About 4 years ago, I had a pretty good chili recipe that included corn, kielbasa, and sugar. People loved it, but I gave it up because it wasn't real chili. It wasn't Texas chili.
So took a few years off and decided that I needed to start over with chili. I have had several chili's that I liked. Most of them fall into the category of hot dog chili, but from everything I can tell, hot dog chili and Texas chili are the same thing. Some of these chili's are made at places like Jimmy's in the West End, Jess' Quick Lunch in Harrisonburg, Texas Tavern in Roanoke, and Ben's Chili Bowl in DC. They all seem to have that addictive combination of meat, grease, and spice.
My first attempt at a Texas chili was an accident. I made taco meat, but I decided to break up the ground beef in water and then boil it. After cooking and adding the spices, I realized I had found the consistency that I would need for my chili. But that was all the success I had. Since then, I have tried three different times to start concocting the perfect recipe. Each time I could never get the spices right. It always seemed to lack that spark. So desperate times called for desperate measures. I decided to cheat and use the chili seasoning packet that my mom used. It is called Caroll Shelby's Chili Kit and it comes in the brown paper bag. I cooked up the chili and still it didn't do it for me. So now, I am at a loss. I need to figure out how some of these places do it. I know it would be too much to ask if anyone would mind sharing their secret with me ;)
4 comments:
i buy dried chilies (ancho and whatever the store has), reconstitute in boiling water. Then I blend the chilies with some of the water with garlic, salt, whatever strikes my mood.
I always start my chili with some sort of pork--usually slab bacon cut up into little bits...then I add the beef, then the paste and keep seasoning (don't forget the cumin, bro). It never comes out exactly the same, but the combination of pork fat and the chili paste has done me good.
Oh, yeah, I also add chicken stock throughout to keep it from getting too thick...I keep it going usually about 3-5 hours at least...And while most texas style chili lovers shudder at the thought of adding any tomato product, I do use a bit of tomato paste every now and again.
Really, chicken stock?
Or Water...Or beer...whatever liquid I have hanging around...Or a combo of the three..I never have beef stock, tho that would work, too.
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