2010 Cooking Club Week 24: Chilli!

pickarooney · 02-02-2011 10:14am

Just to add, the chili was way better the next day with a top up of water and a half hour' extra cooking

BaZmO* · 02-02-2011 10:31am

Chilli is ALWAYS better the next day!

The Sweeper · 02-04-2011 6:06am

I keep revisiting this.

Discovered a store in Johnston Street, Melbourne, this week, called Casa Iberica.

It's a good spot for buying dried chilis.

Subsequently, using Sparks original premise of the mixed meats, black beans from dried, beer as liquid and various spices, I've a chili on the go today that substitutes Minder's Ancho and Chipotle Sauce for the chipotle sauce in the original recipe (as posted previously - it really is that good to use it). There's onion and garlic in the sauce Minder makes so I've also left out additional onions and garlic. However I managed to get a packet of chopped serrano ham from the deli so that's gone in instead of the bacon. The ginger is also out.

Everything else is pretty much exactly the same.

Will be interesting to see how this turns out - but god I love this dish. (And apologies to Sparks if I'm apparently constantly bastardising it!!)

Sparks · 02-04-2011 12:05pm

No worries there Sweeper, chilli's not a prissy dish

I'm just glad people are enjoying it!

jam_mac_jam · 08-06-2011 3:03pm

I am cooking this today and I cant wait, yum, yum. I have cooked it once before but this time I will freeze lots for later. The boy will be home soon from his JC exam for a big bowl of chili, thank you so much I love this recipe.

Sparks · 08-06-2011 3:08pm

You're welcome, glad you liked it!

06-07-2011 7:59pm

I raided Tesco on Monday, and went to Fallon & Byrne last night to get the Chipotle Chilli's in Adobo sauce. Turns out they've changed the packaging on it since that photo of it was taken! Anyways, it has some taste.

Made this last night, took me around 4 or 4.5 hours in total. But was totally worth it. I left out some of the spicier items (as well as going beanless) as I really wanted to get the girlfriend into some spicier food. But anyways, the results are below. Plus herself left for work earlier stuffed full of it

And, eh... ignore the stains on the stove! It needs a clean.

Another excellent recipe Sparks, nice one.

Sparks · 06-07-2011 8:04pm

Glad you liked it Donal, and well done on going beanless, ye purist ye

Mr Magnolia · 06-07-2011 8:12pm

Dónal wrote: »

I raided Tesco on Monday, and went to Fallon & Byrne last night to get the Chipotle Chilli's in Adobo sauce. Turns out they've changed the packaging on it since that photo of it was taken!

Aaarrrghhh. I went into F&B recently while in the big schmoke to pick up some of the sauce and they appeared to have none. I even asked one of the girls working and she had a quick look then stated they'd none. Must have just missed it.

06-07-2011 9:29pm

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Aaarrrghhh. I went into F&B recently while in the big schmoke to pick up some of the sauce and they appeared to have none. I even asked one of the girls working and she had a quick look then stated they'd none. Must have just missed it.

I showed one of the guys the picture that Sparks put up, and he found it for me!

Here's a pic of the new packaging...

... I prefer the previous packaging, the new one just looks a bit... plain. And reminds me of jam actually.

kerash · 10-01-2012 10:45pm

Oh hai!

A little advice please, I bought a bag of dried chili's in F&B before christmas and I see little creatures* crawling about in there :O
Should I take them back? Anyone ever had animals in their chilis?!

*flies or something

Sparks · 11-01-2012 1:00am

Well, a) KILL IT WITH FIRE and b) no, never seen that before...

reallyrose · 16-01-2012 1:10am

I was thinking of cooking this in the slow cooker. I don't really have a pan heavy enough to cook something for hours and hours.

Would that work? I figure I would do all the browning and mixing in a pan and then bung everything into the slow-cooker and leave it there for the day.

Sparks · 16-01-2012 2:03am

I've done it in the slow cooker before; works well, but you have to brown everything off in the pan first and then just do the simmering bit in the slow cooker, and you're talking 8-12 hours on low (low in my large russell hobbs slow cooker; your milage may vary).

reallyrose · 22-01-2012 8:20pm

Cooked this today. I started it in the pan and then transferred to my slow cooker for about 6 hours.
I forgot to add the adobo as the recipe stated but I remembered in time to bung it in with the browning mince.
I left the star anise in for the entire cooking period but I was kinda sorry because I could smell it overpowering the rest of the chilli almost. Maybe it was just my nose because it didn't taste overpowering.

The chilli itself was excellent! Boyfriend and housemate loved it. It went down really well and was described by my boyfriend as "a hug for my tongue!" The chilli was totally different to how I've always known chilli, really good. I sorta want to but adobo into everything now. :pac:
The meat chunks turned out a little tough but I suspect that's my fault, I think I browned the pieces too much.

