Texas Red Chili Recipe

[TexLaw]

Yeah, it was hamburger instead of a roast (which I normally do)

I tell you what. After learning about the the Cook's Illustrated baking soda treatment for ground beef, it's become very difficult to justify the extra work to dice up a chuck roast for chili (except, perhaps, for very special occasions). The ground beef just comes out so good, as long as you don't break it up too much while browning.

I try to keep the ground beef chunks around 1/4-1/2 inch, although some extra big chunks (maybe a full inch) and some "dust" doesn't hurt.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I tell you what. After learning about the the Cook's Illustrated baking soda treatment for ground beef, it's become very difficult to justify the extra work to dice up a chuck roast for chili (except, perhaps, for very special occasions). The ground beef just comes out so good, as long as you don't break it up too much while browning.

I try to keep the ground beef chunks around 1/4-1/2 inch, although some extra big chunks (maybe a full inch) and some "dust" doesn't hurt.

I will have to look that up

 

[DoctorShavegood]

I tell you what. After learning about the the Cook's Illustrated baking soda treatment for ground beef, it's become very difficult to justify the extra work to dice up a chuck roast for chili (except, perhaps, for very special occasions). The ground beef just comes out so good, as long as you don't break it up too much while browning.

I try to keep the ground beef chunks around 1/4-1/2 inch, although some extra big chunks (maybe a full inch) and some "dust" doesn't hurt.

That's right on. Ground beef is so convenient. Not to say you can't dice up some flank, brisket or chuck to mix in with the ground. Lately for us its been all ground. I'll ask the butcher to give me a chili grind with my beef of choice.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I tell you what. After learning about the the Cook's Illustrated baking soda treatment for ground beef, it's become very difficult to justify the extra work to dice up a chuck roast for chili (except, perhaps, for very special occasions). The ground beef just comes out so good, as long as you don't break it up too much while browning.

I try to keep the ground beef chunks around 1/4-1/2 inch, although some extra big chunks (maybe a full inch) and some "dust" doesn't hurt.

Can you go more into what you do with baking soda? The small quantities of liquid don’t seem right to me.

 

[TexLaw]

Can you go more into what you do with baking soda? The small quantities of liquid don’t seem right to me.

I do what they say. It doesn't take much. Just make up the mix, and then mix it in with the raw meat. You're not making a soup. You don't need to see anything happen. Just mix it up and mix it in and let nature (i.e., the acid-base reaction) take its course.

That's right on. Ground beef is so convenient. Not to say you can't dice up some flank, brisket or chuck to mix in with the ground. Lately for us its been all ground. I'll ask the butcher to give me a chili grind with my beef of choice.

Same here. A coarser grind is better, but the CI baking soda treatment also lets me make chili on the fly just from the stuff under the plastic at HEB.

 

[Intrigued]

I've been thinking I'd like to try a batch of chili made with beef short ribs...

assorted chilis seeded and oven roasted...

short ribs seared...

Threw it all together and let it simmer in the oven for several hours. Pulled the ribs, rescued the bones and put the cut up meat back in the chili. Let the chili simmer some more. Will chill the whole pot over night and pull the excess fat tomorrow. It's shaping up to be an epic batch! .... even with the beans I put in.

 

[cleanshaved]

Oh Connie. With or without beans that sounds divine.

 

[kelbro]

What's in a name...

I would eat that short rib chili even if it has beans!

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Yeah...Epic chili!!!

 

[TexLaw]

That sounds wonderful!

 

[martym]

I've been thinking I'd like to try a batch of chili made with beef short ribs...

View attachment 1042245

assorted chilis seeded and oven roasted...

short ribs seared...
View attachment 1042248

Threw it all together and let it simmer in the oven for several hours. Pulled the ribs, rescued the bones and put the cut up meat back in the chili. Let the chili simmer some more. Will chill the whole pot over night and pull the excess fat tomorrow. It's shaping up to be an epic batch! .... even with the beans I put in.

You’re killing me Smalls!!

 

[oc_in_fw]

It was 32 degrees today. I cheated and went to our normal diner and got their red with a couple pieces of corn bread for lunch.

 

[Intrigued]

Warming up the short rib chili.

Baked up some cornbread to go with it.

Mmmmm! Life is good!

 

[oc_in_fw]

Is roasting the trick for the deeper red some of the pictures have? Mine is red, but never as red as Aaron’s or Connie’s.

 

[cleanshaved]

Is roasting the trick for the deeper red some of the pictures have? Mine is red, but never as red as Aaron’s or Connie’s.

Beans will do that. I think Aaron is mashing his in, so we can't see them.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Beans will do that. I think Aaron is mashing his in, so we can't see them.

If I put a bean in my chili it would explode. But I would eat Connie's chili in a heart beat.

...I hope Connie didn't put sugar in her cornbread...that's another story.

 

[Intrigued]

Is roasting the trick for the deeper red some of the pictures have? Mine is red, but never as red as Aaron’s or Connie’s.

The red is almost totally from the dried chilis. After I seed and stem the dried chilis, I spread them out on a baking sheet and roast them in a 275F oven, checking on them every 10 to 15 minutes until they're crispy dry (think Chex Mix). At this point I can crumble and grind them into my own chili powder using a cheap electric grinder like this one...

... that I've dedicated to spice grinding. The beauty of doing the chilis this way is that the house fills with the aroma of the roasting peppers and I skip the step of turning my chilis into a paste.

I also used a little corn starch for thickening at the end instead of corn flour so as not to mess with that beautiful red color from the chilis.

Beans will do that. I think Aaron is mashing his in, so we can't see them.

Seriously, it didn't get any red from the beans in this batch as I only added them after the short ribs were cooked and the meat from them added back into the pot. I wasn't sure how much meat the ribs would yield and I wanted to control the bean to meat ratio so I used canned beans for this batch.

FWIW, I had over 4 lb of short ribs to start and they yielded just under 2 lb of cooked meat. I ended up using two cans (1 of pinto & 1 of red) drained and rinsed beans. Even when I use dried beans in my chili, I cook them separately in just beef or chicken stock as any acids in the chili can cause the skin of the beans to be tough.

 

[Intrigued]

If I put a bean in my chili it would explode. But I would eat Connie's chili in a heart beat.

...I hope Connie didn't put sugar in her cornbread...that's another story.

Thanks! It really is a PDG batch of chili. I love the flavor and tenderness of the meat from short ribs!

As far as the cornbread goes, I cheated and used Jiffy corn muffin mix.

But, I didn't put any wussy "spoonful of sugar" in my chili.

 

[simon1]

That looks like great chili, Connie. SWMBO puts a bit of baking powder in her skillet cornbread and it's not dry. Yours looks perfect.

A Bowl of Red from some I pulled from the freezer earlier today. Still has a kick to it.

 

[kelbro]

A Bowl of Red from some I pulled from the freezer earlier today. Still has a kick to it.

One of the best things about a pot of chili is putting back a couple of servings for later. Thank goodness for vac sealers and freezers!