Chili Guidelines

THE GUIDE TO MAKING E'S 3-ALARM CHILI

I recently posted a story on Instagram about making chili and a few people wrote to ask me if I could send them my recipe.

Problem is...I don't have a recipe.  I never have the same ingredients, so I just round up what I have each time I make a batch.  That's why when I make chili, it never tastes the same way twice. However, there are a few guidelines to follow in making E's 3-alarm Chili, so here's what you need to know.

1. MEAT

*Start your chili by browning .5 kilo or less of ground beef in your frying pan.

*Actually I prefer ground turkey, but it's hard to find in most countries.

*Fry your meat in a small amount of seasoning like taco seasoning or chili powder.  

*Cook your meat until all traces of red have been cooked out.  Don't overcook.  Drain the fat from the meat. Set you meat aside and don't add it until about 10 minutes before serving the chili, because if you have your meat in the chili throughout the cooking process, it loses its flavor and also turns rubbery.

2.  VEGAN ALTERNATIVE

*You can make this chili without meat.  It does help, though, to add some sort of vegan meat substitute. If you live in North America, add a package of frozen vegan ground "meat" crumbles to your chili about 15 minutes before serving. 

3. VEGGIES

*After cooking your meat, sauté some raw veggies in light vegetable oil. I prefer chopped garlic, onions, green bell pepper, and red sweet bell pepper as the 4 foundational veggies.  However, you can add or subtract related veggies as you please.  

*Don't cook the veggies fully.  Sauté them until they are a little soft.  Then put them in a big pot.

4. TOMATOES

*Tomatoes form the foundation of chili.  You can use tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes.  You can puree fresh tomatoes.  You can even use a jar of salsa.  About the only form of tomato that doesn't work is a half bottle of ketchup.

*Put whatever tomatoes you use in the pot with the veggies.

5. HOT SAUCE

*If you are averse to spicy dishes, or if you are Kyrgyz, you don't have to add any hot sauce to your chili. I like spicy food, so I always add some.  Any hot sauce is fine, depending on your taste preference.  Even standard Louisiana tabasco sauce works fine.  As a substitute for hot sauce (or an addition), you can also sauté some spicy fresh chili peppers with your mix of veggies (e.g. habanero).

6. SPICE

*In my book, there are only two required spices for chili:  cumin and chili powder.  Add those to the pot. I like lots of cumin (3 or 4 tablespoons).  I also try to avoid a chili powder where one of the main ingredients is salt.

7. SMOKE

*I love my chili to have a smoky flavor profile.  That's why I always add chipotle pepper.  You can grind dried chipotle peppers (but avoid adding too many seeds because that add lots of fire to the mix), you can add canned chipotle in adobo sauce (my favorite way), or chipotle hot sauce. They even sell powdered chipotle too.

*Cumin adds to the smoky profile of my chili as well.

*Liquid smoke is a quick way of creating a smoky profile for your chili, but don't add too much--a little goes a long way.

*I also love adding some smoked paprika, because it adds both smoke and heat to the flavor profile.

*With all smoky and spicy ingredients: only add a little at first.  If you want a stronger flavor, you can always add more later.  But, if you add too much, it's really hard to subtract the flavor after the fact.

8.  ALCOHOL (TOTALLY optional)

*I didn't add any alcohol to the chili I featured on Instagram, but certainly alcohol can add a nice flavor.

*Tequila is the spirit whose flavor compliments chili best.  Gold tequila is preferable, but any tequila works. Add 2-3 tablespoons after you add the tomatoes.  For those of you who aren't able to consume alcohol, be aware that the alcohol cooks off in the cooking process, but if alcohol is an issue for you, just don't add any--the chili will still be fine.

*A lager beer can also be added--about 100 ml.  Cook it through the chili so the alcohol burns off.  If you find your chili is too spicy and assertive, the beer will tone down harsh flavors.

*DON'T ADD BOTH BEER AND TEQUILA in the same chili.  That creates a taste mess. Choose one or the other or neither.

9. SWEETNESS

*For my tastes, another mandatory ingredient is dark chocolate.  I like 80-90% cocoa content if using a chocolate bar.  Adding chocolate also adds a bit of richness.  

*I always put brown sugar in my chili too...the darker brown sugar, the better.  About 4 tablespoons is right.  It also serves to thicken your chili a bit.

10. UMAMI

*I think chili is best if you add umami flavorings to the chili's profile.  It helps blend the flavors all together.

*About 2 tablespoons of soy sauce is the best way to instill umami, but I also like to add a couple of tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, in addition, to fulfill this purpose.

11. MYSTERIOUS EXOTICISM

*If you are daring and bold, adding a tablespoon of allspice to the mix adds a quirky little boost to the flavor of your chili.  Have you had Cincinnati chili?  It provides a hint of Cincinnati flavor, but this addition is only for the bravest of cooks.

12. HEATING PROCESS

*After you've added all the ingredients, you should bring it to the point of a boil for about a minute or two, then turn your chili to low heat, just simmering.  You should cook your mix for about an hour (even longer is fine); watch to make sure it's not on too high a heat, because the chili will stick to the bottom of your pot and will burn, if you aren't checking regularly and keeping the heat at a moderate level.  "Low and slow" is the expression some chili cooks use to describe how they cook their dish and I think that's a great motto. 

*Don't burn your chili. That really is the worst thing you can do to the flavor.

13. BEANS

*About halfway through the cooking process, add some canned beans.  (You won't have enough time to cook raw beans on heat this low.)  I like one can of black beans and one can of kidney or pinto beans, but you can pretty much add any kind of canned bean you like.  I've even made chili with white beans and that worked just fine.

*You should drain at least half the liquid from your cans of beans before adding them.  Some people like to drain all the liquid, but I like to keep a little bit in the chili, because I think it adds some flavor.  However, I think adding all the liquid weakens the flavor you've been building.

*In parts of Texas, they refuse to put beans in their chili and you don't have to either.  But, just look at the news and see how insane life is in Texas right now, so just add beans like most rational people. 

14. THICKENING.

*If your chili is turning out watery, take one tablespoon of cornstarch and mix it in a small bowl with four tablespoons of very warm water. Turn the heat up on your chili until it is almost boiling then take your cornstarch mixture and mix it thoroughly through the chili for about five minutes, constantly stirring, before turning the heat back down to a low setting.  That should thicken things up a bit.  Repeat the process if things aren't thickening up as much as you'd like.

*Another approach is to add about three tablespoons of fine corn meal (the flour for making corn bread) into the chili about 15 minutes before serving.  That also can thicken everything up and can tame the flavor a bit, if you find your chili has a little too much fire or harshness.

Instead of a recipe, you got a small essay.  But that's what happens when you never have all the proper ingredients and cook by feel as your general practice.  There are so many options and considerations, that one can't follow rigid guidelines. Speaking of cornmeal, I strongly recommend serving chili with freshly-baked cornbread and butter (or honey).  It's the perfect accompaniment.

And best of all, I have enough leftovers to put three separate portions in the freezer for future meals!

Happy Cooking!