What is chili?

[saxitoxin]

What is chili?

[Votanic]

A bean stew flavored with chile peppers, the spiciness varying from mild to extremely hot.
It can be prepared with meat (chile con carne) or without (chile sin carne).
The dish first originated in the geographic region now known as northern Mexico and southern Texas.
As such, the dish is often included as part of the traditional cuisines of both Mexico and Texas.
In more recent times, further modifications of the dish have been developed worldwide.

[DirtyDishSoap]

What is chili?

Spicy food that makes me fart and shit throughout the day.

[bigtoughralf]

A chili is a spicy pepper.

[Lonous]

Anyone below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

[jimboston]

Anyone below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

I like the thought… but technically if someone is “below 50 degree Fahrenheit” they are probably dead, not chilly.

[Dukasaur]

Chili may have had Mexican origins, but it now exists in so many forms in different countries that the origins no longer matter.

[saxitoxin]

Chili may have had Mexican origins, but it now exists in so many forms in different countries that the origins no longer matter.

If Mexico or Texas or wherever were France, they'd insist on everyone else calling it Spice Stew, and they'd sue anyone else who called it Chili.

[GaryDenton]

The origin is debated.

Chili con carne (chili with meat) is the official state dish of Texas, but where did chili originate? And how? That's as much of a question as whether it should contain beans.

Early stories

People in the Americas farmed chile peppers as far back as 10,000 years ago, scholar Kelly Urig says in New Mexico Chiles: History, Legend, and Lore. The dish we know as chili calls on red chile peppers (like ancho peppers, guajillo peppers, and spicier cayenne peppers) for its signature heat and reddish color.

One early chili origin story comes from a 1568 account by Bernal Díaz del Castillo, a Spaniard, who tells the story of Aztecs who stewed sacrificed conquistadors with chile peppers, tomatoes, and spices. Was it chili? Perhaps. It was more probably a version of mole poblano.

A legend from the 17th century attributes the first chili recipe to a Spanish nun, Sister Mary of Agreda, who never left the convent but whose spirit was said to have visited the Jumano (native peoples who lived in west Texas) while her body remained in Spain, in a trance. In return, she reportedly received a Jumano recipe for a venison stew with chile peppers, tomatoes, and onions.

Chili and the American frontier

The earliest description of chili comes from an 1828 journal. Recounting a visit to San Antonio, J. C. Clopper writes about it as "a kind of hash with nearly as many peppers as there are pieces of meat – this is all stewed together."

Historians often cite Texas as the birthplace of chili con carne. But how did chili crop up in Texas? And who can take the credit?

A likely case comes from Dallas oil executive Everette Lee DeGolyer, a chili connoisseur who became a historian in his later years. DeGolyer's findings suggest that chili became popular campfire fare among cowboys on the cattle trail (most of whom were Mexican) and gold-seekers (called forty-niners) on their way to California. As evidence, DeGolyer points to a journal from a forty-niner, dated from 1849 to 1850:

I will tell how beef is prepared for a long journey. Take twenty-five pounds of beef and pounds of lard and of pepper, and procure the assistance of one or more Mexicans, and they will, by the process of cutting and pounding, so mix these articles that no fear need be apprehended of its preservation in all kinds of weather, and salt and pepper and lard become useless, as those ingredients are already a part of every meal you make on this mixture. A small pinch of this meat, thrown into a pan or kettle of boiling water with a little flour or corn-meal thickening, will satisfy the wants of six men at any time; and it is a dish much relished by all.

—GEORGE W. B. EVANS, MEXICAN GOLD TRAIL: THE JOURNAL OF A FORTY-NINER

In short, beef, fat, chile peppers, and seasoning were combined into blocks, dubbed "chili bricks," which were stored in saddlebags. Plunging part of a chili block into a pot of boiling water transformed it into a convenient, filling meal.

Others suggest that a group of women first concocted the dish: the lavanderas (washerwomen) who traveled through Texas with the Mexican Army in the 1830s and '40s, washing clothes and cooking for the soldiers. It's said their large washing pots doubled as cooking pots to stew venison or goat with chile peppers.

Another theory credits a small population of immigrants from the Canary Islands, then a territory of Spain, who Spanish colonists brought to San Antonio in 1731 to counter France from spreading its territory west of Louisiana. Chili resembles Canarian cooking in its use of dried cumin, and it's said Canarian women in Texas were known for cooking a spicy stew.

