Uncle Bill's Head Sweatin' Chili
Submitted by: Bill from Long Branch, NJ
Yield: Approximately 3-4 quarts
Preparation Instructions:
Set aside half of the onion, peppers, and garlic. In a large pot brown the ground meat with the remaining onion, garlic, and peppers. Drain the fat. Add the tomatoes, fill the empty 28 oz tomato can with water and add it. Add the tomato paste, the various spices and herbs, and remaining onion, garlic, and peppers. Cover and simmer for one hour. Then uncover and simmer until thick, usually three or four hours.
More About This Recipe
1) The individual ground chili peppers add a dimension you can't get from supermarket chili powder. 2) The chipoltes and pasilla de oxaca peppers that I use come dried and must be reconstituted before using. I use the left over water in the initial stage, adding enough from the tap to fill the can. 3) It's best if your chili is very watery to begin with because the longer it simmers the better the flavors blend. 4) I buy all of my spices and dried herbs from a place in Chicago called The Spice House. This recipe comes from literally years of experimenting. The final product is a very smokey, spicy chili that should make your head sweat and you lips burn. If it's too hot, cut out the pasilla de oxaca (6-8 on a heat scale of 10) and/or the ground chipolte pepper. If it isn't hot enough add some ground habanero chili powder. Also, the measurement for the herbs, salt, and black pepper are approximate as I cook by the smell and taste method, i.e. it's spiced right when it smells good. I don't add salt til it's almost done if I add it at all.
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