Long ago I came to the conclusion that chili is more
divisive than politics or barbeque.
When I developed my East Texas Chili (see Chili for One) in the
mid-seventies, I managed to alienate virtually all of my Texas friends, but
over time, I made a lot of new friends because of my chili.
After writing “Chili for One”, my email was rather busy for
a long while. Finally I wrote “Chili
Controversy” to make my point of view quite clear, but all I managed to do was
receive more emails on the subject. I
began to categorize the emails and quickly discovered the split was in two
major areas with each area again divided into two groups.
The first division was those who agreed with me and those
who did not agree with me. The split
was about 72% in agreement and 26% not in agreement. The remaining 2% just complained because I didn’t use things such
as tofu or shrimp. The next split was
in each category and was centered around whether or not they had made my
chili. In the non-agreement group, 14%
had made a batch of East Texas Chili and liked it, and no one had disliked
it. The remaining 86% had not made it
and would never make it. Okay.
The group that had agreed with me had about 20% who had made
the recipe, but only about 11% completely followed the recipe. The other 9% had no problems with altering
the ingredients to fit their individual tastes. Hey, isn’t that what a recipe is about anyway? The 80% who had not made the recipe were
generally planning to make it in the near future. Only a small number said they probably would not make it, but
that they wanted to support my point of view.
Now the beans are about to fly again. While in El Paso one fall, I was treated to
a “bring what you got” chili party.
This was quite interesting. Every
one of the 40 or 50 people who attended brought a few ingredients to add to the
pot, and the end result was enough chili to feed about 200. But it wasn’t a red chili. It was a green chili. Not one person thought to bring beef,
tomatoes, chili powder, or anything else red.
And I think this again proves my point that a “true Texas chili” is
different in every part of the state.
After returning to my home in Fort Worth, I began a two-year
trial and error green chili recipe development. I tried to recreate the uniqueness of the El Paso “bring what you
got” chili, and I think I came close.
West Texas Chili
Serves about 30.
1 pound
thick-sliced center-cut smoked bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch
strips
3 racks meaty
pork loin back ribs, membrane removed, individually sliced
2 pounds boneless
pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 pounds boneless
skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 pounds smoked
pork sausages, cut into 1/3-inch slices
2 pounds ground
veal or pork
Olive oil as
needed
2 large yellow
onions, chopped
1 head garlic,
peeled and finely chopped
2 ancho chiles,
seeded and cut into long very thin strips (no wider than 1/16-inch)
1 tablespoon
Mexican dried oregano
1 tablespoon
Kosher salt
Freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons
toasted cumin seeds, coarsely ground
2 quarts
vegetable broth, not low-sodium
3 quarts chicken
broth, not low-sodium
10 fresh poblano
chiles, seeded and chopped
6 fresh Anaheim
chiles, seeded and chopped
5 fresh jalapeno
chiles, seeded and chopped
3 yellow or green
bell peppers, seeded and chopped
4 pounds fresh
tomatillos, husked and coarsely chopped
1 bunch cilantro
leaves, coarsely chopped (reserve stems for another use)
2 (15-ounce) cans
garbanzo beans, drained
1 (1-pound) bag
frozen roasted corn kernels
1 tablespoon
dried basil leaves, crumbled
1/3 cup toasted
corn flour (not masa harina)
Zest and juice of
2 large limes
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat
until almost crisp. Remove the bacon
with a slotted spoon into a large stockpot.
Place 1/2 of the ribs into the skillet and sear on all sides, about 6 to
7 minutes total. Remove to the stockpot
with the bacon and repeat with the remaining ribs. When the ribs are completed, add the pork shoulder cubes to the
skillet and sear on all sides. Remove
to the stockpot. Repeat with the
chicken and sausage. Adjust the oil in
the skillet to about 1 tablespoon then add the veal and brown, crumbling with
the back of a spoon. When brown add to
the stockpot.
Adjust the oil again to 1 tablespoon and add the chopped
onion. Saute for 2 minutes and add the
garlic. Saute 2 minutes more, stirring
often. Remove to the stockpot. Add the ancho chile strips, oregano, salt,
pepper, cumin, vegetable broth, and 2 quarts of the chicken broth to the
stockpot. Bring to a simmer, uncovered
for 45 minutes. Add the remaining
chicken broth, fresh chiles, and bell pepper, and simmer, covered, 30 minutes
more.
Toast the corn flour by spreading on a baking sheet and
placing in a 350F oven for about 5 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool to
room temperature.
In a blender puree the tomatillos and cilantro leaves. Add to the stockpot, along with the garbanzo
beans, frozen corn kernels, and toasted corn flour; loosely cover and simmer 45
minutes more. Add the lime juice and
zest, stir and serve with plenty of napkins.
Serve with your choices of cornbread, flour tortillas,
grated Mexican Manchego cheese, lime wedges, cilantro, fresh sliced chiles,
chopped red onion, green salsa, fresh corn tamales, etc.
Note: A large can of
drained and rinsed hominy can be added at the same time as the blended tomatillos,
cilantro leaves, and garbanzo beans.
Also, 1/2 to 1 cup finely grated dry-aged jack cheese or Parmesan cheese
can be added during the last 15 minutes.
The chili should be a little thin, but not watery. To thicken, leave off the stockpot cover during
cooking and increase cooking time to concentrate the stock. To thin, add a bit more chicken and/or
vegetable stock.
Made in Texas by Texans.