Before chili became a culture unto itself, it was a stretch-cooking technique for making meat go farther, and for preserving the meat longer.
I have never made two batches of chili exactly the same way. Chili has only two constants: it never stops evolving, and you never put beans in it. You can put beans in it, but it changes the flavor of the chili, and of the beans, and that is something that a fan of chili, and of beans, would never want to do.
The basic chili recipe that follows originated with an assignment, in the 1980s, to write about chili for the food section of my newspaper. The food editor stood at my desk, brow furrowed in thought, and said, “New wave. Write a story about new-wave chili.”
Thus did “Bouillabaise Chili” come into being. More about that recipe another time. What it contributes to this recipe is the idea of broiling the peppers, peeling off the blackened skins, and pureeing the flesh in a blender or processor. It worked so well in the Bouillabaise Chili that I brought it into a new evolution of the basic chili recipe. Here it goes:
2 T whole cumin seeds
2 pounds chuck roast, on the lean side
2 pounds pork loin ($1.79/lb., in the bag at CostCo)
2 green bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
2 fresh Anaheim chiles
2 fresh jalapeno chiles (optional)
2 medium to large onions, chopped
1 T oregano
3/4 cup good chili powder (I like Eagle Brand)
1 T salt
Pepper to taste, about 1 t.
5 or 6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
2 11-oz. cans diced tomatoes
In a small, dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds until lightly browned and fragrant. Put aside to cool. Crush the cooled seeds with a pestle or rolling pin, or whirl them in an electric coffee grinder.
With a large, sharp knife, remove excess fat and cut the beef and pork into small dice. This is an onerous chore, but so was the mixing of the paints for the Sistine Chapel.
Broil the peppers and chiles in the oven or, even better, over a hot mesquite-charcoal fire on the Weber. When the skins are blackened, close the peppers into a brown paper bag and let steam 5 minutes. Peel off the skins and seed them. On the blender’s lowest speed, reduce them to pulp. (When you are cooking with any hot peppers, such as jalapenos, remember to keep your fingers away from your eyes, or any other sensitive parts, for that matter. When working with quantities of chiles, wear rubber gloves.)
Render the fat trimmings in an 8-quart dutch oven, adding a little olive oil if necessary. Brown the meat a pound at a time over medium-high heat. Set the meat aside, add a little oil to the pot if necessary, and add the onions and seasonings and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until a brown glaze forms on the bottom of the pot. Add the chopped garlic and cook, stirring, another 30 seconds (don’t burn the garlic). If you have a cup of leftover coffee, add it to the pot and scrape up the bottom glaze (this is called de-glazing). If you don’t have coffee, use water. As I always say, this glaze is flavor gold.
Add the meat, pepper pulp and tomatoes to the pot. Add water, if necessary, to not quite cover the meat.
Simmer over low heat 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Makes 2 ½- 3 quarts. Freezes well.
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