Anyway, onwards and upwards!
Today's post isn't actually about baking, but it does come with tons of pictures, so hopefully those will provide adequate compensation for the lack of sugar and butter. This year I entered my school's annual chili cook-off, and it ended up being a really fun process, so I thought I'd share it with the two people who still care what I have to say here.
Let me start by revealing that I've actually never made chili start-to-finish by myself. I've watched Dad make it few times (as well as countless stews, which I think share some common traits), and I picked up several tips over the years, but I've never flown solo. As such, I began the project by reading tons and tons of recipes. I should have known that this would be overwhelming, because there are as many ideas for what constitutes the "perfect" chili as there are people in the world. And making chili comes with all sorts of mind-bending decisions, such as beans vs. no beans, ground beef vs. chunks, tomatoes vs. sans tomatoes, and don't even get me started on all the combinations of chiles...
Needless to say, I spent several hours reading recipes, but nothing I found was quite perfect. The recipe I finally executed is loosely based on this version from America's Test Kitchen, but also on several IM conversations with Dad, as well as my own preferences.
Here is the result, in all of its ungarnished, beefy glory. What do you think? Am I going to win the competition?
Just in case I do win, here's the recipe for my (possibly) award-winning chili!
Sara's Chipotle Chili
3 T kosher salt
1/2 lb. dried pinto beans
4 quarts water
1.5 T chili powder
1 T dried chipotle chili powder
1/4 t dried cayenne pepper
3 T cornmeal
2 t dried oregano
2 t ground cumin
2 t cocoa powder
2 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
2 c onions, chopped in large chunks
1 large jalepeno pepper, rough chopped in large pieces
2 T vegetable oil
4 t garlic, finely chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz
2 T brown sugar
4 lbs beef chuck steaks
12 oz. Newcastle ale
1. Wash pinto beans and pour into 4.5q Dutch oven. Add salt and water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In a food processor, blend chili powder, chipotle powder, cayenne, cornmeal, oregano, cumin, and cocoa powder. Shouldn't take more than 1 or 2 quick pulses. Turn on the food processor, and slowly pour 1/2 cup of chicken broth into the bowl until it becomes a paste. Pour paste out into a small bowl.
3. Put chopped onions into food processor and pulse four times. Add chopped jalepeno and pulse three or four more times. In a small bowl, dissolve brown sugar in a few spoons of warm water.
4. Heat 1T oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and jalepeno mixture, and saute until onions are soft and moisture has evaporated. Add garlic, and saute until fragrant. Add the chili paste, tomatoes and brown sugar liquid, and stir until combined. Add remaining two cups of chicken broth and reduce heat to simmer.
5. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a skillet, heat 1T oil over medium-high heat. Pat beef chunks with a paper towel, then sprinkle lightly with salt. Add 1/2 beef to skillet and brown on all sides. Transfer beef to Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 beer into the skillet to deglaze pan, and simmer for a few minutes, stirring to remove browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer beer to Dutch oven. Repeat with remaining beef and beer. Return to simmer.
6. Cover pot and place in oven for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until beef and beans are tender and cooked through. Chill, uncovered, for 10 minutes, and season to taste.
