Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of the perfect chili recipe

I know it is somewhat irrational, but I always get mildly annoyed whenever asked the question, “So what kind of food do you cook?” I think this is due to the fact that I cannot answer the question, at least not succinctly. I think of cooking first and foremost in terms of techniques, then in terms of ingredients, and then cuisines. This is to say that in my mind my cooking knowledge is primarily organised in terms of “how-to”s – how to salt-crust a sea bass, how to confit a duck leg – and secondarily in terms of “what”s – I love working with red meats and shellfish, and have a weakness for garlic. It is not often instinctive, for me, to identify a dish I make with its country or culture of origin.

Yet it is almost always the case that its place of origin is central to the dish itself, and cannot be ignored. Take Texas-style chili, for example. For me at least, it conjures images of a chilly December evening somewhere in the Lone Star State – with gray skies and fast fading light at five o’clock in the afternoon and a pot of chili simmering on the stove. Now I have never lived in Texas, but it is almost as if I did not need to. Here is my adaptation of Texas-style chili – traditionally made with beef but in this case with the addition of gamier meats – using cooking techniques I have picked up along the years that may not necessarily be traditional to making chili. Simon, Joanna and I made this recipe for this year's edition of Frank's Chili Bowl, our annual DC chili cookoff. It was, I'd like to think, very well received, but we still came in second to a team who not only bribed the judges with a round of shots, but who had also added corn to their chili. The humanity!

Yes, I am bitter. Deal with it.

Three-Meat, Three-Bean, "Team Gravedigga-digga-digga" Chili

2 pounds venison, ground
2 pounds wild boar, ground
1 pound beef (at least 90% lean), ground
2 bay leaves
Peppercorns
1 can Guinness
1 can black beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 can pinto beans

1 head garlic
2 leeks, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
3 bell peppers, roasted and diced
4 habanero peppers, diced
4 jalapeno peppers, diced
4 poblano peppers, diced
3 tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1½ cups beef broth

Paprika
Cayenne
Cumin
Chili Powder
Nutmeg
Oregano
Old Bay seasoning
Hot Sauce

2 strips bacon
½ stick butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Honey
1 tsp espresso beans, ground
1 square unsweetened baking chocolate


Mix the ground meats and rub thoroughly with the dry spices, salt and pepper, moistening slightly with hot sauce if needed. Leave the meats to sit for 45 minutes to half an hour. Add the Guinness, making sure to submerge the meats. Add two bay leaves and a handful of loose peppercorns to the mixture and refrigerate at least 3 hours and preferably overnight. The beer marinade helps to soften the gaminess of the venison, and is an important step not to be rushed.

Pre-heat oven to 400F.

Cut the top of the head of garlic and roast in tin foil with a drizzle of olive oil for 15 to 20 minutes, till browned. Remove and set aside till cool enough to be handled. Meanwhile, place the leeks, onions, celery and tomatoes in a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with all of the dry spices. Roast at 400F for 25 to 30 minutes. Roasting vegetables before adding them to the chili helps to bring out and intensify their flavours.

While the vegetables are roasting, render the fat from the bacon in a large pot and then brown the meat in batches, removing when done. Reserve any drippings. In the same pot, melt the butter on high heat – you should smell a nutty aroma from the burning butter – taking care not to let it get too hot. Once butter is entirely melted, remove from heat and stir in flour. Mix well into a thick, gooey brown paste. This is called making a roux. Keep mixing and bring the roux back onto low heat. Ideally you want to cook your roux to a honey nut brown colour, which usually takes 10 to 12 minutes.

Once you have made your roux, add the vegetables and diced peppers and cook well, about 6 to 8 minutes. Smash and mince the roasted garlic and add to the pot. Season with the dry spices. It is important to allow the vegetables to cook for a little while before seasoning or adding the other ingredients, to create a good soffritto, or flavour base.

Add the meats, drippings, beef broth, honey, tomato paste, espresso grounds and baking chocolate; and season to taste with the dry spices and hot sauce. Bring to a gentle boil and then allow the chili to cook at a simmer for at least 3 hours. About 1 and a half hours before your scheduled end, add the beans to the mixture. This will ensure that the beans cook through, but are still somewhat firm to the bite.

Makes roughly 5 quarts of chili – which probably serves about 10-15 people.

Variation: Different meats can be used if venison or wild boar are not readily available. However, one should take care to use different meats, or if restricted to one particular meat, at least different cuts of the same meat (eg. chuck, top loin, and oxtail of beef). This gives the chili depth of flavour.

Note: I have left out quantities of the dry spices because I do not know exactly how much we used, and because I also believe, anyway, that this is a matter of tasting for personal preference and should be left up to the individual chef to decide.
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