Atlas Shrugged: The Mocking

Friday, September 26, 2014

Chili

I am not a great cook but I've found some good chili recipes, took the best from each, and ended up with this. It's very easy to make.


2 lb. ground beef
one medium to large onion chopped
one small green bell pepper chopped
5 cloves garlic minced
6 Tb. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano
one Tb. lime juice
3 beef bullion cubes
one Tb. sugar
one Tb. unsweetened cocoa
one 14.5 can diced tomatoes, with liquid
one can beer


Brown beef in large pot, drain most of the fat. Turn heat to medium.
Cook onion in fat until lightly browned, add and cook garlic briefly.
Add all the spices and cook briefly, stirring constantly. You just want to release their flavor.
Add the can of beer quickly when spices are ready, so they don't burn.
Add everything else. Simmer about an hour. Stir occasionally.


I usually thicken it with a handful of finely crushed (plastic bag/rolling pin)  tortilla chips, added 5-10 minutes before serving. I like Mexican beer so that's what I use.


On the side I put rice, ranch beans, crackers, cornbread, shredded cheddar cheese, and raw chopped onions.

10 comments:

fish said...

Sounds awesome.
My favorite chili recipe, while non-traditional, is the one from the Silver Palate:

http://www.silverpalate.com/recipe/main-events/chili-crowd

Mr. Wonderful said...

The cocoa is intriguing. Yes to all except the bouillon, for which I'd sub a can of beef broth, and let it simmer 15 mins longer. Also a minced jalapeno (or two, given the 2 lbs beef), or a single serrano. Also, an easy sub for Mexican crema as a topping is, a teaspoon lime juice stirred into, say, a quarter cup sour cream.

rjs said...

has to be better than anything megan could cook up...

i have a chili recipe based on one of everything; i lb ground beef, 1 qt cooked tomatoes, 1 large onion, 1 cup chopped chili peppers, 1 tblspoon fresh basil, 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, 1 large apple, 1 small garlic, and one can of chili beans...

meat is cooked with onions first, as you do, and then everything else simmers an hour before the beans are added last...everything except the meat and beans is fresh and comes right from my yard...

Anonymous said...

I have a recipe for baked beans that calls for a can of beer. After making the beans several times, I wondered how different it would taste if I used water instead of beer and just drank the beer myself. Turns out the beans tasted just the same. The scientific method is a wonderful thing.

Emily

Susan of Texas said...

Beef broth would be better; I usually don't have any when I want to make chili so I just use the bullion cubes, which I always have.

The Silver Palate one is interesting although I'm not sure I'd like the mustard. It reminds me of a European beef dish I saw once.

fish said...

I don't taste the mustard in the SP version, it just has nicely complex flavoring. I suspect your recipe also has some deep flavoring.

Susan of Texas said...

Not even Aleppo pepper.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Whenever I make chili, it's a baroque affair involving several kinds of meat (I throw chorizo and goat meat into the mix) and a variety of peppers- a can of chipotle peppers in adobo is a must for imparting a smoky undertone to the pot. I'm with you 100% on the cocoa- gotta give a nod to the old "mole poblano".

Susan of Texas said...

That kind of chili is great. Mine is just a fairly quick thing with stuff I have on hand. Chili, BBQ, beef stews, smoking--they all deserve serious attention but I usually go the quicker route.

Zachary Smith said...

Oregano? I may try half a teaspoon next time.

Ditto for the Lime Juice, though only half a tablespoon for starters.

Cocoa and sugar? No Way!

I'm a fan of pasta additions, but only the tiniest bits like Acini di pepe. The stuff is quite invisible, and IMO it tends to 'buffer' the spices.