Chili

[NHSparky]

Discuss.

[Odin's Hand]

Beef chili only. I need to brew up a pot soon, too.

[debk]

I need to make some soon too.

I like to make a huge pot and then freeze several small containers.

[NHSparky]

Beef chili only. I need to brew up a pot soon, too.

I make a killer chili verde, using pork, chiles, onion, cumin, and chicken broth.  Maybe some garlic powder, but that's about it.

[IassaFTots]

NO beans in the chili.  Everyone here puts beans in their dang chili.  They get all uptight when I make chili with no beans.  So, I heat up a side of kidney beans and people can use them as garnish if they want.  

Venison is my favorite chili meat, but if I can't find any, some good ground sirloin will do.

[Thor]

Chili purists consider beans in chili a sacrilege. Besides, REAL chili was made on the trail and they didn't always have time for the beans to soak overnight. Think camping and quick, efficient meals.

[NHSparky]

NO beans in the chili.  Everyone here puts beans in their dang chili.  They get all uptight when I make chili with no beans.  So, I heat up a side of kidney beans and people can use them as garnish if they want.  

Venison is my favorite chili meat, but if I can't find any, some good ground sirloin will do.

Did I happen to mention I've been promised some moose meat this year?  Moose chili....mmmmmmmm...me and Sarah Palin have something else in common...

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Beans are for lazy poseurs

[IassaFTots]

Did I happen to mention I've been promised some moose meat this year?  Moose chili....mmmmmmmm...me and Sarah Palin have something else in common...

Oh wow.  I bet that is good.  I have never had moose.  I forgot, sometimes I use Bison, when I can find it, and it doesn't cost me an arm and leg.

[Chris]

Some kid at work brought in a pot of his chili.  It was not the best.. not even average.  It tasted exactly like "chili powder" that comes in the little red box with a couple jalapeno peppers thrown in.  It was okay if all you wanted to do was burn your mouth but other than that, it was pretty flavorless. 

My chili always seems to come out more like stew than chili.  I like the chili 'sauce' style and wanted to try something different.

[Chris]

I make a killer chili verde, using pork, chiles, onion, cumin, and chicken broth.  Maybe some garlic powder, but that's about it.

oooh, pork.  That sounds good.  Maybe I should try different types of meat.

[Splashdown]

This may end up in the Fight Club.

Not only do I use beans, I use black beans AND kidney beans. Plus, plenty of meat.

[Wineslob]

You left out one answer:

[Chris]

I like black beans.  I have a good black bean soup recipe.  Not a fan of kidney beans... I'm just kind of 'meh' about them.

[Odin's Hand]

Bump

[debk]

The other half makes venison chili...grinds up the tenderloin(makes a horrendous mess that is not in his "job description" to clean up ), mixes it with ground sirloin and a bit of ground pork, or if we have it...he will grind up the trimmings from beef tenderloins.

It's delicious. 

[Chris_]

If'n it has beans in it, it ain't chili....it's yankee chili.

[Chris]

The other half makes venison chili...grinds up the tenderloin(makes a horrendous mess that is not in his "job description" to clean up ), mixes it with ground sirloin and a bit of ground pork, or if we have it...he will grind up the trimmings from beef tenderloins.

It's delicious. 

Mmm, fresh ground meat.

[thundley4]

I buy it in a can, most of the time.  If I make it, I have to freeze most of it, because my wife won't touch the stuff.

[debk]

I buy it in a can, most of the time.  If I make it, I have to freeze most of it, because my wife won't touch the stuff.

that's illegal in several different states...

[Rick]

If'n it has beans in it, it ain't chili....it's yankee chili.

You say that like it is something bad. If it doesn't have beans, it's just soup.

[Thor]

Some kid at work brought in a pot of his chili.  It was not the best.. not even average.  It tasted exactly like "chili powder" that comes in the little red box with a couple jalapeno peppers thrown in.  It was okay if all you wanted to do was burn your mouth but other than that, it was pretty flavorless. 

My chili always seems to come out more like stew than chili.  I like the chili 'sauce' style and wanted to try something different.

If it tasted like chili powder, then he didn't add in enough other spices or he didn't let it cook long enough. I don't use whole tomatoes, tomato sauce or tomato paste and prefer to use grilled chuck roast that cooks long enough to shred itself. I DO add in a little of my homemade salsa an hour or two before serving.

[Chris]

It ain't chili unless its been slow cooked for at least a day.

[IassaFTots]

There is no such thing as Chili with Beans.

There is Chili.

and there are Beans.  And Beans aren't Chili.  They're Beans.

[franksolich]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_con_carne

Chili con carne (literally "Chili with meat", often known simply as chili) is a spicy stew made from chili peppers, meat, garlic, onions, and cumin. Traditional chili is made with chopped or ground beef. Variations, either geographic or by personal preference, may substitute different types of meat and may also include tomatoes, beans, or other ingredients. The name "chili con carne" is a variation of the Spanish chile con carne, which means "peppers with meat." Chili con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas. It can be found worldwide in local variations and also in certain American-style fast food restaurants.