Good work Sparks! Can't wait for your next stint on the Cooking Club. :pac:

Sparks · 22-01-2012 8:38pm

reallyrose wrote: »

I sorta want to but adobo into everything now. :pac:

I did warn you

The meat chunks turned out a little tough but I suspect that's my fault, I think I browned the pieces too much.

Nope, unless you incinerated them, that wouldn't make them tough. You just needed to cook them for a bit longer. The theory is simple enough - cook the chilli for long enough for the collagen in the meat to convert to gelatin (that gives the "hug for the tongue" sensation), but by that time the meat itself is well overcooked anyway. So there's a window there where you can have cooked it for long enough to get the meat to doneness, but not long enough for the collagen to have all converted to gelatin, and in that window the meat chunks will taste tough. Try cooking for another two or three hours (heck, even pop the leftover chilli back in the slow cooker for that long and it should be okay).

Good work Sparks! Can't wait for your next stint on the Cooking Club. :pac:

Thanks - have an idea or two, but it's not till August (which is good, as it gives junior enough time to arrive and get into a rythym so we can spend more time cooking again by the time it rolls round!

)

reallyrose · 22-01-2012 9:22pm

Cool, I'll put the rest back on for a bit.

On a side and off topic note. I had a go at making tortillas. I mean, I had the masa harina. So why not!

I made an ARSE of them. They were heavy and weirdly textured. Sorta doughy. Most of my attempts either broke apart or didn't 'puff'.

Have you made them before? Any tips?

Sparks · 22-01-2012 9:37pm

Never made them - always figured there are some things I'm happy to let others make

There's a really good Good Eats episode about making them from scratch though...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFn3GKVLHnM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMLLuOvb7hQ

noworries · 18-02-2012 11:21pm

I borrowed a slow cooker to see if it could be successfully added to our culinary repertoire but after 2 disastrous attempts at porridge and some curry recipe that came with the slow cooker(30 years old but excellent thermodynamics) I happened across this recipe.

Sweet sufferin' lantern hour of jebus - but this is the definitive, the benchmark against which all others will be measured to my dying day. Sparks, you Sir will be forever more be mentioned, nay, revered in the same manner as the great recipe introducers in this house.

This recipe has gone to the front of the old and tattered but utterly invaluable recipes to remember folder. Muchos, muchos gracias.

*OTT ?- maybe. Best Chilli I ever tasted - absa-feckin-loutely!!

Star Lord · 19-02-2012 2:55am

Been meaning to get a good chilli recipe for a while now, and after reading this whole thread, I really want to make this! Will start gathering the stuff needed, but will be a week or two before I get to try it properly! Can't wait!

Sparks · 19-02-2012 3:50am

noworries wrote: »

2 disastrous attempts at porridge

Yeah, I don't know what it is, but I have never been able to get porridge to come out right from a slow cooker. I've tried all of the recipes Alton Brown ran through, I've tried rolled oats and pinhead oats, I've tried water, milk, everything - it never works as well as throwing a half-cup of rolled oats into two cups of water at a rolling boil and stirring continuously for five to six minutes. I should get better results from the slow cooker, but it just doesn't seem to want to work (and I've tried it in two different slow cookers so far).

Sweet sufferin' lantern hour of jebus - but this is the definitive, the benchmark against which all others will be measured to my dying day. Sparks, you Sir will be forever more be mentioned, nay, revered in the same manner as the great recipe introducers in this house.

Aw, shucks

Glad you liked it!

Star Lord · 14-05-2012 1:36am

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

Been meaning to get a good chilli recipe for a while now, and after reading this whole thread, I really want to make this! Will start gathering the stuff needed, but will be a week or two before I get to try it properly! Can't wait!

Finally got round to making this. I was making some for lunch tomorrow and during the week, but couldn't resist having a small bit when it was done, and all I can say is wow...

Sparks, this is absolutely amazing! Best that I've ever tasted!!!

Sparks · 14-05-2012 2:00am

Glad you liked it Damo!

Mellor · 14-05-2012 4:13am

Ended up making it again last night also.
Didn't have the star anise this time just the nam pla fish sauce, plus I added some finely diced capsicum. Everything else was pretty similar to the recipe though. Beef and bacon, the same wet ingredients, extra tomato, lima beans, and the spices were peri-peri, ground chili pepper, chili flakes and garlic (I think)

About to have it for lunch, and prob finish it off tonight

kerash · 23-08-2012 11:28pm

I am making this again cos everybody loves it. I have discovered I love fennel seeds so I add about 2 heaped tsps!
Pic's to follow...!

Sparks · 29-08-2012 8:50pm

Did I mention that it makes for a plate of fairly kick-ass nachos?

Mr Magnolia · 29-08-2012 9:00pm

Looks good, are they some new breed of nacho or did you just take no chances when cooking them?

