I will try this recipe. But the idea of "real" chili :) That's like saying, "Now real surgery. That's done without drugs. You get a bullet to bite on and they just saw your leg right off."

My aren't we the Chili Snob. :)
Sounds great though, I'll have to try it sometime.

My dad, my two uncles and my grandfather would get together once a year to make real mexican chili. Uncle Sal, the MEHICAN, was in charge of the recipe, since it was his. Dad was in charge of the beer. It was the funniest sight watching these four men drink and cook red and green chili all day long.

Sorry, but I'm a broad-church chili eater myself. I like red, green, and brown chilis. I like Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado chilis. I even like canned chilis.

I guess that this just goes to show that the old definition of expert still applies: "More and more about less and less until...."

8-)

Oh, and lest I forget to offend someone, barbecue (with whatever spelling) includes not only pig and cow, but almost any other edible meat product, including fish, and a fairly large selection of meat byproducts. Tofu is right out, though.

Saying there's no such thing as real chili is like saying there's no such thing as a real reuben sandwich or a real dill pickle. Of course there is. ;-)

Real chili is chili powder, meat, and a very few other ingredients. Everything else is surplus, additions, or a separate dish.

Dean gets it.

This cowgirl in Texas will tell ya that Dean is 100% right. My daddy made his chili the same. Sometimes he would spoil us and throw in real nice beef cuts of steak. It may have somethin' to do with him being a Texan and lovin' the cowboy stories of the ole' West.

Thanks for the Memory!

Strange, I searched the web looking for the origins of chili. Found many sites claiming that chili was a Mexican invention, and that there was no disputing this fact (without providing any evidence to back this up). Just as many sites claim that chili was an American invention, and that there was no disputing this fact (without providing any evidence to back this up). Now, I'm no historian, but it seems clear to me that there is a dispute, here.

Just food for thought. *Badoom, chee!*

By the way, I eat canned chili quite often, chock full of beans and tomatoes, and it's delicious. And if that's wrong, baby I don't wanna be right.

Dean nailed it. You can dress it up all you want, but the basic chili is the best. Of course, we never used ground meat (they probably didn't have a meat grinder on the trail). Instead my grandfather would hand cut the beef (or deer - he made a wicked venison chili)into tiny pieces. OK, I know what I'm doing this weekend...

Tempted to try, but - damn, chili con carne, ya know? Why would I want to eat it without the beans?

BTW, didn't bother to share this with the sigot, if ya know what I mean... ;.)

Right. So that means that "chili" (the dish) is a shortening of the original name "chili con carne", which is strictly functional, right?

I always thought it was the other way around - "chili" to describe the (bean) dish first, then "chili con carne" to describe the dish with meat.

So I've learned something new, cheers! But I'm still not sacrificing my beans, tomato paste, capsicum, fresh ginger, bayleaf or amazing-secret-ingredient-half-an-apple-and-half-a-banana. Or sour cream.

Kiwi likes her fruit! Oh how I love Kiwi and mix it with strawberries.

I bet you are a real treat when you are all dressed up Kiwi!

I agree with the origins of "real chili" and your recipe, for the most part. However, in the original recipe of chili the meat can be cubed or ground and cowboys also often added Masa (fine ground corn meal) as a thickening ingredient.

Oh, I'd agree that sliced meat is probably more authentic. A little corn meal or flour sounds reasonable too, although that won't taste as good.

Bottom line is it's trail food, easy to make on the trail.

I bet you are a real treat when you are all dressed up Kiwi!
I surely am, all dressed up in creme fraiche. Dang, I completely forgot I'd named myself after a fruit.

My lamb curry recipe's even worse. It's got apple, lime, pineapple juice and marmalade in it.

Janelle's right about the chili...down here, if I see somebody eating chili with beans in it, I just shake my head and pray a little prayer for 'em...
Chris Martin
Dripping Springs, Texas

Im not a chili purist. I dont care how much stuff you put into it, as long as it tastes good. Now, for your scrutiny, you can find my chili recipe here:

http://www.babalublog.com/archives/000386.html

I caught alot of flak for it when I first posted it, but I still stand by it as the best Ive tasted.

