# Chili Girls



## di reston (Feb 20, 2018)

I've been watching a programme about Chilli Con Carne, and they mentioned the 'Cilli Girls'- about impressive women who do amazing Chilli con Carne. I have a very good American cookbook on American food in general, but I REALLY WANT to do a wicked Chilli. (In this context, 'Wicked' means 'Amazing'). Any help? I'd really like to do a spectaclular recipe for OH!

Many thanks

di reston


Enough is never as good as a feast     Oscar Wilde


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## buckytom (Feb 20, 2018)

di, I'm not sure if you want to put in the time to read a thread about "authentic" chili, but I always think of this one when chili comes to mind.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f62/authentic-texas-chili-3649.html?highlight=Chili


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## Steve Kroll (Feb 20, 2018)

You may be sorry you asked this question, because there are thousands of recipes for chili, and many of them are regional to different areas around the US. 

This is my own recipe. It's very close to an authentic Texas-style Red (I lived there for some time). It has no beans, no pasta, and very little tomato (Texans seem to yell the loudest when people outside of Texas add these things to their chili). I've actually done very well with it in competitions, including a large ICS competition in Las Vegas a number of years ago. I don't use "chili powder" in my recipe. Instead I prefer to use only fresh and dried chiles. Some of the more common varieties used here may be very difficult to find in Italy, however. The recipe is pretty flexible. Use whatever you can find to fill the bill.

Steve Kroll's Chili

*Meat:*

2.5-3 lbs beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
A source of fat. Could be lard, beef tallow, olive oil, bacon drippings, or whatever you prefer for frying. I'm kind of a tallow guy.

*Sofrito (i.e. the veggies):*


2 medium onions, finely chopped
6-8 assorted fresh chiles, de-seeded and finely chopped (I like a combination of flavor and heat: jalapeno, poblano or pasilla, habanero, or whatever is available fresh)
3 large cloves garlic, finely minced

*Chili Base:*


6-8 assorted large dried chile pods, de-seeded and roughly torn into pieces (any combination of ancho, guajillo, New Mexico, or pasilla)
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce, or 2-3 fresh tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped.
1 cup beef stock
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsps dried Mexican oregano
1 tbsp smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón)

*Method:*


In a large mixing bowl, combine beef cubes, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix thoroughly so that all the beef cubes are covered with the spice mixture. Put plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Put the dried chile pod pieces into a bowl and pour enough boiling water over the top to just cover them. If the pieces float, set a slightly smaller bowl on top to keep everything submerged. Set the dried chile mixture to the side for 30 minutes to allow the dried peppers to reconstitute.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, add a tablespoon of fat and a handful of the marinated meat. Quickly stir to brown the meat on all sides. It doesn’t have to be cooked completely through; all we are doing is developing some flavor. Once the meat is browned, remove from skillet to a plate and set aside. Working in batches, repeat this process to brown the remaining meat. Add more fat as needed.
In the same pan, add another tablespoon of fat, along with the chopped onions, fresh chiles, and garlic to make the sofrito. Turn the heat down to medium low and sauté the vegetables until tender. The goal isn’t to brown the vegetables, but to allow them to slowly caramelize and develop flavor. If the mixture looks a little dry, add a bit of water. The entire process of cooking the vegetables should take about 20 minutes. When it’s done add the sautéed vegetables to the meat that was previously set aside.
Return the now empty pan to the stove and turn the heat to medium high. Deglaze the pan with the one cup of beef stock. Stir and scrape to release any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the deglazed pan juices to a blender, along with the reconstituted dried chile mixture and the water they soaked in. Add tomato sauce, salt, red wine vinegar, cumin, Mexican oregano, and Spanish paprika. Puree the mixture until smooth.
In a medium Dutch oven or deep sauté pan, combine the beef, sofrito, and chili-tomato mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow the chili to simmer uncovered for 2-3 hours or until the beef is tender. If the sauce is too soup-like, turn the heat up toward the end to reduce and thicken it. Adjust the seasoning to taste.


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## Andy M. (Feb 20, 2018)

BT, I look to that thread for the definitive discussion on chili.

My chili is not quite as basic but not fancy either.  Beef (cubed chick roast), chili powder, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne, a small amount of tomato and water plus masa to thicken.


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## CraigC (Feb 20, 2018)

di reston said:


> I've been watching a programme about Chilli Con Carne, and they mentioned the 'Cilli Girls'- about impressive women who do amazing Chilli con Carne. I have a very good American cookbook on American food in general, but I REALLY WANT to do a wicked Chilli. (In this context, 'Wicked' means 'Amazing'). Any help? I'd really like to do a spectaclular recipe for OH!
> 
> Many thanks
> 
> ...



I have the Tex-Mex cookbook which, in the late 1800's referred to the women that made chili as "Chili Queens".

Check out this chili file in this old thread.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f62/awesome-possum-chili-81957-2.html


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