HOT!
So what do Rubber Fetishes have to do with cooking? Not a thing unless you are thinking “Food
Porn”. I was just watching Rubber Fetish
videos, while giggling my little self silly, and decided to write this blog
since this weekend I am making enough Beer Chili and Corn Bread to feed 25
people.
For me, this is a rather unique, no-bean, chili. Since I grew up in the Eastern US, I have not
had chili without beans very often. I guess
this would be considered a Texas style chili.
I had originally found the Beer Chili recipe around 12 years ago on
eHow.com. I did not think to actually save the recipe and eventually it was no
longer on the website. I had to play
with, and adjust, other recipes until I had what I liked.
It was worth the effort. Feel
free to play with it some more people.
Cooking, to me, is all about making food work for you!
Or for food fights…
Or for making sexy movie scenes (9 ½ Weeks anyone?)…
The first time I made this chili from that recipe, all those
years ago, my then beau had the “good graces" to inform me that one of his
co-workers made chili the week before and it was much hotter than mine…. Now, I admit I was not into “hot” foods and I
did cut out one of the peppers, but I was not taking this lying down.
But really?
That statement was obnoxious on multiple levels:
- You, my fine friend, got lucky as YOU did not have to cook,
or even help cook, or do the dishes.
- You never dis a dish without love, compassion and genuine fear.
- You never unfavorably compare it to mamma’s or anyone else’s,
especially if you want me to cook again.
- You can do better? Bring it!
- Never, ever, underestimate my ability to recognize and rise
to a challenge.
Yes, this is a sticking point with me. I understand we all have preferences. I understand we do not like every dish or
rendition of a dish. THAT is ok. What is not ok is voicing a tactless opinion
when you should be happy someone cared enough to cook for you. If you do not like a dish, it is ok to say it
is not your favorite when asked. That saves
the cook from wasting time, energy and money on something you do not like. But loosely draw comparisons because it causes animosity.
I made the chili again a few weeks later. I MORE than
doubled the heat by doubling the peppers called for, and by leave the pith and
seeds in half of them. Note: By removing the pith and seeds from hot
peppers, you greatly diminish their heat.
Uh, Mr. Mr. could hardly eat it, but had to suck it up
knowing what he had said the first time I made the chili. He could NOT lose face… He wound up with blisters. No, I am not kidding. I, on the other hand, loved it. The heat was pure and awesome. I, the usually spicy-heat light-weight, had
no problem eating the chili (to my surprise).
And, the more often I reheated the pot, the better it became. The funny part? While reheating it drew out more flavor, it also
lent a frightening smell of acid to the whole house and served to intensify the
heat… It was a little scary really.
Lessons learned the first two times around with Beer Chili?
- Wear gloves when cutting Habaneras
- Wear a mask when cutting Habaneras
- Revenge is best served hot, hot, hot
Message received Biatch!
Beer Chili Ingredients
3 or 4 bottles beer
2 pounds Ground Beef (or Ground Turkey if you want to pretend to eat healthy) well cooked - drained
¼ - ½ pound moderately cooked bacon chopped up small
1 onion chopped fine
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
4 cloves minced garlic
3 jalapeños or habaneras without seeds/pith - diced
1 or two bell peppers cut up small
Salt & Pepper to taste
A little hot sauce or chili powder to taste
BIG Beer Chili – for those days when you are going O I N
K!!!
7-8 bottle beer
4 pounds ground meat - cooked well and drained
½ - 1 pound moderately cooked bacon chopped up small
2 onions chopped fine
1-2 tomato sauce
1-2 tomato paste
8 cloves minced
5 habaneras without pith/seed
2 -4 bell pepper cut up small
Salt & Pepper to taste
A little more hot sauce or chili powder
The recipes can be made without the tomato sauce and paste –
but you really have to like the beer flavor a lot to go without them.
Play with the tomato products. Maybe you like the taste of tomato paste more
than tomato sauce, vise versa, or you swing both ways…
I use Mexican beer – it seems to garner the best results in
my book. But typically it is not the cheapest choice.
