banjotom2 - Posted - 09/15/2011:  17:27:24

2 months ago, I was asking for advice on making home made chili...

Now, I'm experienced with 4 batches to my credit and No. 5 is in the crock now...

Interesting discoveries..

#1) Making Chili is FUN! This coming from a fellow at age almost 51 who never did more than throw meat on a grill or mix salad parts together...

#2) It's a creative and relaxing endeavor... good for the mind... I am finding that while concentrating on making chili... it gets my mind off of everything else in life... a nice distraction... and you get to eat the goods when your done!

#3) I also found while costing all of this out that my local supermarket, a privately held company, is CHEAPER than Walmart on 9 items out of ten... This little food store is very close to my house... and now I KNOW I'm saving gas and food money by shopping there!

#4) I realized that I needed way more capacity than a '4 quart crock' was good for.... I found that I will eat 4 quarts of bean-less chili in 2 days flat... I now have a 7 quart crock... I use the smaller one for browning and mixing ingredients... so it's still getting used...

#5) I read up on the nutritional values of the foods I enjoy eating frequently, because of a heart condition... need to limit sodium if possible... but also BOOST POTASSIUM! So, I'm adding new ingredients such as sunflower seeds and a can of corn... there's good stuff in corn...   oh, and Red peppers apparently have a lot more nutritional value than the green ones... I added them in along with their green cousins...

It's been a heck of a learning experience...

Nothing but fun... and I'm still at it...

Tom

banjotom2.com

Edited by - banjotom2 on 09/16/2011 00:30:19

piscesgrrl - Posted - 09/15/2011:  17:46:07

I love making chili too. You're right, it's relaxing and you get to eat it...for days! I can't wait until it cools down a bit so we can start making some winter batches.

figmo59 - Posted - 09/15/2011:  18:57:42

The crockpot is my friend.......%0)

KE - Posted - 09/15/2011:  19:03:45

Good for you.  The interesting thing about chili is you can cook it 20 times in 20 different ways -- all good.  Corn is a good idea. Try some water chestnuts some time.

eagleisland - Posted - 09/15/2011:  19:04:27

The beautiful thing about making chili - and any dish based on a long, slow braise - is that it's best when using the very cheapest of ingredients. You wouldn't believe the appearance of the meat they sell in France for Boeuf a la Bourgingnon  and if you REALLY want to make an honest-to-God Coq au Vin you need to start with a rooster that can still manage the O2-CO2 exchange but can no longer service the hens.

For chili, I buy the cheapest, gristliest (not fattiest) meat I can find.  I usually cut it in small cubes but have been known to home-grind it.  There is a TON of flavor and richness in all that age and gristle - as long as it's cooked out long, low and slow.

Bart Veerman - Posted - 09/15/2011:  20:59:48

Atta boy Tom! Now that you got your chilly skills down pat you need to work on gotta-have chilly add-ons: I'm talking home-made beer of course

Brian T - Posted - 09/15/2011:  23:35:01

Corn in chili is a good thing.
There some realities in nutrition and economics that BIG FOOD does not want you to know.

Now, suppose you tidy up half a dozen chicken breasts. S&P and cook & brown them in a little olive oil in a skillet.
You can toss them into the chili when it goes to simmer for a couple of hours.

OK. Next, you need Kai Si Min, a curried grbeef & gr beans dish from Korea.
Then you need to learn how to make curried green beans & bacon.
At the same time you should be making batches of lettuce wrap.

While I makes these things as a matter of course, I understand your interest.
I have been making my own bread, 2 loaves a week, for maybe 5-7+ years.
I can get by with a big bowl and a stick. The thrill has never worn off.

pandjlocke - Posted - 09/15/2011:  23:41:24

Way to go, Tom. Chili is one of my favorite things to cook. Skip is right about the cheap ingredients. Next door to my shop there used to be a guy who smoked jerky. Every so often he would give me a five or so pound bag of the stuff he trimmed off the meat he was going to smoke. I would just go through all that trim and cut enough up to make a great chili. Free meat always makes the chili better!

banjotom2 - Posted - 09/16/2011:  00:58:42

What do you call the temperature dial on the side of the Crock?

Answer: The "Crock-O-Dial!"

Edited by - banjotom2 on 09/16/2011 00:59:34