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.

Read more…

Popularity: 4% [?]

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.

Read more…

Popularity: 7% [?]

Halloween is almost here, and in the spirit of the season, I bring you Spooky Silhouette Chili, also known as “Fun With Cookie Cutters”.  If you’re hosting a party this Halloween or just looking for a way to keep the kids smling up until trick or treat time, you’ll definitely get a few smiles with this one.

The shapes you use are up to you.  I used a bat shaped pastry cutter to lay out a few of the good Ol’ Count’s alter-ego’s in sharp cheddar, but cats, ghosts, ghouls and anything else you can make a cutout shape of would work perfectly, and any type of cheese you like is perfectly fine. (Monterrey Jack for ghosts, Colby for owls or whatever floats your boat!)

If you like even more cheese, try doing a backwards silhouette by wrapping the cutter in foil and laying it out on the chili, then covering the rest of the bowl in shredded cheese. (You could even make jack-o-lantern shapes that way…  Fun for black bean chili!)

Method:

Cut your favorite spooky shapes out of any kind of sliced cheese.  Arrange on hot chili (any type will do.  Looking for a good chili recipe?  Try this one.) Eat piping hot and enjoy!

Popularity: 1% [?]

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)

Read more…

Popularity: 1% [?]

Texans in general are a laid back bunch of folks. We’re generally not in a big hurry to get from place to place, and rather than seeing people power walk through a parking lot to get back to their car, you are far more likely to see a person “mosey” while yapping happily with the grocery store bagger. We take our time at registers, we smile a lot and we tend to be soft spoken and to the point. There are however, two sure fire ways to start a discussion that will become loud, heated and passionate, no matter where you happen to be.

The first of these subjects is football. football really is a religion in Texas. Disagreements on favorite teams or favorite players almost instantly become boisterous, and have been known to end up in brawls. Mention that you’re a Cowboys fan and I guarantee that a Texans fan will pipe up from somewhere in the room. You’re an Aggies fan? That’s going to get you yelled at by a Longhorns fan in a hurry. The discussions on who has the better team, better players, better stadium… The list goes on. (Do not mention football at all if your favorite team is from outside the Lone Star State, this may cause a riot! You are taking your safety into your own hands at this point.)

The second sure fire method to start an argument in Texas is to talk about chili. The official food of The Great State of Texas is chili. This particular variety of chili is probably different from what you are used to finding if you live anywhere else in the country. This chili is known quite simply as Texas Red. It is unanimous that Texas Red shall be composed of only meat and sauce. There are no beans, no rice, no noodles, nor any other fillers in this dish. This meat will be beef! Not pork, chicken, rabbit or any other non bovine ingredient shall now, or ever be used in Texas Red. It is also unanimously held that this chili must be hot. Very hot. Hot enough to make a seasoned cowhand sweat in February, or make small children cry at the very mention of the dish. Wimpy chili’s need not apply here.

Knowing all this, you may wonder where any discussion comes in. If everyone agrees on those points, why would anyone argue at all? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s because nobody can agree on the actual recipe for Texas Red Chili!

Chili is such a passion in Texas that we hold annual competitions. These competitions have hundreds if not thousands of entrants, and each and every one of those entrants has a different recipe for the perfect pot of Texas Red. These recipe differences are not limited to competitions. Every home chili cook has their own twist on the amounts and types of ingredients used. Some like Lisa, the Homesick Texan, will tell you that you should never, ever use ground beef. others will say that her additions of Mexican chocolate and lime juice are complete blasphemy, deserving of exile from Texas itself. There are disagreements on fresh vs. powdered ingredients, whether or not tomatoes or tomato sauce is allowed, cheese or no cheese in the chili itself, the amount of spices to use, how hot is too hot… The list goes on and on.

These differences are compounded by the sheer size of the state. Texas is huge. With a land mass of 267,338 square miles , Texas is large enough that even the most basic of regional dishes changes within her borders. In Southern Texas, which is closer to Mexico, things are going to be spicier than they will be in Northern Texas, which borders Oklahoma. In East Texas, the flavors of Louisiana and Arkansas creep in to the daily diet, while in West Texas the influences of New Mexico are frequently present. Central Texas is a huge mish-mash of all of these flavors, so it’s pretty easy to see where we might disagree on some things, isn’t it?

In the end, I present to you my version of Texas Red. I’m sure that others out there will say that it isn’t the correct recipe, or that I’ve done something wrong. But then that is generally said of anyone who makes Texas Red, so if it is the case, I’ll take the heat!

Read more…

Popularity: 6% [?]