The Heat is On!

[Pheidippides]

Okay, guys, calling in a solid favor from the rest of you.

In one month, our ward is having a Fall Harvest party. A chili cookoff is involved.

I have some idea and have done such amateur things before. But this time my wife has insisted we go head to head.

I am looking for suggestions. My wife knows all my secrets, so I need to be on my game. I'm rethinking my recipe from scratch. Here's some initial thoughts:

1. Instead of using oil to brown the meat, it has to be bacon. No questions. Also, some liquid smoke (hickory? mesquite?) would be nice.

2. Meat - do I use a higher quality beef cut or just chuck? Since it's stewing for a while, I can't see what's wrong with chuck as long as it is good chuck.

3. Do I make my own tomato paste from scratch, and, if so, what tomatoes should I use? Roma? Beefsteak?

4. Secret ingredients: unsweetened chocolate, honey, beer. What kind of beer do you recommend (I used Guiness last time with mixed results).

Any other must dos for chili? I am tempted to use beans, but this is Texas, and if the ward members want something with beans I don't want their damn prize anyway.

[TripletDaddy]

for whatever reason, our ward is having a chili cookoff in October. We have never done this. I will steal whatever ideas are posted here. Thanks in advance.

nik, didnt you post a crazy chili recipe on CB a couple of years ago?

[Pheidippides]

for whatever reason, our ward is having a chili cookoff in October. We have never done this. I will steal whatever ideas are posted here. Thanks in advance.

nik, didnt you post a crazy chili recipe on CB a couple of years ago?

Yes. But it was too crazy and ended up being off, somehow. Too bitter and too flavorful. I think I got carried away.

This time, I have decided that I am going to start from scratch and win based on quality of ingredients, not quantity. Tomorrow night, I am going to construct my own smoker and then smoke some poblano peppers, some jalapeños, and maybe some anaheim peppers. I will turn the smoked peppers into a good paste to use as a base. I will later smoke some beef in the same manner. I'll build it in a dutch oven on a bacon grease base. I will use cumin ground from comino seeds that I have toasted myself. And so on. This is going to be an experiment in getting chili back to its roots, in some respects. I think I am going to photograph the entire process.

[wuapinmon]

Yes. But it was too crazy and ended up being off, somehow. Too bitter and too flavorful. I think I got carried away.

This time, I have decided that I am going to start from scratch and win based on quality of ingredients, not quantity. Tomorrow night, I am going to construct my own smoker and then smoke some poblano peppers, some jalapeños, and maybe some anaheim peppers. I will turn the smoked peppers into a good paste to use as a base. I will later smoke some beef in the same manner. I'll build it in a dutch oven on a bacon grease base. I will use cumin ground from comino seeds that I have toasted myself. And so on. This is going to be an experiment in getting chili back to its roots, in some respects. I think I am going to photograph the entire process.

Chile de árbol lends a good heat without any secondary-flavor impacts....but oh! be careful with this one. 1/8 of teaspoon can pack a wallop if you're not careful, but if used correctly the heat disappears when you swallow.

[Gidget]

Our ward is having a chili cook off in November too!

[CJF]

4. Secret ingredients: unsweetened chocolate, honey, beer. What kind of beer do you recommend (I used Guiness last time with mixed results).

In my mind I see a scene of you winning the ward chilli cookoff and as they're pinning the blue ribbon on your chest you accidently let out that your secret is beer. All the ward looks on in shock and the RS presidency starts to throw up. The YM all go over and dish themselves up a huge helping. I think this was one of the deleted scenes from Baptists At The BBQ.

[The_Tick]

All of those chili cook offs use tri tip for the meat.

[Pheidippides]

Update: Day 1

We went to the store tonight to buy some stuff to make a homemade smoker. I had planned on doing a simple model with a hot plate in the bottom of a galvanized trash can, and a grill on top. As I'm searching in vain for a properly sized grill at Lowe's, I notice a nice electric smoking unit....

Now to the store. Let's get some peppers. Poblano. Anaheim. Serrano. Jalapeno. Habanero. I split and taste them all, and get a bunch of my wife's home-grown Jalepenos as well. I am drying most of the peppers very slowly on low heat (175) in the oven overnight. I am smoking all of the jalapenos and a representative sample of all of the rest in the smoker with cherry wood, as I've heard fruit woods are best for this application. Tomorrow morning: chipotle peppers are born.

I am wondering why no grocery stores stock fully ripe (red) peppers. I am wondering if this will affect my flavor. I am wondering if the simple trick of sticking them in a paper bag with a banana in the fridge will cause them to ripen. The tomato paste will provide the color, but I wonder about the flavor.

My nostrils are burning from the touching my nose with chili-infected fingers. It is a good burn, mingling with the smell of peppers throughout the house.

Tomorrow I will grind them into individual chili powders, and mix for Chili Powder. I have also bought some comino (cumin seeds) which I will toast myself and then grind. The rest of the chili ingredients I have. Tomorrow will tell how well this comes together. I think I will go simple - leave out the chocolate, cognac, beer, etc. I can try to add those in later iterations. This time is about pure chili with no additives.

[Donuthole]

Use Kobe beef. Kobe is a winner.

[SteelBlue]

for whatever reason, our ward is having a chili cookoff in October. We have never done this. I will steal whatever ideas are posted here. Thanks in advance.

nik, didnt you post a crazy chili recipe on CB a couple of years ago?

So is ours but I plan on judging not cooking. I think I'm getting the better deal.

[Surfah]

Update: Day 1

We went to the store tonight to buy some stuff to make a homemade smoker. I had planned on doing a simple model with a hot plate in the bottom of a galvanized trash can, and a grill on top. As I'm searching in vain for a properly sized grill at Lowe's, I notice a nice electric smoking unit....

You're better off with a non-galvanized one if you can find it. If not, build a fire in your trashcan before using it to burn off most of the galvanized coating. Otherwise you can be smoking noxious fumes into your food. Or better yet, I know that there are stainless steel kits now for sell in stores that we use for turkeys and ribs.

We did a trash can turkey at Christmas two years ago at FN Phat's place in Idaho.

[Pheidippides]

You're better off with a non-galvanized one if you can find it. If not, build a fire in your trashcan before using it to burn off most of the galvanized coating. Otherwise you can be smoking noxious fumes into your food. Or better yet, I know that there are stainless steel kits now for sell in stores that we use for turkeys and ribs.

We did a trash can turkey at Christmas two years ago at FN Phat's place in Idaho.

Lol - I broke down and bought the electric. It had a nifty digital temperature control.

[Tim]

2. Meat - do I use a higher quality beef cut or just chuck? Since it's stewing for a while, I can't see what's wrong with chuck as long as it is good chuck.

Go with whatever meat has the best fat content.

[The_Tick]

For chili you want lean meat. Don't want the oil slick on top of the chili.

[Tim]

For chili you want lean meat. Don't want the oil slick on top of the chili.

How do you balance that with the desire to have a rich flavor (on top of the flavor of the spices)?