Many argue that chili was invented in Mexico during the 1840s as a replacement for pemmican. Some place its origin in Tijuana, Baja California, or Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.

Charles Ramsdell, a writer from San Antonio in an article called San Antonio: An Historical and Pictorial Guide, wrote: "Chili, as we know it in the U.S., cannot be found in Mexico today except in a few spots which cater to tourists. If chili had come from Mexico, it would still be there. For Mexicans, especially those of Indian ancestry, do not change their culinary customs from one generation, or even from one century, to another."

Chili is said to be the food of forgiveness and reconciliation. The Mexican origin theory holds that it was created as a complimentary dish served at cantinas, especially to please outsiders, who wanted something spicy and "Mexican" to eat (provided it was free or cheap). It was made with leftovers from the meals prepared in the cantina and served for free to drinking customers.

Chile peppers originated in the Americas and were in wide use in pre-Columbian Mexican culture. Any stew made using significant numbers of chiles might be seen as a forerunner of all modern chili recipes.

While evidence of corn in pre-Columbian proto-chili stews remains to be discovered, its usage can be inferred. Although bulk grain fillers are not considered legitimate ingredients in some recipes, masa — a meal made from either corn flour (masa harina) or corn that has been treated with caustic lime to make hominy (masa nixtamalera)— is often used as a thickener and flavoring.

The Americanized recipe used for expeditions consisted of dried beef, suet, dried chili peppers (usually chilepiquenes), and salt, which were pounded together and left to dry into bricks, which could then be boiled in pots on the trail.

The "San Antonio Chile Stand", in operation at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, helped people from other parts of the country taste and appreciate chili. San Antonio was a significant tourist destination and helped Texas-style chili con carne spread throughout the South and West.

During the 1880s, brightly dressed Hispanic women known as "chili queens" began to operate around Military Plaza and other public gathering places in downtown San Antonio. They appeared at dusk, when they built charcoal or wood fires to reheat cauldrons of pre-cooked chili. They sold it by the bowl to passersby. The aroma was a potent sales pitch; mariachi street musicians joined in to serenade the eaters. Some chili queens later built semi-permanent stalls in the mercado (local Mexican market.)

Preparing plates of tortillas and fried beans to sell to pecan shellers, San Antonio, Texas. In September 1937, the San Antonio Health Department implemented new sanitary regulations that required the chili queens to adhere to the same standards as indoor restaurants. Unable to provide lavatory facilities, the queens and their "street chili" culture disappeared overnight. Although Mayor Maury Maverick reinstated the queens' privileges in 1939, the city reapplied the more stringent regulations permanently in 1943.

San Antonio's mercado was renovated in the 1970s, at which time it was the largest Mexican marketplace in the U.S. Local merchants began staging historic re-enactments of the chili queens' heyday. The "Return of the Chili Queens Festival" is now part of that city's annual Memorial Day festivities.

Before World War II, hundreds of small, family-run chili parlors (also known as "chili joints") could be found throughout Texas and other states, particularly those in which émigré Texans had made new homes. Each establishment usually had a claim to some kind of "secret recipe."

One of the best-known chili parlors, in part because of its downtown location and socially connected clientele, was Bob Pool's "joint" in Dallas, just across the street from the headquarters of the elite department store Neiman Marcus. Stanley Marcus, president of the store, frequently ate there. He also bought Pool's chili to send by air express to friends and customers across the country. Several members of General Dwight Eisenhower's SHAPE staff during the early 1950s were reported to have arranged regular shipments of chili from Pool's to their Paris quarters.

After which variations of chili are described.

A popular saying among self-proclaimed chili purists is, "If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain't got no beans." The concept that beans do not belong in chili may be further credited to the fact that most official chili cookoffs do not allow beans. In many cases, a chili will be disqualified if it contains such ingredients, considered filler.

Pinto beans (frijoles), a staple of Tex-Mex cooking, have long been associated with chili. The question of whether beans "belong" in chili has been a matter of contention amongst chili cooks for an equally long time. It is likely that in many poorer areas of San Antonio and other places associated with the origins of chili, beans were used rather than meat, or in addition to meat. In that regard, some chili aficionados suggest that there were probably two chili types made in the world, depending on what could be afforded and how frugal the cook was.

Tomatoes are another ingredient considered anywhere from required to sacrilegious when included. Wick Fowler, north Texas newspaperman and inventor of "Two-Alarm Chili" (which he later marketed as a "kit" of spices), insisted on adding tomato sauce to his chili — one 15-oz. can per three pounds of meat. He also believed that chili should never be eaten freshly cooked but refrigerated overnight to seal in the flavor. Matt Weinstock, a Los Angeles newspaper columnist, once remarked that Fowler's chili "was reputed to open eighteen sinus cavities unknown to the medical profession."

