Chili Con Carne

[TransformX]

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Chili/ChiliHistory.htm

If there is any doubt about what the Mexicans think about chili, the Diccionario de Mejicanismos, published in 1959, defines chili con carne as (roughly translated):

“detestable food passing itself off as Mexican, sold in the U.S. from Texas to New York.”

[Dr Mordrid]

Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a bowl of red. There is simply nothing better. - LBJ

It can only truly be Texas red if it walks the thin line just this side of indigestibility: Damning the mouth that eats it and defying the stomach to digest it, the ingredients are hardly willing to lie in the same pot together. - John Thorne

Truer words were never spoken. Make mine 6-alarm

[TransformX]

Eleanor Roosevelt (1894-1962) wife of the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, sought the Chasen's Chili recipe but was refused it (a complimentary order was dispatched to her instead).


It is said that Chasen's also send chili to movie actor Clark Gable (1901-1960), when he was in the hospital (he reportedly had it for dinner the night he died).

[cjolley]

Chasen's Chili recipe (supposedly)

And never forget Gebhardt's Chili Powder

And try making it with Black Beans instead of Pintos.

[Jessterw]

Truer words were never spoken. Make mine 6-alarm

Amusingly, I've had some of the worst chili ever in Texas, even at places there were supposed to be purveyors of the finest. *shrug*

Best chili, with absolutely no carne, I've had was at a road-side stand in Alabama. Had me wanting a gallon of milk to soothe my tongue.

[az]

Does Chili actually have to taste good or is this just some kind of infantile "Mine's hotter than yours" thing?

[Jessterw]

No, chili can taste very good. Unfortunately, there is a lot of hot wang going around, though I've seen it more in relation to chili powders and hot sauces than the soup-like substance.

Texans generally believe that if it's not hot then it's not chili, regardless of how it tastes. Of course that belief isn't limited to them. Personally I love a good, hot chili, but I prefer a milder one for when I just want to sit down and eat some good tasting chili.

[cjolley]

On the other hand Gebhardt's Chili Powder,which everyone who cooks real Chili uses, is not hot at all.
It's the flavor.
Something else is making it hot.

[Dr Mordrid]

Chili powder itself, being made from dried & ground mild Chilie peppers + some other spices, contains some "heat" but it's usually well below the levels for truly hot Chili. Highly variable.

Most of the heat comes from the use of Chiltepin, Jalapeño, Habanero, Red Savina Habanero (a cultivar selected for max. heat) or Naga Jolokia (north Indian) peppers in the recipe.

These peppers contribute high levels of capsaicins to the chemical "soup", which are oily/waxy compounds & source of the "heat".

The above peppers range in heat (Scoville units = PPM capsaicin) from ~5,000 (mild) to ~900,000 (flaming). Chili powder = 500-1000. Pure capsaicin = 15-16 million units.

Because capsaicins rapidly deplete nerves of the neurotransmitters necessary to feel pain they also have use in pain relief (arthritis, diabetic neuropathy etc.).

I use a capsaicin cream several times a day for neuropathic pain & it works very nicely.

[Brian Ellis]

Remember it is chile con carne and not carne con chile. Many times in the USA, I've been served a bowl of bolognaise sauce with a little chile powder sprinkled in it, with a couple of crackers. It's a good, thick, ground beef soup but it is decidedly not chile con carne Ã* la TexMex.

I've a good friend, Texan to the core, who claims to be an expert on the subject. I've eaten his own concoctions and he has taken me to eating places (often very disreputable looking) that he says is the real stuff. They are characterised by a) whole, split peppers (he favours jalapenos, complete with seeds, plus a few reds to add colour) b) fillet beef cut into 1 cm pieces (not ground or minced) c) a pepper:beef ratio of 3:1 d) a small amount of thin sauce (no cornmeal starch or flour), so that the spoon can never fall to the side of the bowl d) a good dose of onions and garlic and e) NEVER any beans or tomato. Mmmmm! My mouth is watering at the thought.

[Marshmallowman]

I did a bit of research to prove to my brother that chili does not do any harm to your taste buds and came up with the following interesting stuff

About the Heat, its not a taste it actually triggers pain receptors and acts a stimulant...in a good way.

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/taste9.html

Heres a good summary of recent research into chili

http://sulcus.berkeley.edu/mcb/165_001/papers/manuscripts/_130.html

eg: it can do a small bit of harm in large doses, but it pretty much conteracts its own bad effects

A bit to take note of is that research on mice shows that

For now the neural toxic effects found in neonatal rat suggests that capsaicin containing foods should not be given to children because of the potential damage to the developing neuroanatomy

I defintely love my chili and am happy to live with sweat and watery eyes I got from a good dose of chili in a meal, but I tend to favour the more asian hot foods.

And now I can say its good for me, and there was some studies that showed it may actually improve your taste over time as well. Win win

chili is a stimulant, mustard and black pepper are actually irritants

PS: and the macho "I can eat the hottest chili" actually seem to have substantial less taste buds, whereas the most sensitive tasters can blister their tongues if the try the hottest of chili

one more link on the "healing powers of chili"

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/healing3.html

[Dr Mordrid]

Brian;

Chili without cumin, dark Mexican beer or masa (lime treated corn flour) as part of the recipe?

pffffftttttt

And let's not forget that chili was originally peasant/camp food, so in keeping with its roots: K.I.S.S.

PEPPERED BACON: 3 strips, sliced thick
GROUND BEEF: 3 lbs.
DARK MEXICAN BEER: 12-ounce bottle (Negro Modelo etc.)
CHILIES: 6-9 Jalapeño, 2-3 Habanero or 1- 2 Red Savina/Naga Jolokia, chopped fine
YELLOW ONION: 1 med, chopped fine
GARLIC: 3 lg. cloves, minced
CUMIN: 3 tbsp.
OREGANO: 1 tbsp.
SEA SALT: 1 tbsp.
WATER: 3.5 c.
MASA: to taste
TORTILLA CHIPS: topping

Fry bacon 'til crispy & remove. Sautee beef/onion/garlic in bacon fat 'til beef is done, add beer/spices/chilies/water & simmer 2-3 hrs. Add masa to thicken if desired. Crumble tortilla chips over chili as desired.

Yummy

Some also add frijoles (kidney beans) or frijoles negros (black beans), but this a matter of taste. If beans are added I prefer frijoles negros.

Tomato sauce? NOPE

[Fluff]

Sounds alot nicer than my attempts.

Ground beef + Onion + bit of garlic + Tinned kidney beans in chilli sauce

[cjolley]

Sounds alot nicer than my attempts.

Ground beef + Onion + bit of garlic + Tinned kidney beans in chilli sauce

All you have there is a base.
You are at the point now where a quick Italian cook would be making spaghetti sauce with a pan of tomatoes and nothing else.

Add some real chili powder, cumin, and a can or two of minced peppers (hot or mild as you like, but not pickled)

Rinse the beans first. The glop they come in is not chili base.
Use the liquid from the cans of chilis. (Rotels will work too if you can get them)

Not sophisticated, but better than the soup you are making now, and just as easy.