Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Thomas Beckett <thomas AT tbeckett.com>]

	I want to thank everyone for your suggestions on chili-making.  There's 
a lot to think about and a lot of variations to experiment with over the 
next few months.

	I've collected it all and copied it below for anyone who wants to save 
it conveniently.  I think I'll try to post it on our INW Web site for 
future generations to enjoy.

	If you've still got chili wisdom to share, don't hesitate to do so.  We 
can always add it to the collection.

	The listing below starts with my original query and then Kevin Sonney's 
positively poetic first post.

TaB

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InterNetWorkers Chili Wisdom

The query:

    So my question for you, merry wanderers, is what makes a great 
chili great?  A particular ingredient?  Slow cooking?  An iron

pot?  Share your chili secrets, please.

TaB

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Luv. I mean, let's be honest - when i cook Chili, I cook because I
love the stuff, I love cooking it, I love the look on people's faces
when they taste it, I love the way it makes the house smell while it's
cooking...I just love the stuff. it's a wonder I don't make it weekly,
except Renee would kill me.

Before I get into the process, I better mention that making chili is a
very personal thing. I'm not gonna go into specific ingredients
because my choice is going to different from yours. Good chili can be
made with cheap ingredients, and still taste really, really good. A
lot of it is about the process.

Anyway, it's late for me, and I ramble on a bit. be warned. I skip
back and forward as I remember things when I wrote this, so if it's a
bit disjointed, ask me for some clarification in the am *grin*

I like hot & spicy, but my wife and kids don't (yet). So first
and foremost, I go for flavor. Every pot is different, because I'm
always fine-tuning the recipe. You can use whatever base you like - even
the usual stuff from the three-alarm kit. it's basically the same
ingredients for everyone - some savory veggies, the meat, tomato(s),
salt, black pepper, beans.

Then it's off to the spice rack. For me it's usually a combination of:
Hickory Salt, traditional chili powder, some home-made chili powder I
picked up in New Mexico, Bay leaves, and whatever else feels right that day.

Finally a little something extra from the liquor cabinet. Most usually
tequila, but sometimes I break out the Johnny Walker Black label, or
maybe some Jim Beam, or whatever happens to feel right at the
time. Heck, stir in a bottle of that dark beer you have leftover in
the back of the fridge.

I *NEVER* cook chili less than 24 hours if I can help it. Hell,
sometimes I'll cook it 24, then put it in the 'fridge overnight, then
cook it again the next day. it's always better that second day *grin*

After all that, about an hour before serving, I try to balance the
flavor out to a mild. I can add my own hot, and a lot of hot is
personal. I don't want to burn out the flavor with hot stuff. So if
it's still a but spicy, stir in a little sugar. not hot enough? Add a
little more of the New Mexican stuff.

Last bits - serving. I go for a full table - the chili, crackers,
fresh bread, pickled jalapinos, grated cheese (medium cheddar or
Cheddar Jack), sour cream, extra chili powder, beer for the grown ups
that want some.

Damn, now I'm hungry. I know what I'm cooking for Saturday dinner....

-- Kevin Sonney --

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A friend of mine used to put a dash of chocolate in his chili. Much 
better tasting than it sounds.

leann

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Ground pork for a little sweetness and depth, and green pepper for the base
tones.

Maria C Winslow

---
Well, I'm *definitely* not in the hot-n-spicy crowd, and to me, beans are an
accent, not a main component, so I lean towards lots of meaty goodness.  As
for seasonings, I always add a bottle of the best beer (pref. dark) that I
have in my fridge... I add a little when the whole thing first comes
together (post onion-sautéing and ground beef adding etc.) and when I add
the first batch of spices.  I add a little more (1/3 bottle) when it's been
cooking for 2-3 hrs.  I add the rest of the bottle about 1 1/2 hrs. before I
plan to serve it (which is hopefully not less than 7 hrs. after I started
it).  I also add:  a little stone ground mustard (1 TBL or so, depending on
size of batch) and a little brown sugar.