Sparks · 29-08-2012 9:18pm

They're blue corn nachos

(Along with grated cheddar and mozzerella, jalapenos, jalapeno relish, guacamole, chipotle salsa and sour cream. All from jars or tubs or bags; it's a 5-minute meal to prep once you've made the chilli)

eVeNtInE · 08-10-2012 6:26pm

This post has been deleted.

Sparks · 08-10-2012 6:53pm

I've seen it done in a slow cooker to great effect (they go for €10-€20 in Tesco and Lidl and Argos). That's probably the easiest non-pressure-cooker, non-dutch-oven way. You can do it in a normal thin pot, but you have to watch the temperature a lot more closely so that you don't burn the chilli, and the liquid level to be sure it doesn't dry out.

In fact, if I had to do it without pressure cooker, slow cooker or heavy pot, I'd probably brown everything off in the frying pan as before, then put it all into a double-thickness foil pouch (just some tinfoil oragami, nothing custom-bought), seal it up tight, then put it into a cassarole dish or something similar (you really don't want to use a metal tin though) and bake it at a low temperature for a few hours - maybe 140C for 2-3 hours? I'm not sure how long it would take though, I've not done it this way before. I'd probably check at 2 hours and every hour or half-hour thereafter until I was happy with the doneness of the meat chunks.

eVeNtInE · 08-10-2012 7:17pm

This post has been deleted.

Sparks · 08-10-2012 7:26pm

Time, mostly. After the initial browning, all the cooking in this dish is braising - long, low, moist cooking. Slow cookers excel at that, and there are whole ranges of chilli recipes for slow cookers as a result. For this on, just cut down the overall amount of stuff so it'll fit in the cooker you have, and ensure you have enough liquid so that the chilli is a bit more liquid and loose than in this recipe (but not much - you're still making chilli, not soup ... though if you do make chilli soup, it's great as a sauce/topping for hot dogs and things). There's not much in the way of the actual ingredients that you need to change really - just brown everything in a pan instead of in the pressure cooker, and once you hit the deglazing step, bring the deglazing liquid to a boil, put all the solids in the slow cooker and pour the hot deglazing liquid out of the pan over the solids (slowly!) and then put on the cover and set the slow cooker going. That should be all you need to do. Watch the liquid level though, and top up with water if you need to - it should never look drier than a thick stew.

maggieda · 11-01-2013 3:39pm

Tesco have some chipotle chilli in paprika sauce. Would this be comparable to the adobo sauce in any way?

Sparks · 26-01-2013 9:26pm

maggieda wrote: »

Tesco have some chipotle chilli in paprika sauce. Would this be comparable to the adobo sauce in any way?

....probably not, to be honest

Sparks · 26-01-2013 9:28pm

Make batch of chilli as normal, take one even ladle and blitz in food processor for a few seconds and viola:

Baby's first bowl of chilli (and he loved it)

Mr Magnolia · 26-01-2013 9:41pm

Actually made this tonight myself, just after finishing a bowl. Savage stuff altogether.

BaZmO* · 26-01-2013 10:17pm

Sparks wrote: »

Make batch of chilli as normal, take one even ladle and blitz in food processor for a few seconds and viola:

Baby's first bowl of chilli (and he loved it)

Can babies eat chilli?

Sparks · 27-01-2013 12:09am

BaZmO* wrote: »

Can babies eat chilli?

The tl;dr answer is yes.

But don't go mad - that's a tasty chilli, but it's no platemelter, there's very little fresh chilli in it and all the chillis are dried new mexico red and anchos, and some chipotles in adobo. And there was very little salt put into it.

And he's been eating curry in the creche for weeks now.

BaZmO* · 27-01-2013 1:45am

Sparks wrote: »

The tl;dr answer is yes.

But don't go mad - that's a tasty chilli, but it's no platemelter, there's very little fresh chilli in it and all the chillis are dried new mexico red and anchos, and some chipotles in adobo. And there was very little salt put into it.

And he's been eating curry in the creche for weeks now.

Fair enuffski. It was a genuine question though. I was always under the impression that super spicy food, or even highly seasoned food, was a no no with babies.

My first is on the way in a couple of months time so I'd be novice with that type of stuff.

Princess Peach · 04-02-2013 9:19pm

DamoElDiablo made this again yesterday, my first time having it. It's delicious! Love the smell of the spices. Maybe we should have reduced the recipe for 2 people but naaaah

had burritos tonight!

Sparks · 05-02-2013 2:43pm

BaZmO* wrote: »

Fair enuffski. It was a genuine question though. I was always under the impression that super spicy food, or even highly seasoned food, was a no no with babies.
My first is on the way in a couple of months time so I'd be novice with that type of stuff.

