So, I only won 4th place on the chili cook off, but CJ and I think it is great chili.
Start with 6 poblano chilies. Roast them over the open flame on your stove top, then put them in a paper bag and let them sweat. Chop and remove the seeds. Set aside.
Cube 3-4 lbs of pork shoulder. Salt and pepper them and coat with flour. In a deep, heavy pan (I use my dutch oven) brown the meat in a bit of oil. You don’t want to crowd the pan, so do multiple batches.
Remove the pork and set aside.
In the same pan, add 3 chopped onions and saute until soft. Add 6 cloves of garlic, 1 T of oregano and 1 T of cumin. Saute for a couple minutes.
To the pan add in 5 cups chicken stock and one can of tomatoes. Deglaze the brown bits the best you can. Then add in the peppers and the pork and any juices.
Bring the whole thing to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for the next 2-3 hours. I had to turn it up at the end to get it to reduce to a nice sauce.
In the last 30 minutes, add in 2 T of chili powder and season with salt and pepper to taste.
It is not a spicy chili. It is a flavorful and succulent chili. The meat falls apart and is perfect.
Wow, it has been a long time since I blogged. Bad Kassie! But I’ve been busy, or something.
But the weather is right for cooking, so I guess I’ll just pick up where I left off.
So, with the weather cool and football on TV, I made some chili today. I never have an actual recipe for my chili, but this one turned out pretty good, so I’ll see if I can write it up.
Start by browning 1 lbs ground pork and 1 lbs ground beef. I used organic grass fed beef and organic pork for this. I think with chili, choosing high quality meat matters. You want the meat to stand out and be distinct.
Drain and set aside.
In a Tablespoon or so oil, saute a chopped onion and 5 cloves garlic. I add in a lot of my spices at this time so they can be toasted sort of in the oil. I added in about 2 T. of cumin, 2 T. of cinnamon, 2 t. of cayenne, 6 T. of chili powder, salt and pepper. I use a lot of chili powder because I used the cheap brand. I have a really good spicy Indian kind and 6 T. would be a killer. All these spices are approximate amounts and I adjust by adding more as I go along to see how it tastes. A bay leaf or two would be good here too, but I was out.
I let the onions cook down, careful to not burn them, for about 10 minutes.
Then I add 28oz can of whole tomatoes, 28oz can and a 16 oz can of chopped tomatoes, and a can of tomato paste. For the tomatoes I always use Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes. They have a really great taste.
Then add in 1 big box of organic beef stock, 1 bottle of dark beer, 1 small can of rinsed black beans, 1 small can of rinsed pinto beans, and the meat. Finally, add in some chipotle peppers from a can. I added in 4 chopped. CJ thought it was too hot. I thought it wasn’t hot enough.
At this point, the chili will seem really runny, and it is. Bring the whole thing to a boil, then cover partially and simmer on low for the next few hours. I’d say at least 2. You want to condense all the flavors and reduce the liquid. I cooked mine for about 5 hours today.
You need to stir every 30 minutes or so to make sure it doesn’t burn. It really needs to be on low heat or it will burn and ruin the whole pot.
I served with sour cream and cheddar corn bread. It was very good. We now have 3 big servings in the freezer and one in the fridge for my lunch tomorrow.
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Additionally, we got the greatest cooking contraption of all time today- A RICE COOKER. I already cooked up one pot full and portioned it into individual bags and put them in the freezer. This will change how we eat forever. We love rice, but have little patience for cooking it.