Lately I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on the icky-bits.  Firstly, I agree with the nose-to-tail movement.  I firmly believe that if an animal has given me the honor of its very life so that I may eat that no part of that gesture should be wasted.

Granted, the animal in question may never understand the sacrifice it has made or why.  It may never know that I’m thankful for its sacrifice or that I care that by not letting any part of it go to waste might allow others of its kind to live to a ripe-old age, but I do.

Secondly, these products are not only less expensive than their more popular brethren, but generally far better in a nutritional sense.  Beef heart, for example, has less fat and cholesterol than a filet of beef and far less than a rib eye or chuck.  I can’t argue with either the price or the health benefits for my family.

If you’re worried about the flavor, don’t. This isn’t a liver gig.  If anything, beef heart tastes more beefy than a really good cut of prime beef.  It is the essence of the animal after all and it shines brilliantly in this cut.

The only caveat of beef heart is that there really are only two ways to cook it.  You can go blast-furnace hot for about a minute and have it on the rare to medium rare side, or cook ultra low and slow for six to eight hours.  Anything in the middle renders something that is mostly the consistency of a set of 2006 all-weather radials.  If you can remember that one little thing, I think you’ll enjoy it.

Chili is a great introduction to this less than appreciated cut.  it combines the low and slow cooking method for a tender bite, and somewhat hides the true nature of the beast.  if your brood might wince at the thought of heart, you can ease them into the experience with this dish.  Once they’ve tasted it, they’ll be very glad they took the plunge.

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If you’re looking for an alternative to a nice hot bowl of chili on a cool evening (or better yet, a hot summer’s evening) you might want to consider using something other than beef as the main ingredient.  In this case, I chose the American bison, or Buffalo, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. I’ve actually been dying to try it since I found that I could purchase bison at the base commissary.

While this is just a riff on my normal chili recipe, there are several ingredients that I omitted, both to be true to the bison itself and because I wasn’t sure that those additions would do any justice to the slightly gamy flavor of the meat.  In my opinion, I made the right choices.

We tried to keep the ingredients to something that native Americans might have had on hand if they had decided to make this dish.  since the primary crops of many tribes were beans, corn and squash, I used these things as the secondary cast in this production, with stellar results.

The end product is most definitely chili, but with an ever so slightly gamy back note and a deep, rich flavor that I doubt could ever be achieved using beef. It is, in my humble opinion, everything that chili should be, and If you can find buffalo or bison locally I urge you to try it, you won’t be disappointed.

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As much as I appreciate Texas Red Chili, it’s not what I crave when I’m in the mood for a bowl of chili.  The chili I crave is a variation of the chili my father used to make when I was young and even though it’s never won a competition, I’ve never had a single ladle-full come back from one, either. (The winner’s can’t usually say that, but I think around here the chili is simply graded on how quickly it destroys your taste buds.)

This chili recipe pays homage to my Native American ancestors, who grew beans, corn and squash when they were transplanted to the arid lands of Oklahoma.  They learned quickly from the already native peoples that these three crops grow well together, and are even considered to be the mothers of life by some tribes.  I’ve seen many variations of this particular recipe, but this is mine, with twists from my father’s original recipe throw in.  If you feel the need, you can call this a recipe for “chili beans”.  It really depends on where you’re from, I think.

The first step for creating a perfect chili is choosing the right meat.  I’ve used London Broil and Tri-Tip with success, but by far my favorite meat for this dish is a well marbled chuck roast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.  Chuck will not only withstand the long cooking times involved, but also ads quite a lot of flavor to the dish, something a leaner cut of beef has a difficult time accomplishing. (For those who are about to scream in horror over the fact that the roast was cut on a wooden board, take heart.  three minutes after I was done cutting the board had been washed, sterilized with a bleach/water solution and resealed with mineral oil, good to go for chopping veggies.)

Just as important as the selection of meats is the searing of the chuck itself and the vessel that is used to cook the chili.  You absolutely must use a very heavy cast iron casserole or dutch oven, both because of the heat retention properties of the dutch oven itself and because the sear should leave bits on the bottom of the pot.  A nonstick pan does not collect these bits and flavor is lost.  Definitely not an ideal situation.  The heavy lid of a dutch oven helps as well, since it helps to hold in moisture when simmering for extremely long periods over very low heat.

This is not a terribly spicy chili.  It’s geared for flavor, not heat, which is what I prefer, and it means my wife can eat more of it as well, since she has a reaction to too much spice in her food.

The amounts given below are fairly loose.  If you’d like it hotter, add more chipotle or add some cayenne pepper.  Like it thicker?  Add a bit more Masa.  Like it thinner?  Leave out the Masa altogether.  In any case, give it a try, tweak to your liking and lemme know what you think.  I’ve been perfecting this recipe for the last 20 years, so for me it’s simply the best bowl of chili I’ve ever had, hands down.  I’ve also never heard anyone say they didn’t like it. (But I’m sure there are some out there who wouldn’t)

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