Vegetarian chili (also known as chili sin carne, chili without meat, or chili) acquired wide popularity in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s with the rise of vegetarianism. It is also popular with those on a diet restricting the use of red meat. To make the chili vegetarian, the cook leaves out the meat or replaces it with a meat analogue, such as textured vegetable protein or tofu, or a complementary vegetable, such as potatoes.

Many variant recipes exist. Almost any available vegetable can be added, including corn, squash, mushrooms, potatoes, and even beets. Corn, squash, and beans are known as the "Three Sisters" of Native American agriculture in the American Southwest. They were cultivated together, and complemented each other as foods. Corn and beans together made a complete protein.

One popular variant is lentil chili. Lentils (usually brown or green lentils) are used in the place of meat. Because of their high protein content, lentils are an excellent meat substitute, and their flavor blends well with the traditional seasonings of chili. Lentil chili is made either with just lentils or combined with other beans. The seasonings are similar to chili con carne.

In order to accommodate vegetarians and nonvegetarians with the same chili recipe, some chefs prepare the meat on the side (al lado), with roughly the same proportion of spices, peppers, onions, etc. as the remainder of the chili. The base chili contains only beans, tomatoes, peppers, and other seasonings. This variant recipe on chili con carne (chili with meat) allows chefs to prepare a single batch of chili which can be enjoyed by vegetarians and other patrons.

When patrons are ready to eat, they can select the amount of meat they desire, add the vegetarian chili to their bowl, mix, and eat.

In addition to the expected ingredients listed above, some cooks use more esoteric ingredients to both personalize their recipe and try to ensure its superiority. These may include sweetcorn, peanut butter, pineapples, bananas, oranges, tomatillos, beer, chorizo, cocoa, chocolate, coffee, tequila, cola, honey, cinnamon, allspice, saffron, molasses, vinegar, wine (usually red), whiskey, and/or bourbon. Some cooks prefer a cast iron pot for cooking chili. Cornstarch is frequently used as a thickener, as is masa. Dark chocolate provides an authentic richness akin to that found in Mexican molé sauce (negro, rojo, or poblano varieties).

Several beverages are commonly used to accompany a bowl of chili, including ice-cold beer, cola to provide a sweet contrasting taste, or a glass of cold milk to moderate the impact of the pepper on the throat.

Shredded cheese is a common topping. Saltine crackers are a common accompaniment in chili parlors, where they are broken up and scattered on top. Similarly, commercial corn chips can be added as a topping, producing something akin to Frito pie (see below). Jalapeño cornbread, rolled-up corn tortillas, and pork tamales also are popular for dunking into chili. Peanut butter sandwiches or peanut butter on saltine crackers served on the side can also accompany chili.

In Nebraska, a bowl of chili is served with cinnamon rolls, particularly in school cafeterias. In Tennessee it is common to sprinkle vinegar over the bowl of chili. Similarly, a small portion of pickle juice is sometimes used instead. In eastern Tennessee, chili with beans served in a cup with Fritos and sour cream is referred to as a Petro, after the restaurant chain that introduced the dish at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Willie Gebhardt, originally of New Braunfels, Texas, and later of San Antonio, produced the first canned chili in 1908.

Rancher Lyman Davis near Corsicana, Texas, developed Wolf Brand Chili in 1885. He owned a meat market and was a particular fan of Texas-style chili. In the 1880s, in partnership with an experienced range cook, he began producing heavily spiced chili based on chunks of lean beef and rendered beef suet, which he sold by the pot to local cafés. In 1921, Davis began canning his product, naming it for his pet wolf "Kaiser Bill." Wolf Brand canned chili was a favorite of Will Rogers, who always took along a case when traveling and performing in other regions of the world. Ernest Tubb, the country singer, was such a fan that one Texas hotel maintained a supply of Wolf Brand for his visits.

Both the Gebhardt and Wolf brands are now owned by ConAgra Foods, Inc. In the UK, the most popular brand of canned chili is sold by Stagg, a division of Hormel foods.

Another method of marketing commercial chili in the days before widespread home refrigerators was "brick chili." It was produced by pressing out nearly all of the moisture, leaving a solid substance roughly the size and shape of a half-brick. Wolf Brand was originally sold in this form. Commonly available in small towns and rural areas of the American Southwest in the first three-quarters of the 20th century, brick chili has mostly outlived its usefulness and is now difficult to find. In southern California, the Dolores Canning Co. still makes a traditional brick chili called the "Dolores Chili Brick".

Home cooks may also purchase seasoning kits for chili, including packets of dry ingredients such as chili powder, masa flour, salt, and cayenne pepper, to flavor meat and other ingredients.

After which other variations of chili are described, and then non-chili dishes made with chili.

I remember, really vaguely, "chili bricks."