Change up the type of hot peppers or mix and match.
Jalapeños work well. Habaneras give that
pure heat. I often mix peppers… I just depends on how much heat and cutting your
can stand. It also depends on what peppers are
available at the store or in your garden.
Wear gloves when cutting up Habaneras peppers, or any other
hot peppers. I can tell you, from
experience, that the ‘heat’ in the peppers does hurt your fingers after a few peppers are cut up finely. AND, no manner of
washing gets that residue off right away. If you touch yourself,or anyone else with your hands it will burn
that skin as well. And, the more you
touch, the worse it gets. Friction is not your friend where pepper residue is involved. Just say’n…
Yes, as with most of my recipes, change up the amount of
each ingredient as you see fit. Make it
fit your desires.
Smoked bacon is fabulous in this recipe. And when I say
FABULOUS, I mean “Shut the front door Becky” FABULOUS!
Get to it:
You can either cook the ground meat in a skillet/frying pan
OR in the pot you will be making the chili in (to save on cleaning time and effort).
I prefer enameled cast-iron pots, but any heavy pot will work. Put on
the ground meat and cook as well as you like it. I learned that I like the ground meat cooked
very well and broken up to very small pieces.
My daughter never liked chunky ground beef in recipes (pasta sauce,
soup, chili) but she was fine with it when cooked well and in small pieces. Size does matter! Make it yours.
Cook the bacon until firm, but not crisp.
Well, you can cook it how you wish, but I am NOT a fan of crispy crisp (or limp) bacon in dishes that I cook.
While the meats are cooking, you can cut up the
veggies. If you are smart, you will have
the veggies cut ahead of time. If you
are really smart, you will have someone else suffer through the cutting
of the peppers. Especially if they have
ever had the nerve to compare you food with someone else’s and yours did not
come out favorably in the comparison.
Drain the meats. I do keep some bacon grease in the
chili. Yes, let’s revisit the part where
I am from the South East and believe that bacon great is a flavoring, as well as skin conditioner…
Put the meats in the cooking pot on medium heat.
If tomato paste is used, dump it into the meat mixture and mix it
in well. It helps physically break up
the paste. If you pour in the liquids
first and then add the paste, it seems to take longer to mix the paste in.
Add the beer, veggies, spices, etc. Stir well and bring to a low boil while
stirring. Be careful not to burn the
chili. Immediately turn heat down to low, cover and heat
for at least one hour. Stir
occasionally. I like to let it simmer
for a few hours because the flavor develops over time.
You also have the option of sautéing the various veggies prior to adding to the pot. I have never done that with
this recipe, so I do not know how (or if) it would change the flavor.
This chili truly does get better with age (the reheating
process on the stove top). In light of
this, I do not typically reheat it in the microwave. Speed is not called for in many areas of life
– this being one.
By day 3, if you can
manage to make enough to keep it that long, it is splendid!
I rarely use chili powder, or use very little of it. I realize that chili powder is a staple in “CHILI”
but there is nothing wrong with being different or thinking outside the
cuffs. I mean box. Yea, that's what I mean...
Remember:
- Many of these ingredients will fair quite well being prepared ahead of time.
- Preparing this chili a few days ahead of serving is not
only helpful in entertaining time management, but preferable taste-wise.
- Seriously, always use protection when handling spicy-hot
peppers. A little latex goes a long way.
- Really crisp bacon has no place in this chili, but neither
does limp bacon. Go with firm. I always favor FIRM. No limp meat.
- Adjust ingredients to make it your own.
- Don’t take grief off of anyone eating your food. It is ok if they do not like it, but it is in
bad form for anyone to compare your food with someone else’s unless the
statement includes “and yours is as good as mom makes”.
- Never underestimate the flavor development from stovetop
reheating. It might take longer than the microwave, but it is worth it. (Yes, I mentioned this how many times? It is that important.)
- And, as in anything worth doing, never rush…
