What makes a dish "Chili"? -- Follow up to Fishawn's Chili Thread

[Snarlingiron]

From Merriam Webster:

Full Definition of CHILI

1
a : a hot pepper of any of a group of cultivars (Capsicum annuum annuum group longum) noted for their pungency —called also chili pepper
b usually chilli plural chillies also chil·lis chiefly British : a pepper whether hot or sweet
2
a : a thick sauce of meat and chilies
b : chili con carne
See chili defined for English-language learners »
See chili defined for kids »

Definition of CHILI CON CARNE

: a spiced stew of ground beef and minced chilies or chili powder usually with beans


From WhatsCookingAmerica.net :
DEFINITION - Chili is a stew-like soup made entirely with meat, chiles, or chili powder (or both) and according to what region of the United States that you live in, it can also include beans. "Con carne" means "with meat."

So, I'm looking for where you draw the line in what you call chilli, or is it just a truly meaningless term? From Fishawn's thread many of the responses suggest just that. From what I can fathom, many think if something contains Chili powder then it is chili regardless of what else it may contain. I adhere to a pretty narrow definition myself. I.e. chili is basically meat and chillis. I mean, if I stir a spoon of chili powder into a glass of milk is it chilli? I have made a one pan dish for many years consisting of elbow macaroni, onions, ground beef, tomato sauce and chilli powder. Is that chilli? So, I am asking, what is it that makes a dish chilli?

[Bama BBQ]

What makes a dish "Chili"? -- Follow up to Fishawn's Chili Thread

Traditional Red Chili is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of BEANS and PASTA which are strictly forbidden.

Chili Verde is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with green chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of BEANS and PASTA which are strictly forbidden.

Homestyle Chili is defined by the International Chili Society as the cook's favorite combination of ingredients resulting in a dish seasoned with chili peppers and spices.

[TasunkaWitko]

Had a pretty good discussion on this a while ago - if anyone is interested in reading it, here it is:

http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22274

I'll copy/paste my thoughts here:

the question:

chili is many things to many people, and there are literally thousands of recipes from all over the country, incorporating nearly any ingredient you can think of. but if you had to describe this unique, iconic american creation, without using a recipe, to the mythical man from mars, how would you do so?

my answer:

to me, this visitor from mars can only know what chili is by spending some time in west texas, eastern new mexico, southern colorado - that magical and historical playground of coronado, the comanche, goodnight and loving; in fact, since this martian is hypothetical, i'll go ahead and contend that he must also be able to travel in time, so that he can visit this region during the latter half of the 19th century - chili was born there; or, if not born there, it at least came into its own there, and became what it is.



it's a child of two parents: texas and mexico ~ and a product of two important factors unique to the american experience. the first being the long cattle drives on a dusty trail on the llano estacado, among the mesquite flats or on the high plains, or maybe in the cottonwoods along the banks of a silty trickle of a river. somewhere along these trails, some steer would have died along the way, or a heifer may have stepped in a hole, broken her leg and had to be put down - instant, fresh meat that needed to be consumed.



the second factor would have been some mexican cook who took this meat and turned it into something that was made from the dried or portable ingredients on the chuckwagon, including onions, herbs and spices - maybe some garlic - making a stew that was familiar to his texan colleagues whilst also adding a little bit of his own colourful heritage into the mix. availibilty of ingredients, through stored dry goods on the chuckwagon, or perhaps a supply stop at some fort along the way, would have determined the specific ingredients; but the heart of the dish was of course beef, with onion, dried chiles and maybe a few herbs and spices - i'd like to think that somehow, tomato was involved as well, but that is probably just wishful thinking, barring some fortuitous trade for fresh ingredients in some hamlet along the trail.

this chili would have simmered alongside a separate pot of beans, which are very portable in dried form, and of course a pot of coffee was nearby; finally, i am sure a dutch oven full of freshly-baked sourdough biscuits would have been involved as well, to sop up the juices - or perhaps drizzled with honey as a dessert - great food for the trail, and once again a shining example of using what's available to create good, filling, satisfying food after a long day's work.



but it wasn't simply some one-time, chance meeting of these factors, to be set in stone at that moment and preserved rigidly as a famous chef's legacy or a protected national dish; chili in some form must have existed before these events took place and came about in slightly-varied forms on many trails. having said that, along these trails, chili became interwoven with the american experience, as much a legend of the west as the cowboy or the texas longhorn.

i don't have a "chilipedia" sitting right here, but i bet that's close to the origins and the essence of chili, and to me, that's what it is ~

(later.....)

well, hopefully by now the martian will have some idea of what chili is - basically, it's like porn - you know it when you see it!

