CHILI:
2 pounds coarsely ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 - 16 oz cans tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 tsp chipotle peppers, pureed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
6 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp masa, mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
Brown ground beef and onion together; add bell pepper last five minutes of cooking; drain. Add remaining ingredients except masa mixture. Simmer 20 minutes. Add the masa mixture to the chili to thicken it; simmer 20 more minutes.
Spices may be altered to taste; as it is, the recipe has a little "kick". If you find this chili too hot and spicy, reduce the amounts of chipotle and cayenne. I do not recommend deleting either, as each adds it's own distinct flavor, not just heat, to the recipe.
Under no circumstance should beans ever be added to this recipe! To do so would render it inedible. Okay, maybe you could still eat it, but it would not be CHILI. In Texas, it would be illegal. Period. End of discussion.
(Chili Queens at the Alamo by Julian Onderdonk)As far as "all the trimmins", I like to add the following to my bowl of red:
cheese
hominy
raw, chopped onion
lots of fresh cilantro
cornbread or crackers
icy cold beer, lots of it
This recipe can be modified to use venison, pork, or a combination of either, or both added to beef. I have even used ground buffalo, and it was delicious! It is simply a matter of personal taste and availability. On occasion, I have even used roast or chuck steak that's been run through the food processor. I like both, the taste is pretty much the same, just the texture is different. The leaness of your meat will also affect the taste.
I could go on and on about the finer points of chili, and why each ingredient is so important, but Chili 101 is another post altogether. This recipe will introduce you to good chili, and you'll never want to go back to that stuff they sell in cans. So get on into the kitchen and start cookin' ya'll!
