Chili tastes are highly personal, often inflexible and loaded with preconceptions - the political party of culinary offerings. For some people raised in Texas, the notion of beans is akin to cat food, dismissed with derision as filler. Some chili cooks believe flavor rises and falls on cumin levels; others say the story begins and ends with dried chilies. Some like a rich beefy stock, and there are those who extol the entanglement of bacon. Poultry and venison have their place (beef purists blanch), and vegetarian chili is met largely with guffaws except by the people who smilingly bring it to potlucks, an act that seems to stem from their childhood issues often associated with snack cake deprivation. Serving rituals vary. Oyster crackers on the side? Some have never heard of it, but maybe. Rice? Often! My Texan mother-in-law always served chili over spaghetti, a bit of Cincinnati craziness that confused and unnerved me, but I am perfectly at peace with chili dumped over a bag of corn chips, known as Frito pie. (Some regions refer to this as a "walking taco," but I would prefer you do not.)
Yet just as much of our nation craves bipartisanship on the major policy debate of the day, so, too, do many chili lovers wish to end the crazy decades of rivalries. They believe it is time for us to embrace every form of this warming bowl of red soul food, be it venison-laced, processed cheese-topped, bean-adorned, beer-laced, spicy or mild. My husband has even learned to live with beans. He just does not discuss it. "I don't disagree with anyone's chili," said Robb Walsh, a Texas food historian, the author of "The Tex-Mex Cookbook" and a restaurateur. "If you are making a one-pot meal and you want to put beans in it, that's fine. If chili is part of your cuisine, like Tex-Mex, there are other things you will want to do. It's not as if any of this is some sort of wild-eyed opinion."Actually, depending on who's talking, that is exactly what it is. But never mind. The history of chili, as with many American dishes, is a matter of debate and has evolved with the contributions of several cultures.Chilies as a delicious botanical date back thousands of years to prehistoric cultures as an important part of pre-Columbian Aztec cookery. When the Spanish arrived in northern America, so did their cattle, a fine match for chili spices. According to "Chile Con Carne; or, The Camp and the Field," an 1857 history book on the Mexican War, that dish was defined as "literally red peppers and meat." Chili as we now know it (meat flavored with chilies and other spices) appears to have taken off in the mid to late 1800s through the "chili queens" who dished out the stuff on the plazas of San Antonio.Their recipes of meat seasoned with cumin and garlic stemmed from the Canary Islands, where families were recruited during the 1700s by Spain to help populate areas of Texas. (Native Americans' dish of buffalo with wild onions can also be cited as a chili precursor, long before anyone dreamed of the Super Bowl.)While Spanish missionaries also brought cumin to San Antonio, it was Canary Islanders who brought a taste for it in heavy doses, as used in Berber cuisine, that would later entice American chili cooks.A similar stew to those ladled out by chili queens made a grand debut at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, complete with the addition of ancho chilies, Walsh said. Chili powder emerged in the 1900s, giving kick to the dish in new forms. The Tigua Indians are credited with a chili heavy on chili powder and thickened with masa harina.It was all about beef at first, aided by the supply of those Old World cattle via the Spanish conquest. But somewhere someone started dumping in beans, and other additions like tomatoes and peppers sneaked in. Greek immigrants, perhaps puzzled by the flavor of the cumin, added new spices, like cinnamon and cloves, giving birth to Cincinnati chili, extolled by residents there. "The unusual thing about American food," said Andrew F. Smith, a food historian, " is that immigrant groups that would otherwise never have contact with each other in their own countries hook up here and come up with something for mainstream America to eat."Chili, like barbecue, is put through its annual paces in hundreds of chili cook-offs across the country, most of them regulated by a series of rules and guidelines by overseeing bodies of chili judgment. Families often compete over generations with recipes heavy on custom chili-powder mixes or spice blends. Some do fast boils to evaporate the liquid early for a short-cooked pot of meat; others prefer less liquid and slow cooking, often for over three hours."For a lot of people, their chili powder is a closely guarded secret," said Kris Hudspeth, the spokesman for the Chili Appreciation Society International, one of three chili cook-off sanctioning