my mother is from south-central and south-western colorado, a state with a good chili tradition. having said that, nearly every ingredient in her chili always came out of a can (tomatoes, beans etc.) and it was made from ground beef. good chili, but not probably not the real experience.

to me, chili is a celebration of four flavours: beef onions and tomato - held together by the common denominator of the chile, which provides the base and, of course, heat, to the degree that you desire. great chili doesn't have to be hot, but it should definitely be a warm, satisfying experience that will leave no doubt as to the region of origin.

i have two methods that i use for chili. one is closer to authentic, i think, and one is purely for "comfort food" or weeknight/schoolnight/worknight food.

a) for the first:

my favourite beef for chili is chuck roast, cut into cubes. if you are not familiar with this cut, any cubes cut from the neck, shoulder and upper front quarter will be fine. you want tough, hard-working, wonderfully-flavourful cuts that are going to turn perfectly tender with slow cooking.

the chiles should be dried, smoked if you can get them. they can be hot or mild as you prefer, but i recomend going on the mild side, as you can add crushed red pepper flakes to the final dish, if you prefer. reconsititute them in enough hot water to cover them, then pulverise them into a paste (instructions below). diced onions and tomatoes should be prevalent almost to the point of dominating the dish, but not quite. for liquids, you want tomato sauce and beef broth or stock.

here's a good recipe that i used as a base, then improvised for "chile colorado;" i'll post the recipe, then add my modifications:

8 dried red chiles (such as Guajillo, California or New Mexico) rehydrated and ground into a paste (see below)
3-pound beef roast
1 can beef broth
1 can tomato sauce
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely diced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lard or oil for frying

Rehydrating Dried Chiles-

Pick dried chiles that have no tears or broken pieces. Use whole chiles that look fresh. Rinse off any excess dust or grime under cool water. Pat dry then cut the top off of each chile and then slit it down the middle. Shake out the seeds, using your fingers or a spoon to dislodge any seeds that want to stick. Peel off any excess dried veins that are lighter in color and run in a line down the inside.

Heat a comal (or griddle) over medium/high heat and roast the dried chiles for 2-3 minutes. Turn them often to avoid burning them. Then you're going to cover the chiles in hot water and let them soak for about 30 minutes. Remove the chiles from the water and place the chiles in a blender with about 1/4 cup of water or the soaking liquid (if it is not too bitter) and puree until smooth. You can also add the garlic and oregano to the chiles while blending them. The finished puree is what you will add to the Chile Colorado.

------------------------------------------

i added to the recipe above a large diced onion, which i carmelised first in a dutch oven (with the minced garlic near the end); then i set the onions aside and seared the cubes of beef, similar to making carbonade flamande. i then prepared the peppers as described above, brought the onions, beef and chile puree together with the tomato sauce and also a can of crushed tomatoes. added the spices (including a scant tablespoon each of cumin and paprika) and broth (stock would be better, of course). into the oven at 275-300 for two hours or so, and it was really good.

the simple flavors made an almost-perfect combination. i omitted the salt, since the tomatoes and beef broth seemed to have plenty. the chiles provided the right amount of spice without being overpowering or oppressive - overall, i was impressed.

if this dish needs any thickening, masa harina or crushed tortilla chips would be best, if available - having said that, it can probably be thickened through simple reduction. beans can be added if you like, or can be served on the side in their own right. tortillas are a good way to scoop everything up.

b) the second is really just a variation on the chili my mother made when i was young. this recipe might be frowned upon by the hardcore chili-ologists, but it works and feeds two adults and four children with some leftovers for the next day. it is not meant to be a historic, authentic, definitive or "gourmet" recipe, just some very good work-night food. due to what is in the pantry or to the mood at the time, we do not use all listed herbs and spices all the time, but it seems, to me, to be much more interesting when we do. for a smaller number of people, cut recipe in half:

2 large + 1 small cans of diced tomatoes
2 large + 1 small cans of chili beans
2-3 pounds of ground meat or meat cubes (hamburger, deer, elk, chorizo, anything. i tried 1/2 ground pork and 1/2 hamburger once and it was great!)
2 small cans of tomato sauce
2 small cans of tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
*optional - a dash or two of liquid smoke

also, combine all these spices in a container and set aside:

3 Tbsp. chili powder (or to taste)
1 Tbsp paprika (smoked, if you have it) (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. dry oregano (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. cumin (or to taste)
2 tsp. coriander (or to taste)
2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
4 beef bullion cubes, crushed (or equivalent amount in granules)

brown the hamburger with the onion and garlic on high until the "juice" is gone and you've got nothing but meat and fat left. some people like to drain the fat, some like to leave it in; i prefer to drain it. if you use meat cubes rather than burger, brown them in 2 Tbsp. of hot oil. remove from the heat, add the spices and stir well, then add tomatoes and beans, return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until juices reduce down. add tomato sauce, tomato paste and liquid smoke (optional). bring to boiling, stirring often, then reduce heat down to low and simmer until you can't wait any longer.

