Watery chili - help!

When I made my bi-monthly pot of chili last Sunday, it came out unusually runny! What are some tips LTHers can recommend in creating the art of perfectly thick, non-soupy chili?

Let it cook down for a while to evaporate some of the water. Also, a bit of masa harina would thicken it up a bit.

greygardens wrote:When I made my bi-monthly pot of chili last Sunday, it came out unusually runny! What are some tips LTHers can recommend in creating the art of perfectly thick, non-soupy chili?

Grey,

I add small incremental amounts of either cornmeal slurry or masa slurry (starch mixed with water) until I get the consistency I wish.

Small and incremental are key here, add too much at once, remembering the full thickening power of what you added does not happen instantaneously, and you end up with sludge.

Enjoy,
Gary

greygardens wrote:When I made my bi-monthly pot of chili last Sunday, it came out unusually runny! What are some tips LTHers can recommend in creating the art of perfectly thick, non-soupy chili?

Typically, you add some masa smoothly-mixed with water to the chili near the end of cooking both for flavor and thickening.

Years and years ago I was in the habit of adding finely diced potato to my chili(horrors!) which would thicken as the starch deliquesced.

check out the time codes!

Another thickener that I like is dried "refried" beans - I prefer the black beans, as they are seasoned slightly.

I see three options:

1) Cook longer and work a lot of the water out of the chili. Do it at low temperatures though.

2) The cornmeal trick works BUT don't overdo it AND make sure to cook it for a while after the addition.

3) Add canned beans with the juice. (And I don't want to here the litany of "real chili doesn't have beans")

I wonder if you started with frozen meat? That would result in watery chili. Since you make chili 2x a month, you must have it down to a science...did you use different (canned) tomatoes that had more liquid than usual?

Just ideas, no solutions!

messycook wrote:I wonder if you started with frozen meat? That would result in watery chili. Since you make chili 2x a month, you must have it down to a science...did you use different (canned) tomatoes that had more liquid than usual?

Just ideas, no solutions!

canned tomatoes in chili?

surely you jest!

jlawrence01 wrote:(And I don't want to here the litany of "real chili doesn't have beans")

But it doesn't.

I've never had this problem before! So...while by no means would I call myself a chili afficianado, I can make a decent, functional chili (I guess I should strive for more) that works well for a quick after work meal or something warm to take for lunch. I was shocked, because I let it cook for 6+ hours, so a fair amount of water should have come off. Beans are out of the question, because BF, my constant dining companion, hates them. But...maybe he wouldn't notice if I snuck some refried beans in the mix, though.

I will definitely try the cornmeal/masa suggestion. Any other tips would be greatly welcomed!!

Just ideas, no solutions![/quote]

canned tomatoes in chili?

surely you jest![/quote]


Sort of.... I think there are very high quality canned tomatoes, such as San Marzano and Pomi, and I don't have a problem using them in things like pasta sauce, chili, and some soups. In the half year period where good, fresh tomatoes are absent, canned tomatoes are always stocked in my pantry.

You know I was gently kidding, right?

um...I make a Texas chili which iconically employs no tomato product(tho' occasionally I fudge my recipe and build the body of the chile powders with a tablespoon of tomato paste or Spice House tomato powder)

that's the chili I grew up on, Texas, no beans no tomato

but, I easily enjoy the odd chili soup/tomato-y chili bowl with beans, with visible tomato pieces, yadda yadda yadda

making it at home I go for traditional

the addition of canned tomatoes(which I use all the time in other preps) would nudge *my* chili too far into Midwestern territory

Yes - I know you were kidding

I also know there are millions of ways to make chili - I have never had a bean and tomato free one, however. Time to try something new!

Cheers,
messy

I, for one, would enjoy reading greygardens's chili recipe...

off-topic...such a great handle...I've been a fan of the Maysles's for years and years(and they just released a companion dvd---also on Criterion--- to the eponymous which isn't just a cash-in to the renewed popularity, thankfully...it has genuine resonance and content)...and we have tickets to a mid-January perfomance of the musical(sdtrk available on iTunes for those interested)!

anyway

messycook:

I highly recommend Frank Tolbert's A Bowl of Red for insight into Texas chili culture, history, competition. These are the people who'd string you up if you so much as cooked a batch on a stove in a home nextdoor to a kitchen containing canned tomatoes.

I don't really follow a recipe. I had one my mom provided me (I'm a Hoosier and mom hails from Detroit, so I'm guessing its of the midwest variety) when I was in HS. Over the years, I've tweaked it and usually end up just thowing my meat, tomatos, spices, onions and peppers all in the pot and adjusting as I go. This latest slip up threw me and I wouldn't want to steer anyone in the wrong direction. When I'm on the right track, I'll quantify everything and post.

What would be your typical Texas style chili recipe that you would use?

My mom and I never get tired of this movie, although our relationship is far more stable than the Edies.

I'd also be interested in reading your Texas-style chili recipe. I made some recently and I thought it was pretty good but it was missing something. I'd especially be interested in hearing recommendations on prepping any dried whole chilis I'm using. Last time I just threw them in a blender with some beer and then used the beer in the recipe but I imagine there's a better way of using them.

I'm guessing you like beer?

greygardens wrote:I don't really follow a recipe. I had one my mom provided me (I'm a Hoosier and mom hails from Detroit, so I'm guessing its of the midwest variety) when I was in HS. Over the years, I've tweaked it and usually end up just thowing my meat, tomatos, spices, onions and peppers all in the pot and adjusting as I go. This latest slip up threw me and I wouldn't want to steer anyone in the wrong direction. When I'm on the right track, I'll quantify everything and post.