I remember those days (all of ten months ago

). Go easy for the first while - ours has only been on solids for three or four months now - but so long as you don't try feeding them a vindaloo on day one, babies can cope with surprising foods. Look up annabel karmel's books - half the recipes in there are just what we'd cook for dinner ourselves (perhaps with a bit less salt - the salt you really can't give them, it'd cause their kidneys some problems), just in smaller portions and puree'd. It's a long way from when I was his age - the muck we ate back then was appalling...

BTW, if you're still a few months out, this, this and especially this may be useful (to everyone else, sorry, they're not chilli-related

). Good luck!

Ponster · 11-02-2013 2:14am

So I moved from Paris to NYC a few months back and when exploring our neighborhood I came a cross South Bar, a small, cosy joint run by a couple from Austin. They mentioned that each year they run a chili cook-of and that if I was interested I should enter.
Right away I thought of Spark's recipe. I've made it twice before and along with most stew-like dishes that involve meat and 2 days to prepare I consider myself pretty good at it. But because I'm so new to the country I thought that I'd give it a miss this year. Even if the recipe is great I felt that IO couldn't just waltz into the US and starting showing them how to cook their own food.

So fast-forward to this afternoon where the wife and I head down to the bar. It's stopped snowing but there's still 10 inches on the paths less trodden. We turn up to find a full bar and 27 entries. After the judging we all got to sample, along with some good cornbread and an ample supply of beer.

Between the 2 of us we managed to get to taste 8 of the entries but due to some sneaky timing I was in line when the results were called and got to taste the top 3 winners. Though when I tasted the winner I suddenly regretted my decision not to enter. I had a little more just to be sure but there was no mistaking that it tasted like fried beef mince with a Knor Gravy mix and some interesting blend of chilies. 2nd place was much darker with a sticky sauce as though someone had added BBQ sauce. This was more of a stew as they either used no mince or the meat hadn't cooked long enough to break down. 3rd place tasted 'okay' but used 3 different types of beans (Ugh!)

We got chatting to an old guy who asked us what we thought and we told him what we thought. He nodded and asked if we had tasted #3 so we looked at our bowls and said no. He headed off and came back a couple of minutes later with the most wonderful chili ever. It looked exactly like Sparks's version and had the same chilies and other bits like the addition of star anise, use of the right flour and pretty much the same ingredients in the spice mix. He didn't of course give me the full recipe but it was pretty close. I could tell from the texture that he had used a mix of stewing and minced beef as well as some pork.

Still though, it wasn't exactly as how I had remembered Spark's version. I think he may have used beer instead of water but it doesn't really matter because next year I'm going to make Sparks's version and enter it in as many Chili Cook-offs as I can find. Though if the judges in South are anything to go by I won't be winning much but at least I'll be content with the knowledge that I'll be spreading good chili to Brooklyn

Though now it's time to get working on a winner Lasagna recipe for the March cook-off !

Sparks · 11-02-2013 2:20am

Feck, I didn't realise the standard for cook-offs was that awful (BBQ sauce... in chilli? Ugh...), if I had, I'd have been looking for one! Definitely enter next time Ponster!

emaleth · 13-02-2013 6:01pm

Sparks wrote: »

Feck, I didn't realise the standard for cook-offs was that awful (BBQ sauce... in chilli? Ugh...), if I had, I'd have been looking for one! Definitely enter next time Ponster!

Ah here, this is Brooklyn (South Slope?), not Texas. Give them a chance

Might send the father in law along to see how he does against Ponster

Ponster · 13-02-2013 8:45pm

emaleth wrote: »

Ah here, this is Brooklyn (South Slope?), not Texas. Give them a chance

Might send the father in law along to see how he does against Ponster

Yep, South Slope though the owner is from Texas. I'm looking forward to the challenge !

Mr Benevolent · 01-04-2013 9:53am

I was going to ask Sparks a q about the recipe, but seeing as he's closed his account, there's not much point.

Anyway, made this last night, very different to my standard chilli recipe, more smokey and not so spicy. Didn't get a chance to have more than a spoonful yet as it took more than three hours to cook with no pressure cooker. The meat's falling apart though, and I await tonight's dinner with bated stomach!

About the chipotle in adobo thing, I found a Chipotle Tabasco in Tesco and it seems to have done the trick.

Mr Magnolia · 01-04-2013 10:25am

What! Ah jaysus.

The Black Oil · 01-04-2013 10:58am

April 1st..?

Mr Benevolent · 01-04-2013 8:52pm

Right, well we had the chili for dinner. Good stuff, just not good enough to be worth making again compared to my usual recipe in terms of cost and speed. Besides, I prefer mince only.

Ponster · 01-04-2013 9:11pm

I make the BBC one when I get home from work and feel like some chilli. I make Sparks recipe when I have friends around that I want to impress and have a couple of days to prepare

2010 Cooking Club Week 24: Chilli!

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