Chili

We are certainly moving into autumn, my favorite season, with the nights getting cooler, the days getting shorter. Puts me in mind of comfort food.

When one says "chili" all sorts of different things may enter the listener's head, depending on where they are from and what their culinary background is.

This was brought home to me yet again in a conversation last evening with a close friend from Texas. It's only because we both have a food background that we were on the same page at all!

Here in New Mexico if you want a stew-like bowl of meat, spices, possibly tomatoes, maybe beans, you had better say "Texas Chili" or you'll be getting a bowl of good New Mexican red chile sauce and not the stew you thought you were ordering!

So. What's "chili" in your household? Beans? No beans? Pork? Beef? Vegetarian? Tomatoes? No tomatoes? Chocolate? Cinnamon? How much heat?

Care to share your recipe?

Great post, Cynthia! But allow me to put the issue to rest right now. I completely understand New Mexico red and green chile stew and love love love it.

But, being from Texas I have to say a few things about what makes Texas chili, well, chili.

No beans, ever. If it has beans it is not chili. It is stew.

If there is not any meat it is not chili. It is vegetable/bean stew. And if there is something like tofu or textured vegetable protein in the mix then the cook needs to be shot at sunrise (if they call it chili, that is).

The meat is beef. Though I don't mind venison. Especially if I shot it myself.

Tomatoes? Sure.

Onions? Sure.

Cumin? Yep.

I like to use (gasp!) Chimayo chile powder. But any red chili powder works well except for Gerhardt's or some s**t like that. I frequently mix powders.

No cinnamon. Ever. This is an offense punishable by death.

High heat is best. Low heat is unacceptable.

Masa makes a good thickener, should you need it.

And no, I will not share my recipe. It totally and completely rocks.

rwj

edited to state that cumin is included. I take this for granted.

I'll eat any kind.

Award-winning chili tip from a Texas chili-meister: add a pat of butter at the end and stir it in. It adds a little smoothness.

And no, I will not share my recipe. It totally and completely rocks.

Robert, you clearly need to learn to have opinions and then how to voice them!

Cynthia, chili is not an opinion. It is a fact.



rwj

Cynthia,

Thats funny. Actually "Texas Chili" more closely resembles the New Mexico style. No Beans...chili con carne colorado ( red chili w/ meat)...no tomatoes or tomato sauce...

Basically, its meat, cumin, red chile powder, garlic, masa and onion.

Richard

[Robin Garr]

Care to share your recipe?

Okay, somebody has to stoke the flames by speaking up for Midwestern chili, and it might as well be me.

Here's an extended essay on the topic that I wrote a couple of years ago with the help of my good buddy (and chili maven) Karen, so it has to be true.

Robert J.,

When you say "chile powder", are you are talking about plain ground-up dried capsicum, or a mixture of capsicum and various spices?

If just the plain capsicum, what do you see as the essential seasonings for chili? I would think cumin is #1 on the list.

If a spice mixture, which spices and in what proportion?

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Robert J said:

No beans, ever. If it has beans it is not chili. It is stew.

Regional difference: I grew up in California, not Texas, and no Californian should be allowed to tell a Texan what is or is not chili, but from childhood through adulthood, ALL chili, be that at home or the company cafeteria or the ball park, contained beans. No beans? That's chili con carne. No chiles/chile powder? That's stew.

Paul, I am speaking of just plain capsicum. I do use cumin, and to that extent I make my own spice mixture. It will sometimes contain more than one type of ground chile though.

rwj

Robert J said:

No beans, ever. If it has beans it is not chili. It is stew.

Regional difference: I grew up in California, not Texas, and no Californian should be allowed to tell a Texan what is or is not chili, but from childhood through adulthood, ALL chili, be that at home or the company cafeteria or the ball park, contained beans. No beans? That's chili con carne. No chiles/chile powder? That's stew.

Nope. See post #2. That lays down the rules. I'm not budging and Cynthia started it!

rwj

(smiley for civility)

Care to share your recipe?

Okay, somebody has to stoke the flames by speaking up for Midwestern chili, and it might as well be me.

Here's an extended essay on the topic that I wrote a couple of years ago with the help of my good buddy (and chili maven) Karen, so it has to be true.

Robin, I mean absolutely no offense here, ok? But chili is from Texas. Tires, Automobiles, Pabst Blue Ribbon (don't mind if I do, thank you), and fried Pepsi are from the midwest. I mean, come on, you put that stuff on spaghetti!!?? I'm sure it's good and I would gladly have some; BUT IT'S NOT CHILI.