bodies.The rules for these organizations' cook-offs can run for pages, and concern everything from the purpose of cook-offs (almost always to raise money for a cause) to the manner in which the chili can be cooked. In some cases, like those of the Chili Appreciation Society International, no filler is permitted.While judges and chili contest winners vary in their opinions of what makes a winning bowl of chili, on two things they agree: it must have beef, and chilies must be present and accounted for up front.Chili powders, derived from a variety of ground chilies and sometimes spiked with other spices, are crucial to a chili's heat, flavor and intensity. "Some use anchos, some use a blend of different peppers," Hudspeth said. "It's all about what that cook's particular palate is and the tweaks they make to the powders throughout the year."Often cook-off contestants will use a blend made by a sponsor of the event, like Mild Bill's, which sells things like Dixon Medium Hot, and Cowtown Lite - a mix of chili, cumin, salt, oregano, garlic and cayenne. Hudspeth said the cook-off winners in the summer tend to cook a spicier brew, based on the growing season in Texas, which he said produces hotter chilies in the summer. Winter versions tend to lean mild and less salty.Hudspeth has his method of extracting the chili flavors for his dish. "I cook my peppers down until they look like a shriveled finger right out of the bathtub," he said, "then squeeze the juice out of them."Walsh, whose staff cooks chili every other day at El Real Tex Mex in Houston, roasts and grinds his chili powders with anchos, fresh roasted cumin and Mexican oregano (a sort of dusty herb distinct from standard oregano). He throws in rendered bacon, but "chilies are the main thing," he said.The issue of beans has been resolved over the years by the International Chili Society, which oversees roughly 150 cook-offs a year and which has broken its contests into four categories: traditional red chili that may contain no "fillers" or even garnishes; chili verde, which generally contains pork or chicken with tomatillos and green chili powders; salsas (if they say it's chili, I guess it is); and home style, a chili that is permitted to contain anything from the cook's pantry, a sop to the undisciplined chili maker (I'm raising my hand here).Red chili is not required to contain beef, but if you want to win, yours will. "We have never had a winner in 47 years that used a different type of meat," said Carol Hancock, the chief executive of the group, and a previous chili cook-off champion.
"It can be cubed, shredded or ground, but it's beef," she said. "We don't care, but that's just what's been winning." Winners also serve "chili in its purest form," she said, "not too hot, not too mild, not too thick, not too thin. We're looking for spices that have permeated the meat."My own chili journey ends in the home-style category, an amalgam of recipes I have tried and loved over the years. Just as one friend can never cater to all of one's emotional needs, so too have chili recipes appealed on different levels. I toss in coffee and chocolate for complexity, hot sauce for kick and, yes, beans. Because I like them.I have even been known to add sliced carrots, but have come to understand that some acts go too far. Also, I like dark turkey meat. This means I will never win a contest outside the one at my kitchen table. I can live with that.Just Good Chili
Adapted from Jennifer Steinhauer
Time: Between 2 hours 15 minutes and 3 hours 15 minutesYield: 4 to 6 servings (about 8 cups)2 tablespoons olive oil1 pound ground bison or ground dark turkey1 large onion, finely chopped1 12-ounce bottle of beer1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes1/2 cup strong brewed coffee1 tablespoon tomato paste1/4 cup brown sugar1 tablespoon chili sauce1 tablespoon cocoa powderHalf a serrano or other hot pepper, seeded and finely chopped, or to taste1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste1 teaspoon salt, or to taste2 15-ounce cans kidney beans1 15-ounce can cannellini or other white beans1. Place a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the meat and sauté until browned, then transfer to a plate.2. Add the onion to the pot and stir for 1 minute. Take 2 large sips from the beer, and pour the rest into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, coffee and tomato paste.3. Add the brown sugar, chili sauce, cocoa powder, hot pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and kidney beans. Return the meat to the pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour.4. Add the white beans to the pot and simmer over very low heat, partly covered and stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 more hours. (Longer cooking improves the flavor.) Adjust salt and cayenne pepper as needed and serve.
