(Picture of chili in the pot, this was about a half hour before serving, so final product was a little darker and thicker: https://imgur.com/a/dKywL)
It's that time of year! Big football games, cold weather, long holiday hangovers -- and big, steaming, hearty pots of chili. I've experimented with my own personal chili recipe over the years, and I decided to share it and my process with Food Reddit after making a batch for me and my girlfriend last night. This recipe is by no means a finished product. It's taken years to get to this point, and several years from now, I hope I'll have learned more and my chili will be even better.
My theory to chili-making is geared towards finding the sweet spot that's right between the two contentious aspects that chili-lovers debate: consistency and spiciness. Some like their chili thick; some like it more soupy. Some want their chili to leave them reaching for ice cold water to soothe the burn; some prefer heartiness to the spice. I've had chilis that rank at either end of those spectrums, and I loved them all so much that I wanted to find a perfect middle ground. I'd describe this chili as "juicy" enough to eat with a spoon, yet consistent in highlighting the ingredients flavors throughout. And while you have to take breaks between spoonfuls to let the burn subside, it's not overpowering, and it's balanced by the sweet, salty, and acidic ingredients in every bite.
You'll need:
1.5 pounds of lean ground beef 1 large white onion (chopped) 3 cloves of garlic (minced) 4 jalapeños (minced) 1 large red bell pepper (chopped) 1 can kidney beans (drained) 1 can pinto beans (drained) 28 ounces diced tomatoes (slightly drained) 14 ounces tomato sauce (no salt added) 1 dark beer (usually use a spiced porter/stout) Couple sticks of butter
(The following don't have measurements because I believe that every pot of chili turns out slightly different based on the meat and how the vegetables cook, so I add them to taste)
Salt Pepper Paprika Cayenne pepper Chili powder Garlic salt Red pepper flakes Worcester sauce Sricha Balsamic vinegar Apple cider vinegar Honey Brown sugar Green salsa Parsley Oregano Hot sauce Flour
Let's get started...
Step 1: Brown the ground beef in a large skillet with plenty of oil. Salt and pepper the beef as it browns. DO NOT discard the liquid left from cooking. Drain the skillet into a coffee mug and transfer beef to chili pot.
Step 2: Pour some of the saved grease back into skillet, add half a stick of butter, and slowly sauté onions, garlic and peppers. You want to cook until onions begin to caramelize, yet retain their structure. They're going to be cooking for a while longer and you don't want them soggy. You want them to still have some "bite" to them. Transfer to chili pot.
Step 3: Melt a half stick of butter along with some leftover grease on HIGH. Get it bubbling. Add about a tablespoon of flour. stir fast and constantly until contents thicken. Add to chili pot. You've basically made a roux at this point that will introduce a thickening agent to the chili.
Step 4: You're probably going to have a ton of stuff stuck on the bottom of the pan by this point. No worries! There's good flavor in there! Crack open that beer and pour about half of the bottle in. Heat on high until it boils, stir and scrape the bottom of the pan. You want to reduce the beer until it's about half of the original amount. Once it is, transfer to chili pot.
Step 5: Pour about two tablespoons each of balsamic vinegar and Apple cider vinegar into the skillet. Bring to boil on high. Add another two tablespoons of each. Boil for around 60 seconds, or until mixture coats back of a spoon. You've made a reduction here as well. You get the vinegar-y goodness without adding too much liquid. Transfer to chili pot.
Step 6: Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beans to chili pot. If you add them in earlier, the beans will get soggy and the tomatoes will "dry" a bit. Mix until evenly distributed.
Step 7: Add one part saved grease and one part water. You don't want too much. Maybe half a cup of each. This will make sure there's plenty of liquid to keep the chili from burning to the bottom of the pot without compromising on flavor.
Step 8: Add the spices, sauces, and honey. Don't worry too much about the amount of each at this stage. Of course, follow the general rule of "you can put more in but you can't take it out" and add in proportion to desired taste profile (i.e., way more chili powder and salt than brown sugar and honey)
Step 9: Bring to boil, stir vigorously, reduce heat, cover and let simmer on medium-low for an hour, stirring every 15 or so minutes.
Step 10: Taste and see what it needs more of. At this point, the flavors haven't entirely melded , but you can generally tell whether it's spicy enough, salty enough, or complex enough. Add ingredients to taste, stir, and cover for another hour. Also add the second half of the beer at this step.
Step 11: repeat step 10, but leave chili uncovered. You want some of the liquid to evaporate and moisture to escape. You should be reaching your semi-final flavor profile at this point, so don't over season.
Step 12: After 2.5 to 3 hours of simmering, let's thicken it up a bit right before we take it off. Flour is great for this, but DO NOT add flour straight to the pot. Instead, take some liquid from the pot, put it in a bowl and add about a tablespoon of flour into the bowl. Mix until begins to thicken, and add to pot. Stir vigorously to distribute. If you add the flour directly to the pot, it will clump and not distribute well. If instead of thickening, you want to add more liquid, use beef broth so that you aren't making it too watery.
Leave for another 15 to 20 minutes, and it's ready to eat! Top with shredded cheese and sour cream and enjoy! What you have in your bowl is a low and slow, perfectly balanced chili. It's got just enough liquid to require a spoon, but has plenty of flavor and spice in every bite.
Other tips for a perfect chili
1: When you're chopping the onions and peppers, be consistent in the size of your pieces. I try to aim for pieces that are roughly the size of the tomatoes, beans, and chunks of beef. That way every spoonful is uniform and the mouthfeel is balanced.
2: Don't add too many spices too early. Give the chili time to meld. Let every flavor sink into the beef and vegetables and distribute.
3: Don't be afraid to load up on the spicy ingredients. You can always balance them out with honey and brown sugar towards the end of cooking.
4: If you want your chili to be a little on the creamy side (sometimes I do), use cream cheese in the second half of cooking.
5: The reason chili is always better the next day is because it's had time to settle and distribute the flavors. You can get the same effect on the day of cooking if you're patient and have the time. Low and slow is the way to go.
Hope you guys enjoyed. Look forward to hearing your own personal chili recipes.
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