$100 Chili

Yesterday Thomas won a chili cookoff at work!

I'm super proud and am allowing him to spend the winnings ($100!) on whatever he desires. Thankfully I saw this win coming and took lots of pictures of the process so that I could do a recipe tutorial, so here it is!

You'll need:

And:

Begin by chopping your veggies in 1/4-1/2 inch dice.

Be sure to scrape the seeds out of your jalapenos, unless you want to burn everyone's faces off.

Next, chop up the chipotles in adobo.

Then blacken the poblano chiles over an open flame (if possible).

Be careful. Don't light yourself on fire. Try to roast them evenly.

As soon as you're done with one, wrap it in saran wrap immediately so it can steam. The KEY here is steam. Once they've steamed for a few minutes, slough the burnt skin off with your hands (gross sounding. Just do it). Try to get as much of the black stuff off as possible. Cut up the chiles in a similar size dice to what you've already done.

 Cube the chuck roast with a 1/2 inch dice.

Heat up a large skillet or dutch oven until it's really nice and hot. Cover the bottom of the pan with bacon grease or vegetable oil, then brown your meat in batches being careful to leave a bit of space between each piece of meat. Once the meat is in the pan, let it sit while the color develops for a minute or two before moving it.

Once you've finished up the beef, if the oil is a little 'trashed,' get rid of it, but leave all the yummy stuff in the bottom. Add a fresh coat of grease or oil, and reheat the pan. Put in your veggies (all except the chipotles in adobo) and the chile powder.

Reduce the heat to medium. Saute it all for around 6-7 minutes, until the onions are nice and translucent. Add the chipotles, the cumin, the oregano, and salt and pepper. Saute for another 2 minutes or so.

Next, deglaze using a quarter cup of whiskey and a bottle of a full bodied--but not too dark--beer. Let it reduce by 1/2, then add the meat back in. Add the tomatoes, and crush them up with your hands into the pot. 

Once everything is in and all coated up, add the chicken stock. Throw in a bundle of thyme and take it out an hour or so in. Bring the whole pot to a boil, then let it simmer partially uncovered stirring occasionally for 2.5-3 hours. If it reduces a little too much or gets kind of dry, feel free to add a little more chicken stock.

In the last half hour, make a roux using 2/3 of a stick of butter and 1/3 cup of flour. Foam the butter and cook the rue until it's a medium to dark brown and has a toasty smell

Whenever the meat is to the desired tenderness, turn off the heat on the pan and add enough rue to achieve your desired thickness. Make sure the rue is mixed in well and cover the pot. Let it sit off the heat for at least 1/2 hour. It's even better if left in the fridge over night.

Thomas'  Texas Chili

Ingredients:

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

3 large (or 4 medium) jalapenos, scraped of their seeds

2/3 a cup of carrots, chopped

2/3 a cup of celery, chopped

2-4 chiles in Adobo (depending on your heat preference), chopped

3 poblano chiles, chopped

2.5-3lb. USDA Prime Chuck Roast (with a decent amount of fat on it), cut to 1/2 dice

5-6 tablespoons of ancho chile powder

1 1/2 tablespoons of cumin

1 tablespoon Mexican oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup whiskey

1 (14 oz) beer

4 cups chicken stock

1 thyme bundle

1 can of whole tomatoes, crushed by hand

Roux:

2/3 stick of butter, melted

1/3 cup flour

Directions:

1. Begin by chopping the onion, jalapenos, carrots, celery, and chiles in adobo in 1/4-1/2 inch dice.

2. Blacken the poblano chiles over an open flame, then wrap them in saran wrap to steam. Once they've steamed for a few minutes, slough off the blackened skin and chop then into a 1/2 inch dice.

3. Start heating a large skillet or dutch oven. Once hot, add a layer of vegetable oil or bacon grease. In the meantime, cube up the chuck roast in a 1/2 inch dice.

4. Brown your meat in batches being careful to leave space between each piece.

5. Throw out the old oil if necessary, then add new oil and reheat the pan. Add the veggies except for the chipotles in adobo, as well as the chili powder.

6. Reduce the heat to medium. Saute it all for around 6-7 minutes, until the onions are nice and translucent. Add the chipotles, the cumin, the oregano, and salt and pepper. Saute for another 2 minutes or so.

7. Deglaze using a quarter cup of whiskey and a bottle of a full bodied--but not too dark--beer. Let it reduce by 1/2, then add the meat back in. 

8. Crush the tomatoes up with your hands and add them to the pot. 

9. Once everything is in and all coated up, add the chicken stock. 

10. Throw in a bundle of thyme (which you'll take out an hour or so in). Bring it all to a boil, then let it simmer partially uncovered stirring occasionally for 2.5-3 hours. 

11. In the last half hour, make a roux using 2/3 of a stick of butter and 1/3 cup of flour. Foam the butter and cook the roux until it's a medium to dark brown and has a toasty smell. Turn the heat off. 

12.Whenever the meat is to the desired tenderness, turn off the heat and add enough rue to achieve your desired thickness. Make sure the rue is well mixed in and cover the pot. Let it sit off the heat for at least 1/2 hour. Serve with sour cream or crema.

I know there are a million steps, but trust me, it's delicious! Enjoy:]

-Kinsey