Classic Chili Con Carne
Adapted from "Texas Eats," by Robb Walsh
Time: 3 hours (15 minutes for the chili powder, 45 minutes to assemble the chili and 2 hours' simmering)Yield: 8 to 10 servingsFor the chili powder: 3 medium dried ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed, spread flat1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano1/4 teaspoon garlic powderFor the chili: 2 tablespoons cumin seeds8 ounces bacon3 pounds boneless beef chuck, buffalo or venison, cut into 1/4-inch cubes1 pound (2 medium) white onions, chopped2 teaspoons paprika1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano1 teaspoon ground black pepper1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves1/2 teaspoon salt4 large garlic cloves, minced1 3/4 cups beef broth1 28-ounce can puréed tomatoes2 ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed1. For the chili powder: Place the chilies flat in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and cook, turning as needed, until lightly toasted. Transfer to a plate to cool. Put the cumin seeds in the hot pan and stir until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl to cool.2. Using scissors, cut the chilies into small strips. Using a spice grinder or a clean coffee grinder, grind in batches into a powder. Pour into a bowl. Grind the cumin seeds into a powder and add to the bowl. Add the oregano and garlic powder. If the mixture is still coarse, grind again until fine. Reserve 3 1/2 tablespoons for the chili; save the rest in a jar.3. For the chili: In a Dutch oven over medium heat, stir the cumin seeds until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour onto a work surface and using a small, heavy skillet, crush them coarsely. Set aside.4. Return the pot to medium-high heat, add the bacon and fry until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.5. Increase the heat to high. Working in small batches, add the beef cubes to the pot and cook, stirring, until well browned on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl.6. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions to the remaining bacon drippings and sauté until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.7. Add the crushed cumin, reserved chili powder, paprika, oregano, black pepper, thyme, salt and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Crumble in the bacon and add the broth, tomatoes, 1 cup water, anchos and the browned beef. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to low, cover partly and simmer for 2 hours, until the meat is very tender.
Add water as needed to maintain a good chili consistency.8. Remove the anchos, purée them in a food processor or blender and return the purée to the pot. Stir well, simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors and serve.
Tigua Indian 'Bowl Of Red'
Adapted from "Chili Nation," by Jane and Michael Stern
Time: 1 hour 25 minutesYield: 4 servings (about 6 cups)2 tablespoons vegetable oil1 cup chopped onion2 garlic cloves, minced2 pounds beef round steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes5 tablespoons chili powder1 tablespoon ground cumin1 tablespoon sugar1 1/2 teaspoons salt1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper1 15-ounce can tomato sauce1 tablespoon masa harina dissolved in 1/2 cup waterCooked rice, for serving (optional)Bread, for serving (optional)Sour cream (optional)1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-low heat and sauté onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beef, raise heat to medium-high and sauté until browned.2. Add chili powder, cumin, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and cayenne pepper. Stir in the tomato sauce and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour 10 minutes.3. Remove from heat and stir in masa harina mixture. Return to low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. If desired, serve with rice or bread, and sour cream.© 2014 New York Times News Service
Yet just as much of our nation craves bipartisanship on the major policy debate of the day, so, too, do many chili lovers wish to end the crazy decades of rivalries. They believe it is time for us to embrace every form of this warming bowl of red soul food, be it venison-laced, processed cheese-topped, bean-adorned, beer-laced, spicy or mild. My husband has even learned to live with beans. He just does not discuss it. "I don't disagree with anyone's chili," said Robb Walsh, a Texas food historian, the author of "The Tex-Mex Cookbook" and a restaurateur. "If you are making a one-pot meal and you want to put beans in it, that's fine. If chili is part of your cuisine, like Tex-Mex, there are other things you will want to do. It's not as if any of this is some sort of wild-eyed opinion."Actually, depending on who's talking, that is exactly what it is. But never mind. The history of chili, as with many American dishes, is a matter of debate and has evolved with the contributions of several cultures.Chilies as a delicious botanical date back thousands of years to prehistoric cultures as an important part of pre-Columbian Aztec cookery. When the Spanish arrived in