Chili Around the United States

San Antonio

Regardless of how chili first came to be, one group popularized it as a San Antonio staple. Mexican women known as the Chili Queens cooked and sold chili at San Antonio's Military Plaza as early as the 1860s, Texas historian Robb Walsh says. Soldiers, travelers, cattlemen, and others congregated at the plaza for the dish, the granddaughter of one of the last Chili Queens told NPR. Customers often ordered chili with tamales or with beans and a tortilla.

Outdoor chili stands remained fixtures of San Antonio through the 1930s, when the local government began shutting them down, citing sanitary reasons. The last chili stands closed in the early 1940s.

The Midwest

A San Antonio chili stand at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair introduced many to the Texas-born dish. Soon, chili parlors began cropping up all over the Midwest and elsewhere in the United States. For example, the first written mention of chili in Oklahoma dates to 1897, and recipes for the dish appeared in community cookbooks in 1903 and 1905, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Over the following decades, regional variations of chili developed. In 1922, Macedonian immigrants opened Empress Chili in Cincinnati. They drew inspiration from the chili parlors Americans were familiar with to sell a Mediterranean-style stew over spaghetti. Empress Chili put Cincinnati on the map as another chili destination. (Purists debate if Cincinnati Chili is Chili.)

Other Midwestern takes include Indiana's Hoosier Chili, Oklahoma Chili, Illinois's Springfield Chili, and Missouri's Kansas City Chili.

New Mexico

Unlike "Texas red" chili, New Mexico's version uses the Hatch chile, grown in the town of Hatch, and gets the name chile verde (green chili) from this key ingredient. Though chili and chile verde share similarities, the dishes developed apart from each other. Chile verde hails from northern Mexico, and it consists of pork chunks, green chilis, onions, and tomatillos.

Types of Chili Today

The International Chili Society, which holds the World Championship Chili Cook-off, divides chili into the following categories: traditional red, chili verde, homestyle chili, and veggie chili.

As purists would have it, traditional red (chili con carne) hasn't changed much over the years. It still consists of meat, red chili peppers, and spices—no beans, rice, pasta, or other fillers, aside from vegetables, according to ICS criteria.

From All Recipes

https://www.allrecipes.com/longform/history-of-chili/

Red Texas Chili



Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast - cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth, divided

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Adding more ingredients is optional.

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the beef cubes in the oil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the garlic.

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin and flour. Sprinkle over the meat and stir until evenly coated. Crumble the oregano over the meat and pour in 1 1/2 cans of the broth.

Add the salt and ground black pepper, stir together well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer, partially covered for about 90 minutes. Pour in remaining broth and simmer 30 minutes more, until meat begins to fall apart. Cool, cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve with sour cream and grated cheese if desired.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/18050/real-texas-chili/

.

[Lonous]

Anyone below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

I like the thought… but technically if someone is “below 50 degree Fahrenheit” they are probably dead, not chilly.

LOL, not what I intended to type, but I have to own it.
Well played

[mookiemcgee]

As purists would have it, traditional red (chili con carne) hasn't changed much over the years. It still consists of meat, red chili peppers, and spices—no beans, rice, pasta, or other fillers, aside from vegetables, according to ICS criteria.

From All Recipes

https://www.allrecipes.com/longform/history-of-chili/

Red Texas Chili



Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast - cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth, divided

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Adding more ingredients is optional.

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the beef cubes in the oil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the garlic.

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin and flour. Sprinkle over the meat and stir until evenly coated. Crumble the oregano over the meat and pour in 1 1/2 cans of the broth.

Add the salt and ground black pepper, stir together well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer, partially covered for about 90 minutes. Pour in remaining broth and simmer 30 minutes more, until meat begins to fall apart. Cool, cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve with sour cream and grated cheese if desired.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/18050/real-texas-chili/

.

OMFG I have so many issues with this horrible horrible recipe. I don't know if you were just getting lazy with the cut and paste, or if this is like your 'favorite' chili recipe but so bad!! Maybe this is 'I live in Texas and never learned how to cook chili' but this is not 'real texas chili'

Pathetic Gary. Not one fresh or dried pepper? just 'chili powder'??? And refined white flour? is this texas chili or fucking gumbo, never mind it doesn't even call for making a roux just flour raw directly into stock fml. Real texans use masa harina or go totally non-flour and use adobo sauce and time to reduce to thicken. You are better off buying a can of chili than makes this monstrocity.

[Votanic]

Ooh, it's getting real! People are starting to fight about something I don't really care about!

I wonder if this will be as entertaining as that Hamas-Israel thread?

Full disclosure: Not a huge chili fan myself. The best is okay, every now and then... the worst is like Alpo mixed with pepper spray...
I mean we are talking about a food that saves your body a step by already looking like diarrhea when it goes in, okay.

