Will Nothing Help The Burning Stuff??
My church held its annual Trunk or Treat tonight--the parents park in the church parking lot and kids go from trunk to trunk and get treats instead of from house to house. (We'll go house to house Trick or Treating on Halloween, too!) One unique thing added this year was a chili cook-off/dinner. And I can't resist a good chili cook-off.
I have a standby chili recipe that I've used for a few years now that really does the trick. It's usually pretty hot, but not habanero hot; it's more of a delayed, three-seconds-after-the-bite-you-feel-the-tingle kind of heat. I stumbled across Dixie Johnson's recipe when I lived in Denver and have made it about 4 times since then; I've never made it strictly according to the recipe because I'm not willing to special order the precise spices called for. However, I readily substitute ingredients and I fiddle with the amounts of some of the spices as the mood strikes me. (I never substitute Sazon Goya--it gives its own pretty unique flavor. Find it in the Mexican aisle at your local grocer.) Here's how it goes:
Recipe
Gray 3 pounds of cubed beef chuck tender (or chili grind) in 1 TBSP Crisco (I used 5 lbs of chopped stew meat, from which I trimmed the fat and cut into smaller cubes.)
Add:
1 Can - 8 oz Hunt's Tomato Sauce
1/2 Can - 14-1/2 oz can Swanson Chicken Broth
1/2 tsp - Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp - Wylers Chicken Instant Bouillon
1 tbsp - Pendery's Fort Worth Light Chili Powder
2 - Serrano Pepper (seeded) (I used 3 jalepenos)
1 Can - 14-1/2 oz Swanson Beef Broth
1-1/2 tbsp - Onion Powder
2 tsp - Wyler Beef Instant Bouillon
1 tsp - Pendery's Cumin
Bring to a boil and cook for about 1 hour (depends on whether you are using cubed or ground meat). Remove the peppers and add the following:
3/4 tsp - Pendery's White Pepper
1 Packet - Sazon Goya
1/4 tsp - Salt
3 tbsp - Gunpowder Foods Texas Red Chili Powder
1 tsp - Garlic Powder
1 tbsp - Pendery's Cumin
2 tbsp - Pendery's Fort Worth Light Chili Powder
Adjust liquid with remainder of chicken broth or water. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add the following:
1/4 tsp - Brown Sugar
1 tbsp - Pendery's Fort Worth Light Chili Powder
1/4 tsp - Gunpowder Foods Hot Stuff
1 tsp - Pendery's Cumin
Reduce heat and simmer/cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust chili final taste for salt and front and back heat.
I didn't win anything, but was told by a couple of people that it was good and that it was a "jump out and grab ya" hot.
Now, the family that sat at the table with us had a young girl (Wendy) who happened to procure a large bowl of my chili. I warned her dad that it was hot, but he said that she really wanted it and that if she didn't finish it that he'd gladly finish it for her. So I watched her take a bite, chew, and swallow.
...
...
Then it hit.
She grabbed her water glass and took a big drink. Apparently, that didn't do much to calm her fiery tongue because she exclaimed, "Will nothing help the burning stuff?" Her dad and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.
(Just to clarify, we were laughing at her exclamation, not her pain and sorrow. Besides, it wasn't all that hot.)
I have a standby chili recipe that I've used for a few years now that really does the trick. It's usually pretty hot, but not habanero hot; it's more of a delayed, three-seconds-after-the-bite-you-feel-the-tingle kind of heat. I stumbled across Dixie Johnson's recipe when I lived in Denver and have made it about 4 times since then; I've never made it strictly according to the recipe because I'm not willing to special order the precise spices called for. However, I readily substitute ingredients and I fiddle with the amounts of some of the spices as the mood strikes me. (I never substitute Sazon Goya--it gives its own pretty unique flavor. Find it in the Mexican aisle at your local grocer.) Here's how it goes:
Dixie's Championship Recipe Chili
Recipe
Gray 3 pounds of cubed beef chuck tender (or chili grind) in 1 TBSP Crisco (I used 5 lbs of chopped stew meat, from which I trimmed the fat and cut into smaller cubes.)
Add:
1 Can - 8 oz Hunt's Tomato Sauce
1/2 Can - 14-1/2 oz can Swanson Chicken Broth
1/2 tsp - Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp - Wylers Chicken Instant Bouillon
1 tbsp - Pendery's Fort Worth Light Chili Powder
2 - Serrano Pepper (seeded) (I used 3 jalepenos)
1 Can - 14-1/2 oz Swanson Beef Broth
1-1/2 tbsp - Onion Powder
2 tsp - Wyler Beef Instant Bouillon
1 tsp - Pendery's Cumin
Bring to a boil and cook for about 1 hour (depends on whether you are using cubed or ground meat). Remove the peppers and add the following:
3/4 tsp - Pendery's White Pepper
1 Packet - Sazon Goya
1/4 tsp - Salt
3 tbsp - Gunpowder Foods Texas Red Chili Powder
1 tsp - Garlic Powder
1 tbsp - Pendery's Cumin
2 tbsp - Pendery's Fort Worth Light Chili Powder
Adjust liquid with remainder of chicken broth or water. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add the following:
1/4 tsp - Brown Sugar
1 tbsp - Pendery's Fort Worth Light Chili Powder
1/4 tsp - Gunpowder Foods Hot Stuff
1 tsp - Pendery's Cumin
Reduce heat and simmer/cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust chili final taste for salt and front and back heat.
I didn't win anything, but was told by a couple of people that it was good and that it was a "jump out and grab ya" hot.
Now, the family that sat at the table with us had a young girl (Wendy) who happened to procure a large bowl of my chili. I warned her dad that it was hot, but he said that she really wanted it and that if she didn't finish it that he'd gladly finish it for her. So I watched her take a bite, chew, and swallow.
...
...
Then it hit.
She grabbed her water glass and took a big drink. Apparently, that didn't do much to calm her fiery tongue because she exclaimed, "Will nothing help the burning stuff?" Her dad and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.
(Just to clarify, we were laughing at her exclamation, not her pain and sorrow. Besides, it wasn't all that hot.)
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