Written by adam on Jan 8, 2007
Alton Brown's Cheaters Chili
In Alton Brown’s book, I'm Just Here For the Food (aff)
, he devotes 3 pages to the description of a chili cookoff contest in which the object is to make the best chili using the least amount of money for groceries. Of course, Alton wins because he is the author and the master of all. The idea is that original chili cooks on cattle drives would have not had all the ingredients that modern chefs put into their chili. Cattle drive cooks would have had limited ingredients, inferior cuts of meat, and plenty of time to make it. If you think about it, the idea of chili was to stew the meat for a long time to soften and tenderize those inferior cuts of meat.
The chili he makes is repeated in an episode of Good Eats entitled The Big Chili. My personal recipe for chili isn’t exactly like Alton’s, but I do like to use as little ingredients as possible. So today, I am going to try something new, and make chili Alton’s way. The only thing I do not have is a pressure cooker, so I will take Alton’s hint and make my chili in the oven.
When I give this some thought, I don't think I would have ever used a pressure cooker to make chili. I may not be out on the plains of Nebraska, rustling up cattle into my cast iron dutch oven, but I believe that a certain amount of tradition be adhered to. Cook it low and cook it slow.
Brown's recipe called for beef, pork, and lamb. I don't reckon chuckwagon cooks would have had access to lamb, so I didn't use any. Not that I care, but we don't eat lamb in our house. What did surprise me is that he used pork chunks in his chili. I had never even thought of doing such a thing, but now I'm glad that I did. Texas may be beef country, but a little bit of pork never hurt anything. I don't think I'll ever cook chili without pork ever again.
This recipe below is not the exact recipe that Alton used on Good Eats, and I think that's OK. Chili is more of a process and a "look-taste-adjust" type of recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cubed chuck or stew beef
- 1 pound cubed pork (preferably slightly fatty)
- 2 bottles of “middle of the road” beer
- 2-3 cups of your favorite salsa
- 2-3 handfuls tortilla chips
- 2 chipotle chiles, minced plus 1 teaspoon adobo
- Cooking Oil
- 2 TBSP chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large, oven proof pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the meat with a pinch or two of salt and pepper. (1) Brown the meat in batches, removing from pan when seared, brown and crusty on the outside. (2) Be careful not to crowd the pan or else you won't get a good sear.
When all the meat is seared and removed, add 1.5 bottles of beer straight into the pot and start scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add the chili powder, cumin, salsa, and beef. Stir well. Add 2-3 handfuls of tortilla chips and crush them up. Give the entire mixture a couple of big stirs. (3)
Cover with a lid or foil and put in the oven for about 4 hours. Check once per hour, stir, and adjust liquid levels with extra beer. (4)
Remove from oven and serve hot in bowls with green onions, cheese, sour cream, and Fritos.
Responses to "Alton Brown's Cheaters Chili" ...
Curt
I love that book! Looks like it turned out well. The first time I watched my brother make his chili, I was very surprised to see he used pork in his recipe. But once you taste it, you KNOW it belongs in there...I don't like to quote Emeril, but one of his sayings rings true: Pork fat rules.
Those were my exact sentiments. I can never cook chili without pork again.
What a brilliant idea, susbtituting tortialla chips (common) for masa (not so common). And yes, every pot of red should be made with Shiner Bock--I wish they sold it here in NYC!
As for the lamb, did you not see Brokeback Mountain?
Lisa, sadly I did not see brokeback mountain. Though I heard it was a good film, cowboy flicks don't do much for me.
Also, the tortilla chips worked excellent. Again, I will never do it another way.
Steve O
I recommend leaving out the tortilla chips....thats just filler in my humble opinion. I'm kind of a purist when it comes to chili....meat, tomatoes, onions, seasonings.....and 8 to 10 hours of cooking time....
And always remember....CHILI DOES NOT HAVE BEANS IN IT!
adam
Whoa! Simmer down, young cowpoke. I used to think chili was good with beans, but as time has gone on, I'm in agreeance with you. The tortilla chips is not a big percentage of the solid matter of this dish. 'tis used as a thickener.
Looks good, my friend. Real good...There's a great pork chili recipe in the Joy of Cooking-- Ohio Farmhouse Chili, made with sausage. Give that a shot some time....seriously good eats....
el mojay
well, I'll have to try it with pork. Must admit I never thought of that but as much as I adhere to Emeril's motto, it does make sense. Next batch in my house gets porked. As for the tortilla chips, Dean Fearing's recipe for "Cosby Chili" uses tortilla chips to great advantage, even if the recipe is way to busy with too many ingredients.
as for beans, that's a matter of personal preference, not chili dogma. I won't be dictated to on that issue. Make mine with beans, either red kidney or black beans. It's really pretty simple, if you don't want beans, don't make it with beans; just don't tell me how I should like mine.
thanks for the recipe. It's next up for a cold evening.
e m
Steve O
In my humble opinion...slow cooking eliminates the need for tortilla chips or anything else as a thickener. Time helps the chili create its own gravy.
And beans are just a filler....if you go to a chili cook off, the rules will actually read "no fillers of any type are allowed" So as far as I'm concerned, if it has beans in it, it can not be called chili...that would be just a meat and bean concoction.....
Beans is a side dish. Cooking beans is an art form all unto itself.
Adam....next time I come to visit, I will try to bring a batch of my homemade chili for you to critique. (warning: it is addictive!)
Josh Singleton
Adam, this looks like a great recipe, and I'm probably going to try it tonight, but I was wondering: I may have missed it, but at what step did you add the chipotles?
Jeff
I'm guessing here, but, depending on how hot you like your chili, you would probably add the chipotle and adobo when you pour in the beer. (Any earlier, and it just might be too hot...it's fiery enough by adding it just after the brew.)
Since winter of 2004, I have been exploring the world of cooking and helping out my fellow men in their quests to better themselves in the kitchen. My name is Adam Byrd, you can learn more about me and my mission on my