[Serbia]

Full disclosure: I have never been pepper sprayed.

[mookiemcgee]

Full disclosure: My wife has been complaining that I've been leaving racing stripes in my undies with more frequency over the last couple years. She has encouraged me to see a doctor and to start doing my own laundry

[GaryDenton]

In Texas, I have never seen anyone use peppers, except sometimes dried red pepper flakes for seasoning. Jalapenos may be added as a topping after serving. Spices are used instead of fresh peppers.

I would actually use that recipe, probably a different protein. Either masa or flour.
Usually, spices are pepper, garlic, chile powder, cumin, and paprika.

But then again, I often add tomatoes or sauce which is supposed to be a no-no for real Texas Chili. But using fresh peppers is so rare I have never seen it. Except chopped or sliced jalapenos with cheese or sour cream for garnish when serving.
And I am not a purist, if you want beans, fine.

Here is another Texas Chili recipe, but she adds tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds coarse ground beef, 80/20 or chuck also called chili grind
vegetable oil as needed
2 cups yellow onions chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 heaping tablespoon Better than Bouillon - beef flavor
1 (12-ounce) bottles amber ale beer
1 cup water
2 tablespoons masa

Toppings:
cheddar cheese shredded
sour cream
red onions chopped
jalapeno sliced

INSTRUCTIONS
Make Chili:
In a 6-quart saucepan, over medium-high heat, brown the beef crumbling as it browns, in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Remove the browned meat (2 pounds) to a paper towel-lined plate.
Remove all but 1/4 cup of the fat in the pan, if there's not 1/4 cup fat, add vegetable oil, as needed. Add the onion (2 cups) and cook, on medium, stirring occasionally, until browned and soft, about 10-12 minutes.
Stir in garlic (2 tablespoons), chili powder (3 tablespoons), cumin (2 tablespoons), smoked paprika (1 tablespoon), and oregano (1 tablespoon) and cook, stirring constantly so as not to burn the spices, until the spices are fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Return the browned beef to the saucepan and add the salt (2 teaspoons), pepper (2 teaspoons), bay leaves (2), crushed tomatoes (1 can), tomato paste (3 tablespoons), Better than Bouillon (1 heaping tablespoon), 3/4 cup of the amber ale beer and 1/3 a cup of water and simmer 20 minutes.
Add the remaining 3/4 cup of beer, another 2/3 cup of water, and masa (2 tablespoons) and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chili is thick.
Serve with any toppings you like.
.
https://www.gonnawantseconds.com/texas-chili-recipe-beefy-spicy-smokey/
.

[mookiemcgee]

I have consulted with my in house culinary attorney who also resides in Houston and he expressed the same level of disgust i'd shown you in my previous post...

"Holy shit. Adding flour to beef stock to make the base of your chili should be a crime." was the first sentence of his reply.

He's currently indisposed yelling 'remember the Alamo' at people on the Mexican side of the border, complaining about east coasters and shooting at people that cut him off in traffic but he's promised to provide me with a non-disgraceful texas chili recipe over the coming days. Stayed tuned, and please for the love of god stop posting recipes that disrespect your own state. I don't want to have to appropriate your cultural chili but i will do what need to be done to keep you from encouraging people to make their own dog food and serving it to family this holiday season.

[mookiemcgee]

Doc’s Secret Chili Recipe

Ingredients
6 Ancho chiles dried & seeded
4 Guajillo chiles dried & seeded
4 Chiles de arbol dried
2 Jalapeños fresh, seeded

4-5 pieces of bacon
3-4lbs of Chuck Roast, cubed
6 cloves of garlic
1 large white onion, diced
2 cups of water
1 bottle of beer
1/2-1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne

Instructions

1.Heat chiles in saucepan for a couple minutes, then turn off stove, add enough water to soak chiles for 30min.
2.In a large pot (cast iron Dutch oven ideal) fry the bacon until crispy, remove bacon and set aside.
3.Brown beef cubes in bacon fat until lightly browned, and remove.
4.Add onions and cook on medium for a few minutes until clear, then add the garlic cloves and cook for another minute or two.
5.Add meat back to pot, and add beer, water, crumbled bacon, and spices. Salt to taste and turn temperature back to high.
6.Take soaking chiles and drain/rinse them. Add them and the jalapeños to a blender with 1 cup of fresh water. Purée until smooth and then add this blend to the pot.
7.When the chili begins to boil, turn heat to medium and simmer for 2-3 hours (can extend to 3-5 to develop flavors). Taste hourly and adjust spices if needed.
8.Serve with tortillas, shredded cheddar, and fresh onions.

[mookiemcgee]