Well, it's just about that time of year. The weather's getting colder, the leaves are starting to fall, and it's time to start making chili for the cold winter that's ahead.

Personally, I'm a big fan of chili. Here's the recipe that I've put together, and I quite enjoy. Sometimes I make it a little too spicy, so some friends don't like eating it.

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2 1/2 pounds sirloin tip roast, trimmed, 1" cubes
1 pound lean pork, ground
1 large red onion, chopped fine
1 pound mushrooms, sliced thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons diced green chilies or 2 minced habenero peppers (fresh)
32 ounces canned tomatoes
1 beef bouillon cube
12 ounces beer
1 1/4 cups water
6 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can baked brown beans
1 can tomato paste
garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
oregano, pinch
hot sauce, to taste
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In a large pot, brown 1/2 the onions, 1/2 garlic, and the cubed sirloin in oil. At the same time, cook the ground pork with the other 1/2 of the onions and garlic in a frying pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain the fat from the pork and add to the main pot. Sautee mushrooms. Add to main pot. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Cover and simmer 3 to 4 hours, until meat is tender and chili is thick and bubbly. Stir occasionally.
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Notes:

I add homemade hot pepper puree to this recipe as well. Also, I use homemade jars of tomatoes instead of canned. If you cannot get these, use the canned tomatoes.

Adjust chili powder, hot sauce, and chili peppers to taste.

I prefer using a dark beer like Rickard's Red, Creemore, or Guinness. Best results are if you allow the beer to get warm and a little flat before you put it in the chili.
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Does anyone else have a chili recipe they enjoy and would like to share?

[Edit for measurement change]

[ 10-29-2002, 01:44 PM: Message edited by: futronic ]

I occasionaly make a chili with Italian sausage as the meat ingredient. I will stew it in a big pot and then bake it in a gratin dish with a cornbread topping for a crust.

Is that level, rounded or heaped tablespoons of chilli powder? I don't want to make it too mild.

Futronic,
Are you sure the quantities on your recipe are correct? 1/8 teaspoon of brown sugar sounds rather odd. Also, how many garlic cloves do you use?

In all honesty, I don't measure things anymore when I cook. It's all to taste, and I use the above as a basic working model. I have made the above to a T, and it works well.

KillerB: 6 tablespoons using a measure, so level Tbsp.

akakc: my mistake on the 1/8th tsp. It should be 1tsp. I'll make the edit. Also, I use 5-6 cloves of garlic, depending on size.

Thanks, I'm going to have to make this over the weekend. Now to decide on a good wine pairing...

for a bunch of chili recepies go to
http://www.epicurious.com/e_eating/e04_superbowl/superbowl_chili.html

akakc: there's an easy answer to that one - Beer!

I make a mean chili, but I have no recipe. I just throw the stuff together and go from there.

I like to use a couple of cups of red wine as a liquid base for chili sometimes.

Since discovered that an American tablespoon is considerably smaller than a British one. Suspect you may call it a 'Serving Spoon'. A heaped tablespoon over here would be about half a packet of chilli powder, so I was wondering what a chilli with three packets of Rajah's top quality chilli powder in it would be like. Hence, the query.

Sorry about that KillerB. In Canada, 1 tablespoon is 15mL, so you're looking at 90mL of chili powder. I don't know what that works out to in heaped tablespoons, as I use a measure.

Edit: BTW, I don't use anything special for the brand of chili powder. I just use what they have available at the grocery store.

[ 10-30-2002, 09:38 AM: Message edited by: futronic ]

IMHO, the key to make any good chili recipe better is the liberal use of beer, any beer will do, red beers are best.My standard recipe at the restaurant yeilds a 5 gallon bucket in which I use a gallon of beer.

Just got a 9 - 12" of snow here in Colorado, so Chili season has definitely started. I never really measure ingredients when making chili and tend to put spices and herbs in as I go, so no two are ever really the same. With that in mind, I use the following method. The pureed onion/pepper mixture gives a great consistency to the chili:

1) Toast some dried chilies in a pan, then re-hydrate in hot water. Use whatever chilies you like. I usually mix in some hot and mild.
2) Sautee onions and garlic till golden. Let cool slightly, then put in a blender or food processor with the drained peppers. Puree until smooth. I'll usually save some of the water from the peppers and add a little if it's too dry.
3) Brown the meat in a little olive oil and then add spices and herbs. Cumin, coriander, chili powder, etc.
4) Add the blended onion/pepper mixture to the meat and let cook a little.
5) Add crushed or diced tomatoes, brown sugar (or molasses) maybe some powdered mustard. Beans of your choice.
6) Let cook.

World's Fastest Chili Recipe (that even Texans will eat...)

1 lb. Hamburger or shredded beef, cooked and seasoned as if for tacos (onion, cumin, lots of chili powder, garlic, salt & pepper)
2 cans RoTel diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 large can Ranch Style Beans
Water (to your consistency preference)
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Cook the meat in a large dutch oven.
2. Throw all the other ingredients in the pot.
3. Simmer 20-30 minutes to heat all ingredients.
4. Top with shredded cheese, diced onions, anything else you like. Serve with cornbread.
5. Makes about 6 servings.

This is a surprisingly good chili recipe. My aunt made it and we all thought she had slaved over a chili pot all day. Nope. She started it about 45 minutes before we showed up. Now we cook it all the time. Tastes great! Trust me!

Sorry LilacWine, I won't eat it. I'm a native born Texan that has never lived anywhere else. I just have this mental hang up about beans in Chili.

As you might suspect, I have my very own recipe for Chili. I'll dig it out and post it tomorrow. I plan on making Chili this weekend as it is "Chili Season".

LilacWine,

BTW, Your Aunt's recipe is surprisingly close to my recipe, sans the beans. Where does your Aunt "hail from"?

I'm 7th generation Texan on my mom's side and 6th generation on my dad's. We're all from San Antonio south. I think that aunt was born in Alice or Hondo (I have 8 or nine aunts).

This was a recipe that was derived, I'm sure, out of desperation one night and simply throwing things in a pot that were handy. What self-respecting Texan kitchen doesn't have all of these ingredients at any given time. It surprised me that it was really good.

And I've seldom had chili WITHOUT beans, no matter what you purists say. I think it tastes good. Chili that is only meat has a boring texture. It might be how cowhands ate it around the chuck wagon, but we're "evolved" now.

A Dutch Oven is something else here as well

Particularly bad after a chilli!

[ 10-31-2002, 03:39 AM: Message edited by: KillerB ]

Real Texas chili has NO BEANS all you chili fanatics.

I like my chili with beans, too. I have a few recipes I use, one is called 'Capital Punishment Chili' mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I also make a pretty good veggie chili for when my herbivore brothers come over to visit.

A friend of mine makes a chili he calls "Screaming Sphincter"!!!

I'm not a purist or evolved for that matter. I'm your basic anal retentive carnivore. I like my chili without beans, my barbecue without sauce, my steak without sauce, etc... Just personal preference, eventhough everybody else is wrong. Oh yeah, I'm always right as well.

I just made my chili for the first time this year. I also served it with wine for the first time in my life. Coming from Texas it is almost taken for granted you serve your chili with beer. I deliberately made my chili on the mild side (if you can call it that) in order to have wine with it. I have to admit: I didn't think this wine would perform well but Mrs. WIML was truly taken back by how well the wine performed with the chili.

This year's chili wine was:

2000 Renwood Zinfandel Old Vine

This one is to you VV. Amador Zin...right up the road.

P-R,

When this "friend" of yours utters the words "Screaming Sphincter" ... are you sure he's not just trying to camouflage his dislike for you?

*****.