The only legal thing to put under chili is a pile of Fritos or crumbled tortilla chips.

Will everybody please take a step back and re-read post #2?

rwj

Now, Robert, I know you Texans think you rule The Chili Universe, but as noted in my Original Post, there is room for many, many chili interpretations.

Can't we build a bridge of understanding here? There don't have to be absolutes around this issue. No, really!

AND, if you won't share your recipe, then how can we evaluate whether you might possibly have the definitive key to chili or not???

Can't we build a bridge of understanding here?

Not with me holding this book of matches, we can't.

And for the record, I do hold the definitive key to chili. It was my birthright and decreed by God. I won't share my recipe but will gladly make a pot for all to share. Heck, I may even ship samples! But no Chili Master will ever ever ever share his/her recipe.

Please re-read post #2.

rwj

For 7 yrs in a row, I was a 2nd level chili Judge at the Terlingua Chili Cook-Off in Terlingua, Tx. (1977-1984 or so..) Which basically means I knew someone who knew someone and was relatively sober at the time of judging. Of course, relatively....was relative... at Terlingua.

Our job was to taste and grade 20 different chili's. All shared pretty much the same characteristics in ingredients and texture. Mostly cubed meat, no ground meat. Plus no beans...beans would have gotten you mobbed. Taste, aroma and color were mostly judged at that level.

But, let me tell you...the most you can do is remember the best 2 or 3 and the worst. The middle gets lost cause, really...most chili tastes the same. And after 20?? The only ones you can really remember are the ones that were so hot your ears were steaming and the ones that were so bad you spit them out.

The ony reason I could ever come up with for the really bad ones, especially at World Championship levels...is that the chili team over partied and were too hung over to cook.

Richard

Mostly cubed meat, no ground meat. Plus no beans...beans would have gotten you mobbed.
Richard

You see?

No beans = Chili.

Beans = Certain death by many drunk, and I mean drunk, chili cooks.

(Frankly, I would rather be drawn and quartered than face the penalty for beans in my chili).

rwj

[Robin Garr]

Robin, I mean absolutely no offense here, ok? But chili is from Texas. Tires, Automobiles, Pabst Blue Ribbon (don't mind if I do, thank you), and fried Pepsi are from the midwest. I mean, come on, you put that stuff on spaghetti!!?? I'm sure it's good and I would gladly have some; BUT IT'S NOT CHILI.

No offense taken, and none implied in return.

You're wrong, though.

You're talking about <i>Texas</i> chili, which is fine if you're from Texas. But what chili really is, it's comfort food that you grew up with. If you grew up in Texas, it's Texas chile. In New Mexico, green chili. Mexico? <i>Chile Colorado</i>. In the Midwest, it's burger meat and beans and chili powder on, yes, spaghetti. And in Cincinnati it's really Greek spaghetti sauce. This explains the cinnamon.

But childhood comfort food, that's the secret ... and that's why everybody takes it so seriously.

Robin, I must say, please re-read post #2.

rwj

(again, smiley for civility)

Robert J.,

When you say "chile powder", are you are talking about plain ground-up dried capsicum, or a mixture of capsicum and various spices?

If just the plain capsicum, what do you see as the essential seasonings for chili? I would think cumin is #1 on the list.

If a spice mixture, which spices and in what proportion?

-Paul W.

Always a source of confusion. It's best to say "powdered chile" for straight capsicum and "chili powder" for capsicum, cumin, oregano, etc.

I love chili, all kinds, beef, chicken, pork....I don't care. As long as it is hot, has chili powders, cumin, lots of garlic and onion. I make a great chicken chili that rocks. One thing, however....I want my chili to have beans, red, white, I don't care. Just not chili unless it has beans!
I had (may still have ?) the original Chasen's chili recipe and it is probably the one I have like the least. I think it was very time consuming. I like my chili to be easy. Of course "my" easy might be someone's tedious!

[Jenise]

Just not chili unless it has beans!

Karen, you share the curse of the Californians! Us omnivores need our beans.

Btw, I'm judging a chili contest this weekend--what do you want to bed the majority will have beans in them?

Jenise, I just can't chomp down on nothing but meat. The beans add an extra layer of flavor that totally says, "chili".

I guess this isn't the time to bring up tofu?

Go for it, Stuart! Vegetarian was one of the prompts in my original post.