Still, I would venture to say that a trail cook would not be able to pull out Cafe Cubano to add to his chili.

You know, the real Beatles were with Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe. They never recaptured that magic.

Here's my Yankee chili recipe:

1. Use ground beef, pork, venison or anything else that you can find on the trail.

2. One habenero, chopped up with seeds and stem removed. A few jalapenos, sliced. Some plain old red and green peppers. Vidalia onions, a bunch of 'em, chopped up and sauteed in olive oil. The onions form more of a base here than you may be ready for. Add these ingredients to a bunch of tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes in the pan. Add various chili spices (cumin, red chili powder, black pepper, cayenne if you like, oregano) and some cocoa. Add some garlic cloves.

3. By this time, you'll have fried up and drained the meat. Put all the ingredients in a Dutch Oven and cook, covered on low until the habenero has mellowed enough for you to barely tolerate eating the sauce. Maybe take an hour.

4. Uncover after an hour.

5. Test the sauce that it hasn't mellowed too much from long cooking. Add another habenero, more jalepenos, and tabasco if it has. The goal is to taste the sauce, and you get the heat from the habenero, which mellows into the heat and tastiness of the jalepeno, which further mellows in the heat/tastiness of the cayenne/tabasco. The cocoa adds a nice flavor, too.

6. Add pre-cooked beans -- pinto or kidney. (Wash 'em first.)

7. Serve with/over rice.

Fascinating gumbo recipe, Bill. :-)

LOL.

Addendum to recipe: Do NOT add okra. :)

I feel I'm starting to go tinfoil-hat with this, but don't forget to cook the chili with beer. I originally suggested Lone Star in comments over at Sheila's place. John at TexasBestGrok (www.texasbestgrok.mu.nu) properly "aacked" in response. We're agreed now that Shiner Bock is much better.

BTW, Dean, we're both arguing from philosophical premises that contradict our respective opinions on gay marriage. (Kinsell's Law noted.)

I should be arguing that it ain't real chili because you can't find beans and tomatoes on the trail, and you should be arguing that no one lives on the trail today, and thus the recipe has properly evolved into something else.

You people are nuts. You can't have chili without tomatoes. It's in the rules.

Mr. Chris Martin, you have me quite curious and now I have to go look and find where Dripping Texas is. Are ya foolin' me? This Irish Texas cowgal loves her home state sooo much, and I ain't familiar with Dripping.

Kiwi, believe it or not your lamb sounds good to me.

Dang, I have to go fix myself some chili now because reading all this got me hungry. Yummy!

Dripping Springs, Texas! How very pretty it is. Just 25 miles west of Austin! The Bed and Breakfast places are lovely. Hays County, I'll be darn. I enjoy going to Austin, so I will have to go see Dripping Springs.

I feel better now, I thought when you said Dripping, it had something to do with good ole' chili dripping down your mouth. giggle giggle

All right, Dean. It's 8 p.m., and your recipe is simmering in a cast iron pan right now. In two hours, I'll report back on the "real" "cowboy" chili.

One thing I'll note off the bat is this recipe is a hell of a lot easier to prepare than what I usually make. So it's earned some points right there. Five ingredients was pretty easy to remember, too.

I'll report back after it's done.

How could anyone who has seen Blazing Saddles believe that one can't find beans on the trail? Dried beans travel just fine.

Got a batch going in the crockpot. Perfect for the absent-minded or very busy. There's no chance of burning the chili.

Au contraire! I just had a chili disaster the other week in the crock pot: too much salt was added, and during the following 2 days course corrections it burned.

But chili with no masa in it?#$?#??

Dean, try throwing just a bit of masa (if you can find it that far north!) into your recipe, I guarantee it adds a lot.

That, cubed meat, and more (and varied!) chilis in it and you're all the way home.

Mine didn't come out very well. Looked like a bunch of ground beef with garlic and onions in it. Oh well. Hope others have better luck.

"(And no, most of you haven't had real chili.)" - Dean

Ummm... horsepucky, Dean. ;]