Tucson Chili Recipes

TUSCAN-STYLE CHILI

Steps:

• In 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, cook sausage, bell pepper and onion over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink.
• Stir in soups and beans. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot.
• Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

PAT'S FAMOUS BEEF AND PORK CHILI

Steps:

• In large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon is browned, add the garlic, onions, bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder, oregano, and smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender and seasonings are aromatic. Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once beef is broken up and beginning to brown, add the pork. Break up with wooden spoon like the beef, and brown, until no longer pink, roughly 4 minutes. Stir in the beer and beans. Toss together, then add the crushed and diced tomatoes. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer the chili to serving bowls and garnish with lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheese, and sliced scallions.

TUCSON CHILI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Saute about 8 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add sirloin and cook until brown, breaking up meat with a spatula as it cooks. Add taco seasoning, basil, oregano, and thyme. Stir 2 minutes. Mix in tomato sauce, broth and tomato paste. Simmer until thickened stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 1 and a half hours. Mix in beans. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the chiles on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Don't let them burn or they will turn bitter. Transfer the chiles to a medium heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap and let the chiles soak until softened, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Drain the chiles then remove and discard the stems. Split open each chile and scrape out the seeds with the back of your knife. Discard the seeds and transfer the chiles to a blender. Add the cumin, half of the diced onion, half of the garlic, 1/2 cup of the beef stock, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Blend, occasionally scraping down the sides of the blender, until a smooth, slightly fluid paste forms (you want to eliminate all but the tiniest bits of skin).
• Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chile paste and cook until slightly darkened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the lard (or heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil). Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper. When the lard begins to smoke, swirl the pot to coat and add half of the beef. Cook, lowering the heat if the meat threatens to burn, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with 2 more tablespoons of the lard and the remaining beef. Set aside.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon lard (or heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil) in the pot. Add the remaining diced onion and garlic and cook gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot along with any juices. Then add 2 cups water and the remaining 2 cups beef stock. Stir in the reserved chile paste and bring to a simmer over high heat, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Lower the heat to maintain the barest possible simmer (just a few bubbles breaking the surface) and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 2 hours.
• Thoroughly stir the masa harina, brown sugar and vinegar into the chili. Gently simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of crema, shredded cheese, white onion and a lime wedge.

ARIZONA ROADHOUSE CHILI

Steps:

• Place pinto beans in a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight.
• Cook and stir beef in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain and discard grease from pot.
• Drain pinto beans and add to stockpot; add onions, celery, carrots, garlic, red bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, Anaheim peppers, poblano peppers, diced tomatoes, guajillo chile powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, cinnamon, and hot pepper sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook mixture at a simmer for about 3 hours.
• Stir beef granules into the chili and continue simmering until beans are very tender and disintegrate easily, 1 to 3 hours more, adding water as needed to keep beans and vegetables immersed in liquid. Thicken the chili with masa harina if you prefer a thicker texture. Season with salt just before serving.

EASY TUCSON CHILI DIP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Rinse dried beef and pat dry. Chop coarsely.
• In large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth and creamy.
• Gently stir in the chopped beef, chilies (do no drain), onion and chives.
• Place in 1 quart greased baking dish. Top with chopped pecans.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and bubbling around edges.
• Serve with crackers of your choice, we like Triscuit, Wheat Thins, Tortilla chips.

REAL TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the beef cubes in the oil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the garlic.
• In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin and flour. Sprinkle over the meat and stir until evenly coated. Crumble the oregano over the meat and pour in 1 1/2 cans of the broth.
• Add the salt and ground black pepper, stir together well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer, partially covered for about 90 minutes. Pour in remaining broth and simmer 30 minutes more, until meat begins to fall apart. Cool, cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend.

TUCSON CHILI DIP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.In a small mixer bowl at low speed, beat cream cheese and sour cream until well blended and smooth.Rinse dried beef and pat dry. Chop coarsely. Into the cream cheese mixture, gently stir beef, chilies, onion, and chives. Pour into a 1-quart baking dish. Sprinkle pecans over top.Bake 20 minutes or until puffed and the edges are bubbly.Serve hot with tortilla chips.To Microwave: Place mixture in a microwavable dish. Microwave at 50% power (350 watts) 6 minutes or until puffed and the edges are bubbly, stirring three times. Sprinkle pecans over top. Microwave at 50% power 2 minutes longer or until heated through.