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| Name: | North Texas Red | Contributor: | Pat Loughery |
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| Description: | North Texas Red (Texas chile) | Posted: | 1994-09-27 |
| Key words: | beef, chili peppers | Category: | Main Dishes |
| ID: | 153 | Updated: | 2006-04-02 15:11:53 |
| Ingredients: | 1 bottle good Tequila
olive oil (bacon drippings are better, but they're probably against the law) 20 cloves garlic, coarsely minced 15 lbs chuck roast, well trimmed and cut into 1/2" cubes 2 c chili powder, combined with 1/2 c flour Assorted chili peppers (see Notes, below) 2 qts beer (preferably Lone Star, but any local brew will do) 4 c beef broth 3 Tbsp cumin seeds 2 Tbsp oregano 2 Tbsp ground coriander salt to taste (wait until the end, when you're sure) |
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| Preparation: | Preparation
----------- 1. Chop up garlic and saute' (but do not brown) in a little oil; set aside. 2. Brown meat, a handful at a time, in the same oil; combine with garlic in a large, heavy kettle. 3. Add chili powder and flour mixture; stir with a wooden spoon to coat meat evenly. 4. Cover with beer and beef broth; bring to boil. 5. Add chili peppers and spices. 6. Reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 2-3 hours. 7. Every half-hour or so, drink a shot of Tequila and taste your broth. Add spices as needed. 8. When the meat cuts easily, turn off the heat. Let cool. Skim off grease and taste one last time. 9. Cover securely and refrigerate overnight. Congratulate yourself on a job well done. Dream about your Nobel prize acceptance speech. 10. The following evening, while your guests settle in with margaritas and nachos, warm up the chili - very slowly. Serve with crackers and beer. Or, if it's a black tie affair, hot corn bread and imported beer. |
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| Notes: | This recipe comes from a magazine, so it's probably NOT suitable for publishing in the Wetleather cookbook, if we're going to sell that.
Striving for the perfect pot of chili is like searching for the Holy Grail: It is the quest itself that ennobles. I achieved my own personal chili apogee with North Texas Red, which earled a standing ovation at the Fifth Bicentennial Chili Festival and Whiskey Drink in New York. Peppers ------- What you want is as large a variety as possible. What you'll find depends on where you live. Jalapenos and serranos (both hot) are available in jars or cans just about everywhere. Dried anchos are mild, other mild dried peppers (pasillas, chipotles) range from hot to hotter. With tall peppers, preserved or dried, be sure to remove and discard seeds and membranes. Preserved peppers can be chopped and added directly to the chili pot. Dried peppers require a bit more fussing; boil them in a small amount of water for half an hour or so, then cover and let sit for another half-hour before chopping them up. Don't be macho with the peppers. The idea is to feed your guests, not incinerate them. Start with a half-dozen or so; you can always add more. I used 10 lb chuck roast, and 2/3 the recipe. I also used T. W. Fisher's wheat ale for both the beer part and the tequila part. ******* Next, I'd like to pass along a cookbook my mom found at the Costco in Missoula. "Butter Busters", by Pam Mycoskie, Warner Books, ISBN: 0-446-67040-5. We've tried quite a few of the recipes - the spicy marinara sauce, the shrimp creole, and one of the cookie recipes, and they're all tasty. And low-fat, low-cal stuff. I don't eat low-fat stuff unless it tastes like real food. There's also a nice alfredo sauce recipe in there, too. I seem to remember somebody here asking for a low-/non-fat recipe for alfredo sauce. |
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| Equipment: | Huge kettle
Large frying pan Small saucepan |
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