 quarts, serves an army | ||||
| The Vegetables | Directions | |||
| 3 | medium onions |
Get the grill going and start smoking up
some wood chips. Meanwhile, start getting the vegetables prepped. Peel
and slice each onion into four thick slices (about 1/2" thick). Cut the
tops off the red bell peppers and clean out the seeds, pith, and stems.
Leave the pepper caps intact and cut the body of the peppers into six
wedges each. Prepare the vegetables' basting sauce. Throw the butter into a microwave safe dish and nuke it for 30 seconds. Add the Worcestershire sauce and the Red Hot and nuke it for another 30 seconds. Stir in the salt, granulated garlic, and pepper. Spray the vegetables with Pam and put them on the grill (Pam side down). Brush on the basting sauce liberally. The butter may cause things to flare up, but that's ok. You want a lot of black char on the outside which will add that smokey flavor. Don't worry, they won't be burned on the inside when we chop them up later. Turn and baste the vegetables a few times and pull them off after they achieve a good, strong char on both sides, fairly black. Throw the vegetables in a bowl as they finish and set them aside to cool. |
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| 3 | red bell peppers | |||
| 4 tbls | butter, sliced | |||
| 1/4 cup | Worcestershire sauce | |||
| 1/4 cup | Frank's Red Hot, original | |||
| 1 tsp | salt | |||
| 1 tsp | granulated garlic | |||
| 1 tsp | ground black pepper | |||
 |
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| The Meat | Directions | |||
| 3 lbs | ground chuck | Crumble up the ground chuck into a large, non-stick stock pot (an 8 quart pot minimum). Add the olive oil and stir to coat the meat. Turn the heat on medium. Add all the seasonings and stir. Stir occasionally until the meat is thoroughly browned. Do NOT drain off the liquid; that's where the flavor is. Turn the heat to medium-low and get the liquids ready. | ||
| 1/4 cup | olive oil | |||
| 1 tbls | salt | |||
| 1 tbls | ground black pepper | |||
| 1 tbls | cayenne pepper | |||
| 1 tbls | cumin | |||
| The Liquids | Directions | |||
| 7.5 oz | (1 can) chipotles in adobo | If you have whole chipotles, purée them in a food processor until smooth. If you have chipotle salsa, you're ready to roll. Open up all the cans, then throw everything in (but not the vegetables, yet!). Stir everything up well. When the chili starts bubbling a lot, turn the heat toward low a bit to get a slow simmer. Partially cover the top. You want the mixture to evaporate down, but you don't want it spattering all over the whole kitchen. Simmer the chili for about 1 hour stirring every five minutes or so scraping the bottom so things don't burn down there. You can cheat the time in a pinch, but you really want to get the flavors melding and to give the liquid time to gently evaporate. | ||
| 30 oz | (2 cans) tomato sauce | |||
| 12 oz | (1 can) can tomato paste | |||
| 53 oz | (1 can) Brook's Hot Chili Beans | |||
| 4.5 oz | (1 jar) roasted minced garlic | |||
| The Finishing Touches | Directions | |||
| 8 oz | sliced mushrooms |
While things are simmering, the vegetables
should be cool enough to handle now. Coarsely chop the onions and the
red bell peppers, put them back in a bowl, and set them aside again. Do
NOT add them in yet or they will completely dissolve before serving.
Also, do NOT eat them all now either as they are like candy! Chili
purists may not want to have visible vegetables; however, I think the
texture is greatly enhanced, you get those pops of different flavors,
and you can eat it with a fork. When you're about 15 minutes before serving, stir in the vegetables and the mushrooms and turn the heat to low. Serve with sour cream, cheese, and crackers on the side. If you're serving in a long-term party mode and the liquid almost evaporates off, you can add a little water to re-hydrate things. Just don't add too much water or you'll end up with soup. |
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| sour cream | ||||
| shredded Mexican cheese | ||||
| Club crackers | ||||