Hope this helps,

Gina (now wanting chili even though it's only 9:19 am)

---

After spending a year in New Mexico, I was very impressed with
hot green chili.   Forget the tomatoes, the brown sugar, etc. that
was foisted on an unsuspecting public (by Texans no doubt).
A foundation of green chili peppers, pinto beans, sauteed ground beef,
salt and garlic IMO works best.  (Don't be fooled; a green chili
can be just as hot as a red one.)

What I really enjoyed about NM is that you could buy frozen diced
green chilis, guaranteed farm fresh, by the pound.  They're sold
in cottage cheese tubs, ready to use.  Unfortunately, as you'd
expect, it's a regional thing (like the miles of counters containing
frozen pounds of pizza dough in New York supermarkets).  It's no
coincidence that the best cheeseburger I ever had was a green chili'ed
variety from the Sonic in Los Alamos.

I haven't made chili that compared to those early batches way
back when (*sob*).

l8r,
-- Dan C.

---

You can make great chili in a crock pot.  The cookware doesn't much 
matter.  What makes the most difference is a variety of

meats, imho.  Ham, bacon, beef, ground pork, etc.  I cut the bacon up in 
large pieces and cook it soft so it is still really

juicy & tender and lends a great flavor to the chili.  For ham I use ham 
steaks cubed up.

In a 6 quart batch of chili I use maybe one small can of kidney beans, 
just because some people won't recognize it as chili

without them.  But they don't add much to the flavor.

There are many other secrets, my Padowan learner, but that should set 
you on the right path.

Chris Hedemark

---

I don't know what is with the ground beef thing, but I prefer cube steak
like most people use for stew. Chicken, pork, lots-o-beans, and a variety
of peppers (habenero, chili, and jalepeno for starters). Chili should be
spicy...

-- Scott H. Zekanis

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On Fri, 3 Jan 2003, David R. Matusiak wrote:

>> anymore good suggestions for the veggie variety of chili?  (not
>> necessarily vegan)

Try
http://www.rtpnet.org/hallman/cookbook/veg-chili.html

It's good.

Judy Hallman

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On Friday, January 3, 2003, at 12:15 PM, zman wrote:

> I don't know what is with the ground beef thing, but I prefer cube steak
> like most people use for stew.

It sounds very tasty.  The reason I prefer ground beef is it is less 
work to eat.

I also like to cook my meats seperately, and keep them off to the side 
until about an hour before serving the chili.  Then I

combine them into the chili mix that has been stewing for a day or so. 
That way each of the meats jumps out at you when you put

a heaping spoonful in your mouth.  I've found that the traditional way 
of cooking it all together homogenizes the tastes and

makes it flat.

Chris Hedemark

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There are lots of kinds of Chili (and they are all good) but real Texas
chili has a certain elegant simplicity about it that appeals to me.
There are no recipes for it -- when you write it down it doesn't taste
right -- but the process of making it goes something like this.

Get yourself a big pot and chop up enough beef to fill it 3/4 of the
way full.  Be sure to use an inexpensive cut of beef from an
experienced animal and cut it up by hand, don't grind it.  Cook the
beef over high heat, stirring constantly, until it is browned.  Reduce
heat to low.  Add any mixture of dried, ground chilis you like as long
as they are red -- about one fistfull per pound.  Throw in a pinch per
pound of Mexican oregano (if you got it) or regular oregano (if you
don't).  Then add ground cumin until it smells right.  Commercial chili
powder is OK to use but mind how much cumin you add since most chili
powders already have quite a bit.  Stir until all the beef is coated
with the spices.  Add enough black coffee to barely cover the meat and
cook, covered, over low heat until the beef is tender.  Make a thin
paste out of masa flour (or corn meal) and water, turn up the heat a
bit and add the paste a bit at a time until the chili starts to thicken
just a little.  If too much grease rises to the top, add a little more
of the masa paste and stir harder.  Cook a few minutes over low heat.
Add salt until it tastes salty enough.  Throw in some cheap hot sauce
if you like and serve with beans (on the side), cornbread, catsup and
beer.

If you want it a bit spicier, buy a little can of Chipolte peppers (in
adobo sauce) at a mexican grocery store.  Mash up a few of the peppers
and stir in when you add the other chilis.  Usually, each pepper will
add one "alarm" to your chili.  Chipoltes are smoked jalapenos and they
add a smoky taste.

BigLee Haslup