this recipe relies on store-bought chili beans, which might be a no-no to the die-hards, but is essential to working parents with 4 kids. keep in mind that these store-bought beans usually already have a bit of seasoning and chili powder, so the amounts i suggest reflect that fact. this recipe also does not have jalapenos, green peppers, cayenne peppers or habaneros, although you may certainly add them if you want to.

i really like cumin, but the beautiful mrs. tas doesn't, so i often leave it out. i did add a bit of liquid smoke once (OBVIOUSLY, smoked chunks or shreds of brisket or chuck roast would be better), and got a great outdoors flavor that i really liked and my wife really hated. give it a try at your discretion.

[Charcuteryan]

Man snarly! I thought we were friends?

[Snarlingiron]

Well hats off to the loquacious Mr. TasunkaWitko. You, sir, certainly can spin a yarn. We see pretty much eye to eye on the chili. I too have a QD (quick and dirty) version that I knock together in just a few minutes and it is pretty darn good, whatever it is (as Sheldon would say). Very similar to yours except I include Ro-Tel tomatoes. It must be pretty good, since I have been asked for the recipe countless times. I don't know where your plateau pic is from, but it sure looks like the LLano Estacado. Thanks for taking the time...I enjoyed your post and your take on chilli.

[TasunkaWitko]

From what I can fathom, many think if something contains Chili powder then it is chili regardless of what else it may contain

Man snarly! I thought we were friends?

[Snarlingiron]

Man snarly! I thought we were friends?

I still think we are. It's a friendly discourse.

[Mark R]

Ron, are you sure you didn't leave anything out?

[TasunkaWitko]

Well hats off to the loquacious Mr. TasunkaWitko. You, sir, certainly can spin a yarn. We see pretty much eye to eye on the chili. I don't know where your plateau pic is from, but it sure looks like the LLano Estacado. Thanks for taking the time...I enjoyed your post and your take on chilli.

It is indeed a photo of the Llano, a place I'd like to visit one day. And thanks for the kind words -

Ron, are you sure you didn't leave anything out?

I'm an historian, Mark - we try to be thorough...

Seriously,

I know from bitter experience that this particular subject can be a contentious one - in fact, I have seen friendships ruined over it, so I hope that everyone can take my post above as simply MY interpretation, without passing judgement on any other version. There are indeed many, and all look good - but when I think of chili, the post above is what comes to mind, for me. For someone else, it can be entirely different, and they will be just as "correct," I think, as long as chili is the agreed-upon goal.

I once saw a guy from Belgium make chili for the first time - it wasn't in line with what I would consider chili, but it was definitely good, and he was as satisfied as could be with it. His heart was in the right place, too ~ an interesting take on a truly American classic.

[Mark R]

I'm an historian, Mark - we try to be thorough...

I still think you left out a few paragraphs about putting .............

[Snarlingiron]

I know from bitter experience that this particular subject can be a contentious one - in fact, I have seen friendships ruined over it

My goodness, I can't imagine that anyone would ditch a friend just because they didn't know what chili is.

[TasunkaWitko]

My goodness, I can't imagine that anyone would ditch a friend just because they didn't know what chili is.

Well, I wasn't going to say it, but....

It was actually someone ditching a friend because the friend got all "on a high horse" (not my words) about what chili is.....

[Mark R]

Seriously Ron, the only part I would question is the beans. They are bulky to carry and require a lot of water and time to prepare. Water if anything would have been at a premium on those drives. Just me.

[TasunkaWitko]

mark - we're talking about a texas cattle drive in the american southwest. there were beans, in a barrel, strapped to the side of (or otherwise stored on) the chuckwagon, not too far from the barrel of flour for biscuits and sourdough.....

and back then, water didn't come in cute little bottles!

[Snarlingiron]

http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22274

I had forgotten about this, even though I posted a couple of barbed comments. The last post in the thread, by Shellbellc mentions Pendery's, and it is a fun place to visit online, but since it is in Fort Worth, I get the fun of visiting in person. This is where I now get my Chimayo chilli, since I don't get to Chimayo as often as I once did. Next time I do go I'm getting me a vial of that magic dirt from El Santuario De Chimayo, cause I'm pretty darned sure a pinch of that stuff in one's chili would make it truly magical!

For a quick, fun read: http://www.penderys.com/page132.html gives the history of Pendery's and tells of his "Chiltomaline" chilli powder from 1890. Pendery's still sells it.