One Serious Damn Pot of Chili

Listen up, Britain. I love you guys and all...

but, uh...

er...

You don't know the first damn thing about what chili is supposed to taste like.

I've had some "chili" here and, well, it needs work. So rather than just complain about things I am here to offer solutions. This is a solution that may just change your life.

This will test the limits of your ability to handle spice. But it's not spice simply for the sake of it. There is a fair bit of complexity at work here as well. If you prefer something a bit milder, you might want to think about scaling back the amount of haberno chiles and/or cayenne powder.

I fed this to the folks at work and they tell me it was, in the words of my people, pretty darn good. So here you go. This recipe will feed about 8 hungry cowpokes. Feel free to double it to serve a bigger crowd.

Kevin's Truck Stop Chili

¼ pound smoked bacon rahsers, cut into pieces
3 lbs. trimmed beef brisket, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 lb. onions, chopped roughly
1-½ tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1-1/2 tablespoons chile de arbol powder (or cayenne)
2 teaspoons paprika (a smoked paprika REALLY does wonders here)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 can beef broth
1 can plum tomatoes in puree
2 dried habenero chiles (you could use fresh scotch bonnets also)
salt and pepper to season as you cook

Take the dried chiles and put them in a bowl with boiling water. Put something on top to weight the chiles down and keep them submerged. Leave them for 20 minutes. If you are using fresh chiles, simply chop them up somewhat finely and set aside.

Cook the bacon in the pot until crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside in a bowl with some paper towels in it.

Over high heat, brown the beef in the bacon drippings left in the pot and set the meat aside. You will probably need to do this in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, setting each batch aside in a big bowl. When all the meat is browned off, reduce the heat to medium, and saute the onions in the remaining drippings for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned and soft.

Meanwhile (if your 30 minutes chile soaking time is up) remove the chiles from the water and chop somewhat finely. Set aside.

Add the cumin, chili powder, chile de arbol or cayenne, paprika, oregano, black pepper, thyme, salt, and garlic to the cooked onions and saute for 1 minute. Add the bacon, the beef stock, 1 cup water, tomatoes, cut up chiles, and the beef along with all of the juices the beef left behind in the bowl. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover partially, and simmer for 3 hours or until the meat is very tender, adding water as needed to maintain the desired consistency. Check for seasoning OFTEN and adjust as necessary. It needs a fair bit of salt to make it right, but not so much that it makes it salty.

KEVIN'S NOTES:
-Your chili will only be as good as the ingredients you buy, specifically, the meat. I got a whole side of brisket from the butcher. Alternatively, you could use chuck, beef shoulder, rump or skirt. Make sure you trim it well of sinew and crap before you cut it into cubes. If you don't, you'll just try (unsuccessfully) to chew it up later.

-It doesn't have to be done in 3 hours. Mine took about 4 hours of simmering time before it was right. You won't hurt it by simmering it longer. Test a piece of meat if it is still too chewy, let it go a while longer. You and your guests will thank you.

-Salt, properly used, enhances the flavors of what you are cooking. So, add little by little and keep tasting.