northern America, so did their cattle, a fine match for chili spices. According to "Chile Con Carne; or, The Camp and the Field," an 1857 history book on the Mexican War, that dish was defined as "literally red peppers and meat." Chili as we now know it (meat flavored with chilies and other spices) appears to have taken off in the mid to late 1800s through the "chili queens" who dished out the stuff on the plazas of San Antonio.Their recipes of meat seasoned with cumin and garlic stemmed from the Canary Islands, where families were recruited during the 1700s by Spain to help populate areas of Texas. (Native Americans' dish of buffalo with wild onions can also be cited as a chili precursor, long before anyone dreamed of the Super Bowl.)While Spanish missionaries also brought cumin to San Antonio, it was Canary Islanders who brought a taste for it in heavy doses, as used in Berber cuisine, that would later entice American chili cooks.A similar stew to those ladled out by chili queens made a grand debut at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, complete with the addition of ancho chilies, Walsh said. Chili powder emerged in the 1900s, giving kick to the dish in new forms. The Tigua Indians are credited with a chili heavy on chili powder and thickened with masa harina.It was all about beef at first, aided by the supply of those Old World cattle via the Spanish conquest. But somewhere someone started dumping in beans, and other additions like tomatoes and peppers sneaked in. Greek immigrants, perhaps puzzled by the flavor of the cumin, added new spices, like cinnamon and cloves, giving birth to Cincinnati chili, extolled by residents there. "The unusual thing about American food," said Andrew F. Smith, a food historian, " is that immigrant groups that would otherwise never have contact with each other in their own countries hook up here and come up with something for mainstream America to eat."Chili, like barbecue, is put through its annual paces in hundreds of chili cook-offs across the country, most of them regulated by a series of rules and guidelines by overseeing bodies of chili judgment. Families often compete over generations with recipes heavy on custom chili-powder mixes or spice blends. Some do fast boils to evaporate the liquid early for a short-cooked pot of meat; others prefer less liquid and slow cooking, often for over three hours."For a lot of people, their chili powder is a closely guarded secret," said Kris Hudspeth, the spokesman for the Chili Appreciation Society International, one of three chili cook-off sanctioning bodies.The rules for these organizations' cook-offs can run for pages, and concern everything from the purpose of cook-offs (almost always to raise money for a cause) to the manner in which the chili can be cooked. In some cases, like those of the Chili Appreciation Society International, no filler is permitted.While judges and chili contest winners vary in their opinions of what makes a winning bowl of chili, on two things they agree: it must have beef, and chilies must be present and accounted for up front.Chili powders, derived from a variety of ground chilies and sometimes spiked with other spices, are crucial to a chili's heat, flavor and intensity. "Some use anchos, some use a blend of different peppers," Hudspeth said. "It's all about what that cook's particular palate is and the tweaks they make to the powders throughout the year."Often cook-off contestants will use a blend made by a sponsor of the event, like Mild Bill's, which sells things like Dixon Medium Hot, and Cowtown Lite - a mix of chili, cumin, salt, oregano, garlic and cayenne. Hudspeth said the cook-off winners in the summer tend to cook a spicier brew, based on the growing season in Texas, which he said produces hotter chilies in the summer. Winter versions tend to lean mild and less salty.Hudspeth has his method of extracting the chili flavors for his dish. "I cook my peppers down until they look like a shriveled finger right out of the bathtub," he said, "then squeeze the juice out of them."Walsh, whose staff cooks chili every other day at El Real Tex Mex in Houston, roasts and grinds his chili powders with anchos, fresh roasted cumin and Mexican oregano (a sort of dusty herb distinct from standard oregano). He throws in rendered bacon, but "chilies are the main thing," he said.The issue of beans has been resolved over the years by the International Chili Society, which oversees roughly 150 cook-offs a year and which has broken its contests into four categories: traditional red chili that may contain no "fillers" or even garnishes; chili verde, which generally contains pork or chicken with tomatillos and green chili powders; salsas (if they say it's chili, I guess it is); and home style, a chili that is permitted to contain anything from the cook's pantry, a sop to the undisciplined chili maker (I'm raising my hand here).Red chili is not required to contain beef, but if you want to win, yours will. "We have never had a winner in 47 years that used a different type of meat," said Carol Hancock, the chief executive of the group, and a previous chili cook-off champion.
