It's Cold - Chili Time!

[drew.ward]

It's that time of the year in most places where it's pretty cool again. For those of us not lucky enough to be staring at a beach or palm tree right now, I thought it'd be fun to share our chili recipes.

I like chili for winter and also for a boat because it's easy to make, can be left cooking for days and not hurt it, and is a good protein-rich way of warming your soul when the wind blows.

Here's my recipe, it's really easy and freezes or refrigerates/microwaves really well:

1-2 lbs of salt pork (uncut bacon -- fatty)
2 lbs stew beef (or goulasch whatever you call it -- chunks)
2 lbs ground beef

4-6 onions
5-10 peppers (whatever kind you like, just not so spicy you can't eat it)
1 bulb of garlic (that's right, not just a clove the whole thing)

2-3 cans of tomatoes
1 can of corn

cornstarch or corn meal

salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, curry, paprika, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, boulion

Cut the salt pork into cubes and cook in a big pot over low heat. You want to render as much fat out as possible. Once you have a nice pool of fat add chopped vegies, cook until onions are clear. Add stew beef and ground beef and cook it stirring regularly. You just want to get the meat done but not cooked fully. Add corn (with water), tomatoes and about 2 cans of water. Add spices.

you'll need about half to 2/3 a normal cheapo spice bottle of chili powder and cumin (equal parts and don't skimp on these). The rest in all to taste, just a little of the worcestershire sauce (optional) and not more than a tablespoon of the curry. There's not too much spice in the chili powder, so if you want it hotter add more pepper (black, cayenne, whatever) and however many splashes of hot sauce you want (don't use tobasco or you'll have chili that tastes like a bottle of tobasco). The boulion just adds a little body to it if your beef is really lean.

Cook for min 1 hour, stirring regularly. Add some corn starch mixed in half a cup of water or just half a cup of corn meal after it's cooked for 45 mins or so. This will thicken it up to the right consistency (it's also what the corn does).

It's best after it's cooked for about 3 hours. Be warned that if you cook it inside your boat you'll be smelling chili for a day.

Makes enough for about 10-15 good sized bowls. Lasts for up to 2 weeks in the fridge or a year in the freezer.

And no, it doesn't have beans, rice or any of that other stuff in it.

[RaptorDance]

Hi Drew (and the folks on the board) -

You recipe looks tasty and easy to make.

Ours is a lot more complex, but we just won the Chili Cook off here at the Vallarta Yacht Club in Banderas Bay.

So far, in the last year, we've entered 3 chili cook offs and won all three!

Our recipe is posted on our website at Blog of the Sailing Vessel Raptor Dance: Raptor Red Chili - Version 2.0 - The Winner in Paradise

Regards,
Bill