12-28-2010, 08:22 PM
I forewent the chocolate this year (as far as putting it in the chili that is...), but there is a place in chili for the sweet component, be it chocolate, brown sugar, molasses, or that which is contained in other ingredients. We simmer the beans in beer which provides sweetness, as does the sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, which also made it in this year. We got all our beef from Costco, its degree of organic-ness unknown.
The key to good chili is to provide the proper vehicle(s) to carry the flavors of the peppers and spices, and not to overdo it with the hot peppers or spices. We cook the components separately, and assemble and simmer in stages. The meat gets most, if not all of the hottest peppers and spices, and the beans after being "beered" are held in abeyance until final assembly and simmering to keep them from getting bruised and shmushed. It's very tedious and time consuming, but everyone seems to like the results.
If you go the fast route, you can still make a good batch, but it's best to stick w/ a tried and true recipe, because it's tougher to recover from adding something that doesn't work well. Also remember, some hot stuff gets hotter when simmered, whereas other hot stuff mellows as it is absorbed while simmering w/ other ingredients. After forty+ years, we've got a pretty good handle on it.
Enjoy the holidays,
Buzz
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The key to good chili is to provide the proper vehicle(s) to carry the flavors of the peppers and spices, and not to overdo it with the hot peppers or spices. We cook the components separately, and assemble and simmer in stages. The meat gets most, if not all of the hottest peppers and spices, and the beans after being "beered" are held in abeyance until final assembly and simmering to keep them from getting bruised and shmushed. It's very tedious and time consuming, but everyone seems to like the results.
If you go the fast route, you can still make a good batch, but it's best to stick w/ a tried and true recipe, because it's tougher to recover from adding something that doesn't work well. Also remember, some hot stuff gets hotter when simmered, whereas other hot stuff mellows as it is absorbed while simmering w/ other ingredients. After forty+ years, we've got a pretty good handle on it.
Enjoy the holidays,
Buzz
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