Some Chili Notes
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| What makes it chili? Easy breakdown for ya - chili is a mixture of ingredients, cooked together that contains some form of chili pepper. Pretty easy. This opens up a world of possibilities. There can be as many different kinds of chilies as there are chili-heads, after all. And with so many opinions out there about what makes a chili great - beans, no beans - tomatoes or not - mild, spicy, so friggin hot that your mouth is ablaze - why choose just one? They're all worth exploring! We do two team-themed chilies a week here during Bears season - serious fun, seriously tasty. Have we pushed the edge of what chili is? You be the judge. Over and over again! |
Some chili notes and keys to your success: We use kosher salt when we're making our chilies. It's a little coarser than regular table salt. So if you're using table salt, cut it back a little to make sure it's not TOO salty. Chili, or anything you cook for that matter, is only as good as the stuff you put in. Fresh spices make for better flavored chili. So if you're staring at a bottle of cumin that came with the spice rack you got when you got married, you might want to toss it out and go buy a new one. Your chili will thank you. If you'll be making lots of chili (and we hope you will) then you can probably buy cumin and chili powder in a bulk size to save some money in the long run. Heat levels are sort of a personal taste thing. We have a pretty high tolerance for heat, but we try not to accept that as "normal" when we write up the recipes. We don't water it down, but we don't ramp it up either. Point is, add or subtract heat to your liking. We've been asked where we pick up our spices for the chili, and it's a combination of Jewel and Sam's Club. Nothing more exotic than that. Most of all, chili-making is more art than science, so have a good time, enjoy the game, and share the goodness. |
