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Home > Cooking > Boys Food > Chili
An inauthentic approach to making the world's best chili
Chili is one of those meals that I make when I don't want to think about anything--I just want to eat. It's not a "quick meal" even though the best chili requires barely any hands-on time (prep time is 15 minutes or less). Simmering it on the stove for a couple of hours gives it a memorable flavor that makes you want to savor every mouthful.
Making the best chili is so easy...there's really no need for a recipe. Use what you have on hand. Experiment with different flavors. Everyone thinks that they are the only ones who know how to make the best chili, so do whatever tastes right to you.
Step one: Gather your ingredients
Four things you've got to have to make your best chili:
- Meat
- Chiles or chili powder (ancho chiles are traditional; they are usually used dried)
- Cumin
- Pepper (usually cayenne)
Common "optional" ingredients:
- Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce: I would ordinarily put this in the "Necessary" category, but I have recently found that I could possibly be shot for that offense. Don't let the chili purists scare you. It is OKAY if you use tomatoes and tomato sauce, even though they didn't have those things in the wild wild west. I have never made a chili without them, and the "inauthenticity" doesn't bother me a bit! In fact, real chili aficionados might even frown on you for using ANYTHING other than meat, rendered fat, chiles, and a barely noticeable amount of salt!
- Veggies: Standard are onions, garlic, and bell peppers.
- Beans: For my family, they are a necessity. Do not challenge my husband on this.
- Cocoa powder or unsweetened grated chocolate: This chili recipe is a prime example.
Step two: Saute what needs to be sauteed
I use two separate pans for this so that the meat and veggies can both be cooking at the same time.
- Meat
If you're using ground beef, brown it. If you're using chicken, steak, or whatever else, give it a good sear and then lower the heat to cook it the rest of the way through. Unless you're on a diet and do not care much for taste, don't drain the meat. You need all of that rendered fat to make your chili amazing.
- Veggies
Bell peppers take the longest, so if using, go ahead and toss those in first. Onions come next, and garlic comes in at the very end (nothing can ruin a dish faster than burnt garlic, and it burns very easily).
Step three: Combine all ingredients and simmer
Be moderate with the chili powder (it's rather mild in small doses), but light with the cumin and pepper (if using cayenne). Since my best chili is tomato-based with beans, I always throw in two medium-sized cans of tomato sauce, a small can of tomato paste, a can of chopped tomatoes, and a can each of light red and dark red kidney beans.
Simmering is an important step to making good-down-to-the-bone chili. The depth of flavor it produces is unmatched. Simmer for at least an hour; two if you can. You can do it with or without the lid. Since I have so much liquid in my chili, I leave the lid off.
Step four: Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust accordingly.
I use kosher salt instead of table salt because it's harder to "over-salt", and the flavor seeps into the dish, rather than overpowering it. Add some fresh ground pepper to taste.
Your "tweaking" is done at this stage of the game. Here are some pointers for getting your chili to be just right:
- Chili too thin? Simmer without the lid. If you want to quicken things up a bit, you can also thicken it with flour (yellow corn flour is recommended). Another good option is to add a can of refried beans (which will, in turn, boost the flavor!).
- Chili too thick? This one's easy to correct. Just add water and adjust seasonings.
- Chili too spicy? Adding water and then thickening it with flour can help. Some people swear by dumping a can of pineapple in (juice and all), but I've never tried it. They say you can't taste it, but really...I'm skeptical.
- Chili too salty? Add a peeled raw potato to the mix. Simmer for 15 minutes and then remove. Alternatively, you can add instant mashed potatoes. This will also thicken it up, so you may also have to add water. If none of that works well enough (and your problem is drastic), you can simply add more of everything else.
Mmmm...chili. Even though it's the heat of summer as I'm writing this, the air conditioning will be my excuse for making a pot. I'll just turn it up a few degrees.
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