Robert McNamara Chili

I got inspired to write a blog after making a large pot of chili. It turned out better than I expected and so I wanted a place that I could write it down and have access to from anywhere. My newfound love of google reader suggested that I make a blog of it. I figure, if I can keep it going, I will at worst have a place I can go to remember some of my favorite recipes, what worked well and what didn't. At best, some of my culinarily minded friends might offer up comments and suggestions about what I might try differently. That's my hope at least.

So today, I bring you my first recipe. Nothing fancy. I freely admit the McNamara name is really just a transparent way to include the fact that I was really impressed with him in a rebroadcast of a 1995 interview that he had with Terry Gross on fresh air today. Enough so that I stopped by the Borders in the Century City mall on my way home to try to pick up a copy of his memoirs. It's a stupid time to buy a book though what with moving across the country and all. Dammit, I'm going to have to work on my brevity.

Robert McNamara Chili

2 lbs Choice Chuck (I used a cut called under blade for pot roasting)

2 28oz cans whole tomatoes

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

2 30oz cans kidney beans

2 jalapeno peppers

2 Serrano chili peppers

1 large white onion

2 red bell peppers

2 cloves garlic

~ Tbsp cumin

~ 10 Tbsp Chili Powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

To prepare:

Slice the meat into small 1 inch squares, about 1/3 inch thick. I got them pretty uniform in thickness, but the sizes were kind of all over the place. I cut out the really thick fat veins.

Coarsely dice the onion and red peppers. Finely chop the jalapeno, chili peppers, and garlic.

In a large pot, brown the meat over medium heat. I added a little chili powder, coarsely ground black pepper, and salt at this point so that the meat would brown with some flavor to it, stirring consistently. When the meat was about 50% brown, so I could still see plenty of red, I threw in the veggies. Over low heat I cooked this about 10 minutes, until the meat was clearly brown all over and the veggies were cooked through.

Then I added the three cans of tomatoes, brought it all to a boil and let it cook uncovered about three hours on the lowest heat I could possibly get out of my stove, stirring every 30-40 mins. The trick I've found with all meat and tomato sauces is that there is a point where the sauce changes. I don't know what happens, but it's pretty severe transition where the sauce becomes at once more liquidy on top and thicker down in the bottom. Once you're there, the sauce starts tasting like a sauce instead of a bunch of tomatoes.

At this point I added the kidney beans, a little cumin, and enough chili powder to put a thin layer over all of the chili. I mixed all of this in and then let it keep cooking.

The meat was still a little tough at this point, so I knew it needed longer to get to that tender point. I had it on low for about 3 hours more.

Slow cook is the key with these meats, but once it was done, the meat was tender, the red pepper was sweet, and it still had a strong kick to it from all the chillies. Definitely my best chili, and the beginning of what I hope is a successful blog.