"It can be cubed, shredded or ground, but it's beef," she said. "We don't care, but that's just what's been winning." Winners also serve "chili in its purest form," she said, "not too hot, not too mild, not too thick, not too thin. We're looking for spices that have permeated the meat."My own chili journey ends in the home-style category, an amalgam of recipes I have tried and loved over the years. Just as one friend can never cater to all of one's emotional needs, so too have chili recipes appealed on different levels. I toss in coffee and chocolate for complexity, hot sauce for kick and, yes, beans. Because I like them.I have even been known to add sliced carrots, but have come to understand that some acts go too far. Also, I like dark turkey meat. This means I will never win a contest outside the one at my kitchen table. I can live with that.Just Good Chili
Adapted from Jennifer Steinhauer
Time: Between 2 hours 15 minutes and 3 hours 15 minutesYield: 4 to 6 servings (about 8 cups)2 tablespoons olive oil1 pound ground bison or ground dark turkey1 large onion, finely chopped1 12-ounce bottle of beer1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes1/2 cup strong brewed coffee1 tablespoon tomato paste1/4 cup brown sugar1 tablespoon chili sauce1 tablespoon cocoa powderHalf a serrano or other hot pepper, seeded and finely chopped, or to taste1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste1 teaspoon salt, or to taste2 15-ounce cans kidney beans1 15-ounce can cannellini or other white beans1. Place a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the meat and sauté until browned, then transfer to a plate.2. Add the onion to the pot and stir for 1 minute. Take 2 large sips from the beer, and pour the rest into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, coffee and tomato paste.3. Add the brown sugar, chili sauce, cocoa powder, hot pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and kidney beans. Return the meat to the pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour.4. Add the white beans to the pot and simmer over very low heat, partly covered and stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 more hours. (Longer cooking improves the flavor.) Adjust salt and cayenne pepper as needed and serve.
Classic Chili Con Carne
Adapted from "Texas Eats," by Robb Walsh
Time: 3 hours (15 minutes for the chili powder, 45 minutes to assemble the chili and 2 hours' simmering)Yield: 8 to 10 servingsFor the chili powder: 3 medium dried ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed, spread flat1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano1/4 teaspoon garlic powderFor the chili: 2 tablespoons cumin seeds8 ounces bacon3 pounds boneless beef chuck, buffalo or venison, cut into 1/4-inch cubes1 pound (2 medium) white onions, chopped2 teaspoons paprika1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano1 teaspoon ground black pepper1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves1/2 teaspoon salt4 large garlic cloves, minced1 3/4 cups beef broth1 28-ounce can puréed tomatoes2 ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed1. For the chili powder: Place the chilies flat in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and cook, turning as needed, until lightly toasted. Transfer to a plate to cool. Put the cumin seeds in the hot pan and stir until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl to cool.2. Using scissors, cut the chilies into small strips. Using a spice grinder or a clean coffee grinder, grind in batches into a powder. Pour into a bowl. Grind the cumin seeds into a powder and add to the bowl. Add the oregano and garlic powder. If the mixture is still coarse, grind again until fine. Reserve 3 1/2 tablespoons for the chili; save the rest in a jar.3. For the chili: In a Dutch oven over medium heat, stir the cumin seeds until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour onto a work surface and using a small, heavy skillet, crush them coarsely. Set aside.4. Return the pot to medium-high heat, add the bacon and fry until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.5. Increase the heat to high. Working in small batches, add the beef cubes to the pot and cook, stirring, until well browned on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl.6. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions to the remaining bacon drippings and sauté until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.7. Add the crushed cumin, reserved chili powder, paprika, oregano, black pepper, thyme, salt and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Crumble in the bacon and add the broth, tomatoes, 1 cup water, anchos and the browned beef. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to low, cover partly and simmer for 2 hours, until the meat is very tender.
Add water as needed to maintain a good chili consistency.8. Remove the anchos, purée them in a food processor or blender and return the purée to the pot. Stir well, simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors and serve.
Tigua Indian 'Bowl Of Red'
Adapted from "Chili Nation," by Jane and Michael Stern
Time: 1 hour 25 minutesYield: 4 servings (about 6 cups)2 tablespoons vegetable oil1 cup chopped onion2 garlic cloves, minced2 pounds beef round steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes5 tablespoons chili powder1 tablespoon ground cumin1 tablespoon sugar1 1/2 teaspoons salt1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper1 15-ounce can tomato sauce1 tablespoon masa harina dissolved in 1/2 cup waterCooked rice, for serving (optional)Bread, for serving (optional)Sour cream (optional)1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-low heat and sauté onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beef, raise heat to medium-high and sauté until browned.2. Add chili powder, cumin, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and cayenne pepper. Stir in the tomato sauce and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour 10 minutes.3. Remove from heat and stir in masa harina mixture. Return to low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. If desired, serve with rice or bread, and sour cream.© 2014 New York Times News Service
Advertisement