
Don’t you love the name of this chili? I think that’s what drew me to it. I was craving chili the other day and normally I would make my normal chili (blogged about here). I don’t have a strict recipe, I kind of just use my judgment and throw things into the pot. It works out well enough but I wanted to try something more “authentic” or traditional. As usual my search turned to Epicurious where I found this recipe from Gourmet (RIP) circa 2003.
I knew right away that there would be some work involved. Well I guess the recipe clearly states that there’s 1 3/4 hours of active time and 6 hours total time required. But i was up for task. It wasn’t so much the heat aspect of the chili that I found interesting as the use of cubed stewing beef instead of ground beef, the use of multiple pepper varieties and the lack of veggies. I also like recipes that require me to head to Kensington Market to source ingredients (Toronto doesn’t make it easy to find a variety of peppers just anywhere).
I made the mistake of starting this chili at around 9PM on a Sunday night. I figured I’d cook it while watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters and then go to bed at a decent time. Of course I miscalculated and I ended up having to stay awake until 1AM tended the chili… NOT FUN. If I had started this at 9AM it would have been a lot more pleasant.
The final product was meatier than I would have liked. I even added extra beans but it was just too meaty for me. Delicious, yes, but meaty. I’d consider making this again with less meat and more beans. OR maybe I’d taking the idea of making a sauce with the peppers et. al and incorporate it into my usual chili mix. We’ll see…
Ding Dong Eight-Alarm Chili
2 oz dried ancho chiles (4 large), stemmed and seeded
6 large garlic cloves, 3 of them finely chopped
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder (not pure chile)
4 lb well-marbled beef brisket or boneless chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (28- to 32-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
1/4 cup canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 lb white onions, chopped (4 cups)
1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled
1 to 4 fresh serrano or other small green chiles, finely chopped, including seeds (1 is fine for most tastes; 4 is the eight-alarm version)
1 (12-oz) bottle beer (not dark)
2 cups water
2 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans (optional; 30 oz), rinsed if canned
Accompaniments: cubed avocado; chopped white onion; shredded Cheddar; chopped fresh cilantro; sour cream
Soak ancho chiles in hot water to cover until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain well.
While chiles soak, mince 1 whole garlic clove and mash to a paste with 1/2 tablespoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon cumin, and 1/2 tablespoon chili powder. Pat beef dry and toss with spice mixture in a large bowl until coated.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wide 6- to 7-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef in 3 or 4 batches, without crowding, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch (lower heat as needed; spice mixture burns easily). Transfer beef as browned to another bowl. (Do not clean pot.)
Purée anchos in a blender along with tomatoes (including juice), chipotles in adobo, cilantro, remaining 2 whole garlic cloves, and remaining 1/2 tablespoon salt until smooth.
Add enough oil to fat in pot to total 3 tablespoons, then cook onions and chopped garlic over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits from beef, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add oregano, remaining tablespoon cumin, and remaining tablespoon chili powder and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chile purée and 1 chopped serrano and simmer, stirring, 5 minutes. Stir in beer, water, and beef along with any juices accumulated in bowl and gently simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally and checking often to make sure chili is not scorching, 2 hours.
Taste sauce, then add more serrano if desired and continue to simmer, partially covered, until beef is very tender and sauce is slightly thickened, 1 to 2 hours more. (If chili becomes very thick before meat is tender, thin with water as needed.)
Coarsely shred meat (still in pot) with 2 forks and cool chili completely, uncovered, then chill, covered, 1 to 2 days to allow flavors to develop.
Reheat over low heat, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 30 minutes. Add beans (if using) and simmer, stirring, 5 minutes.
Gourmet
September 2003





I don’t think you guys are ready for this one. I didn’t realize I wasn’t ready until I tasted it. I had a frozen pie crust in my freezer that had been taking up space for weeks. I finally decided to get my act together and figure out what to fill the pie crust with. I also had a jar of 