What would be your typical Texas style chili recipe that you would use?

My mom and I never get tired of this movie, although our relationship is far more stable than the Edies.

ahhh...the Bouviers(sp?) and chili (what next?)

I think I've posted my recipe(flowchart) before, but I'll certainly do it again...it's not that much different from a certain famous chili personality's(or, for that matter anyone serious about Tejas chili) so I'll have to throw in that caveat...but, then...it's not nearly as analytical as the recipes of Terlingua competitors. I'll offer it up in a bit.



so it goes(the spice/chile amounts are subject to experimentation...use more or less of all except Ancho which always needs to be higher in the ratio...especially use whatever dried chiles are available at the time):

3 lbs chuck roast
3 tblspn ground ancho
2 tblspn ground pasilla
1 tblspn ground Colorado nee' New Mexico chile
1 tblspn Muir Glen tomato paste(or Spice House tomato powder)...or omit
2 dried morita(chipotle) peppers
1 yellow onion coarsly-chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsly-chopped
tsp oregano
tsp bittersweet smoked paprika
ground cumin as per preference
cayenne (as per tolerance)
Diamond kosher salt...in stages
ground black peppercorn(the fruitier and hotter the better)
1 tblspn masa harina combined with 1/4 C warm water

optional: 1 can light kidney beans drained and rinsed

---

cut chuck into 1/2 inch cubes
season with salt and pepper
In oiled(corn or peanut)Cast-Iron dutch oven-
brown in small batches
set aside

deglaze vessel with chopped onions at low heat
add garlic
add tomato paste/powder
toast
add chile powders and spices (not masa)
work into a thick toasty, aromatic paste
return beef and juices to vessel
coat thoroughly
add water to cover

cook on low heat 3-4 hours(adding water as needed)

adjust seasoning(fish out chipotles)
add beans(if using)
cook 1/2 hour longer
add masa slurry
cook additional 1/2 hour
season

serve with chopped cilantro, extra sharp cheddar, limes, good corn chips, fresh or pickled jalapenos

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:I'd also be interested in reading your Texas-style chili recipe. I made some recently and I thought it was pretty good but it was missing something. I'd especially be interested in hearing recommendations on prepping any dried whole chilis I'm using. Last time I just threw them in a blender with some beer and then used the beer in the recipe but I imagine there's a better way of using them.

I mention only pre-ground chiles in my recipe, but I think blending dry chiles with beer defeats the purpose...when employing whole dry chiles, I toast then grind them then continue as per my "curry" chile paste recipe...they then are doubly toasty and aromatic

also, I'm not one for neuvo additions ala chocolate, cinnamon, or beer(well...okay...sometimes beer)...these aforemetioned accoutrement edge the chili into mole territory

Not to typecast myself by playing the beer cheerleader (beerleader?), but isn't beer pretty typical for a Texas chili?

Sometimes in the late Fall or early Winter, I get a yearning for the chili served in the cafeteria of my elementary school in Ft. Collins. You know the drill: lots of tomatoes, ground beef, various sorts of beans, stewed from the time the lunch ladies got there at oh-six-hundred hours until noon. That kind of chili, while ubiquitous, ain't all that easy to duplicate.

But it serves its purpose, both nutritionally and nostalgically. And it doesn't taste all that bad, either.

When I dabble with my own stuff, I've been known to use a bit of bacon along with the pork chunks, masa for sure, and my liquid is a good red enchilada sauce. If beans, then pintos. Lots of different kinds of toasted dried chiles. Ancho is a necessity to my way of thinking.

Sometimes I give the pork a bit of smoke before chunking it. It all depends. That's the wonderful thing about chili: it all depends.

Geo
PS. My semester ends on Friday, after which I'm on my way back to Montreal. I'll be posting again--I've just been toooooo busy for anything other than the kids, the books, writing, etc. It'll be simply great to get back to Quebec, and LTH.

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:Not to typecast myself by playing the beer cheerleader (beerleader?), but isn't beer pretty typical for a Texas chili?

beer can be a fine addition, but traditional it ain't

Geo wrote:Sometimes in the late Fall or early Winter, I get a yearning for the chili served in the cafeteria of my elementary school in Ft. Collins. You know the drill: lots of tomatoes, ground beef, various sorts of beans, stewed from the time the lunch ladies got there at oh-six-hundred hours until noon. That kind of chili, while ubiquitous, ain't all that easy to duplicate.

But it serves its purpose, both nutritionally and nostalgically. And it doesn't taste all that bad, either.

When I dabble with my own stuff, I've been known to use a bit of bacon along with the pork chunks, masa for sure, and my liquid is a good red enchilada sauce. If beans, then pintos. Lots of different kinds of toasted dried chiles. Ancho is a necessity to my way of thinking.

Sometimes I give the pork a bit of smoke before chunking it. It all depends. That's the wonderful thing about chili: it all depends.

Geo
PS. My semester ends on Friday, after which I'm on my way back to Montreal. I'll be posting again--I've just been toooooo busy for anything other than the kids, the books, writing, etc. It'll be simply great to get back to Quebec, and LTH.

I used to add pork products to my chili, but with friends who resolutely don't dig on the pig, I switched to experimenting with dried chipotles of various provenance.