Traditional Red Chili Recipes

CLASSIC CHILI

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven or large soup kettle, saute green pepper, onions and celery in oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned; drain. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add kidney beans. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes longer. If desired, serve with tortilla chips.

AUTHENTIC CHILI RECIPE, A.K.A. BOWL OF RED

Steps:

• Cook four slices of bacon in a large stockpot. Remove bacon and mince.
• Add beef to the pot and cook in the bacon drippings until very well browned.
• Add in 3 cloves of garlic, minced, 1 onion, diced, 1 cup of finely ground chile pods (I used guajillo and ancho). Grind pods in a blender or spice grinder until fine. Add 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon salt and enough water to cover the beef.
• Return bacon to the pot.
• Simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring frequently, until cooked down and thickened.

TOMASITA'S RED CHILE

Steps:

• Rinse the chile pods 5 times, then let soak in water in a bucket or large bowl for 5 hours or so.
• After the chiles have soaked for 5 hours, discard the water. Put the chile pods in a blender. Tamp the pods down into the blender, then add water to the top. Blend well into a paste.
• Put the paste in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Make a roux. Put the oil in a saucepan, over medium heat, heat up slightly, add the flour and stir constantly. The flour should get toasted and brown, but do not burn it, about 5 minutes.
• Drizzle the roux into the red chili and mix to combine. This will make it thicker and change the color slightly, but it should not get white in color. The chili and liquid should just look darker and less bright than the red chili without any roux. Add enough roux and water to get the chili to the right consistency, which should be like gravy. You may not use all the roux.
• Add the garlic and salt. Leave the chili in the pot to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Do NOT bring it to a boil, as that may burn the flour in the roux. Add more salt and garlic if needed and serve.

CLASSIC CHILI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, coriander and oregano. Cook, stirring, until brick red, 2 minutes.
• Add the beef, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and continue to cook, stirring, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, adjusting the heat as needed and stirring occasionally, until thickened, 35 to 45 minutes. Season with salt.

RED CHILI SAUCE (TO BE USED WITH TRADITIONAL TAMALES)

Steps:

• Remove stems and seeds from dried chili peppers.
• Place peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Roast in 350°F oven for 2 to 5 minutes or until you smell a sweet roasted aroma, checking often to avoid burning.
• Remove from oven and soak in enough hot water to cover for about 30 minutes or until cool.
• Put peppers and 2 1/2 cups of the soaking water into a blender (save the remaining soaking water).
• Add garlic, cumin and salt.
• Cover and blend until smooth.
• In a 2-quart sauce pan, stir flour into oil or melted shortening over med heat until browned.
• Carefully stir in blended chili mixture.
• Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. (If sauce gets too thick, stir in up to 1 cup of the remaining soaking water until you reach the desired thickness) Use this sauce for traditional tamales, recipe #15286.
• Note: When working with chilies, use rubber gloves to protect your skin, and avoid contact with your eyes. Wash hands throughly with soap and water to remove all of the chili oils.

TEXAS RED CHILI

Steps:

• Toast dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and blistered, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove stem and seeds; discard. Transfer chiles to a large measuring cup or bowl, and cover with hot water. Keep chiles submerged with a small bowl, and let soak for 30 minutes. Remove from water, and puree in a blender with 1/2 cup soaking liquid.
• Heat a large heavy pot over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Season beef with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brown beef in batches, adding more oil as needed, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add remaining tablespoon oil, the onions, garlic, and minced chiles to pot, and cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. (If the pan gets too dark, add a little water, and scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon to deglaze.) Add cumin and oregano, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Stir in browned beef and chile puree. Add tomato puree, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer gently, partially covered, until meat is very tender and juices are thick, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (Check pot once an hour for excessive evaporation; if chili seems dry, add a little water.) Season chili with salt, and stir in vinegar. Serve immediately (or refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months; reheat in a pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally).

RED CHILI

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, ground beef and cubed sirloin in oil for 10 minutes, or until the meat is well browned and the onions are tender.
• Mix in the diced tomatoes with juice, dark beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth. Season with brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander and salt.
• Stir in 2 cans of the beans and hot chile peppers. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.
• Stir in the 2 remaining cans of beans, and simmer for another 30 minutes.

TRADITIONAL CHILI WITH GROUND TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground turkey. Cook and stir until the turkey is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in the onion, green and red bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers. Cook and stir until the onion is softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, sugar, salt, black pepper, and thyme. Continue to cook until fragrant, about 8 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the beef broth, pinto beans, red beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until thickened, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. For a thinner chili, cover the pot when simmering.