Summer of 1977 I was in summer semester at Princeton (NJ). I had 3 room mates, 1 from Ohio, 1 from Michigan, and another Texan. One Friday evening our 2 non-Texans decided to treat us to a taste of home. They found one in the Yellow Pages, West Orange comes to memory. We drove up to find a mom & pop restaurant, ran by a middle eastern family (FLAG #1).
The dishes had correct names but they were terribly misspelled (FLAG #2, but a small flag).
When our non-Texicans asked waitress to describe dish or describe what was in it, they got a blank look (BIG FLAG #3).
I was ready to scoot and so was the other Texan, but the others said that they would pay if we would give the meal a "Texican Critique". Okay, my cheapness overcame my misgivings and we ate.
I experienced many tastes that night, all new, none Tex-Mex.
Where to start?
Chili was soupy and bland, with beans (Not pintos).
Not a jalapeno pepper in sight.
Meat (Beef) was Italian spiced.
Picante was oregano and onions in tomato soup.
Melted mozzarella cheese.
All I could say was "It ain't Mexican".
That Monday I called my wife and told her what happened. She gave me a "There, there" and said she would make it all better. She sent me 3 boxes of Wick Fowler's, 9 jalapenos, 2 packets of taco seasoning (Bettern' nuthin'), box of taco shells, bag of yellow corn soft tortillas, and a pint of medium picante.
The next Saturday, we cooked. The whole apartment house, including the manager, kept asking "What smells super?" We gave everyone a taste and gorged ourselves. There was NOTHING left. People were scraping pots. My roomies learned a lesson: New Jersey has Italian restaurants that are unbeatable. Tex-Mex? Not so much.

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I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.

Native born Texan here, and the only veg allowed in anything called "chili" are onions and jalapenos...no dang beans unless you're cooking for yankees. My son killed his first deer last season and so far, everyone has enjoyed my venison stews, fajitas, and steaks. If he is successful this year, I'm going to make some venison chili.

Regards,

Dave

I have a few really good chili recipes---but---the best i have ever had is called Chili El Cid.

Look it up and try-----make alot.

I have made it and ate it all over the place including Texas.
Since I have been in New Mexico, I have learned to make it with a lot of pure chili powder and no tomato.
Tomato is for stuff like pasta sauce.
Also onion, garlic, and cumin. S& P.
A little thickening - cornstarch, Masa, cornmeal or just crumple up a few corn chips.
I usually use hamburger, but have used Beef stew eat, ground pork, ground turkey and chicken.
My chicken chili red will made you howl at the dark side of the moon!
I also make a vegetarian chili that makes folks say - are you sure this is vegetarian?

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Wow, that sounds interesting...got a recipe you could share?

Thanks,

Dave

Vegetarian Chili???

And I thought I was weird 'cause I like beans in mine.

Mid 90s when Cajun food was on an upswing for trendy stopped at a place in Northern VA, while at FT. Belvoir, which was called "Best of the Bayou". It was run and owned by a Thai family who substituted Bok Choy for Okra. A friend had a sort of stir fried Chicken "E-Two-Fay" spelled just that way. It wasn't bad just very weird. The owner said his chef "live New Awlawns two years learn everything. I gave them a good tip for trying.

Pilgrim with the great quality peppers grown there in NM I would guess that most all types you make would be good.

For years, we would deer and elk hunt in the northern Rockies, Uintas, etc. We always would stop in Cedar City for Tex-Mex (that, in itself, is an oxymoron), because we knew that any further north, we were doomed. I would, after a week, get so desperate that I would eat at Taco John's (similar to Taco Bell but about 1/10th as good). Then I was in Riverton and found a little hole-in-the-wall joint by the train station. When I asked for jalapenos for my nachos, the whole family came out to greet my wife and I (helped we were speaking "passable" Spanish). Those were the days when we only got frozen or canned tortillas in Washington, except Wednesdays and Saturdays.

On the other hand, Mr Taco in Los Angeles had the very best chile colorado burritos I ever had and guacamole tacos and it was owned by a Korean.

On the other hand, Mr Taco in Los Angeles had the very best chile colorado burritos I ever had and guacamole tacos and it was owned by a Korean.[/QUOTE]

One of the best restaurants in San Antonio is or was owned by an Armenian Family.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

In 1955 I went into a Chinese restaurant in Lafayette, IN, and saw "Italian spaghetti" on the menu.

I had to try it.

The sauce was sweet and loaded with bean sprouts. Wasn't awful, but it damn sure wasn't Italian. Or Chinese.

I grew up on chili with pinto beans in it, but I can certainly appreciate a bowl of real Texas red.

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Oh well, what the hell.

There are many styles, most are tasty, but real Tex-Mex chili uses real beef and no beans.
Also, it's hot enough to make you sweat in December.

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I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.

Sorry for the thread drift, but the directions this thread is going - I've gotta story to tell...

When I was poor grad school student, there was a Korean fast food place in the student union. The place had all of the usual Korean foods posted on the menu such as bulgogi, Korean BBQ ribs, etc. They also advertised: Gorilla Cheese Sandwich, which at $0.50 was their cheapest item.

I was enough of a biology student to understand that gorillas are mammals, and as such, the females are capable of making milk, but I just couldn't imagine anyone having the cajones to milk one. One day, I was bored and hungry, so I summoned my inner Andrew Zimmer and ordered the Gorilla Cheese sandwich. I don't speak Korean, but I got the impression from the staff that they were happy about my order. Well, what I got was a grilled cheese sandwich. It was a good sandwich, and I just didn't have the heart to try and correct their spelling.

Regards,

Dave

I made a basic chili for my in laws and a few friends while in Germany a few years back. I brought hot chili powder and made the rest it from local market.

I make a pretty good chili but the quality of their ingredients really made it good.

Usually when having dinner with them the food will get cold from all of the conversation and banter. This time the only thing I heard from anyone was their plates and forks.

One of the best Pizzas I ever had was from their town. Made by a Hungarian guy named Yanos. Everything he made was and is first rate. He and his crew have the golden touch.

He loved the chili and wanted me to make some at his named restaurant (he has two others) but I had no time to do it so I gave him a recipe to start with. I wonder if he ever made some. I bet if he did it was good.

I may never go back since my FIL and wife are gone.

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Dum vivo cano

One of the best restaurants in San Antonio is or was owned by an Armenian Family.[/QUOTE]


YES!!!

Karam's...Lord how i miss that place. And I don't care what anyone says:I like pintos in my chili!

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

To return this thread back on track, real chili (as prepared on the trail) should have really poor cuts of tougher meat, the basics of onion, chili powder, a thickener, usually masa, salt and pepper.

It needs to be cooked low and slow for several hours to tenderize the beef. Tomato sauce is common now, but less is better than more. I have a penchant for garlic so it will be added. Some use beer, I don't. I hear it helps to tenderize the meat, I just cook it for a while longer.

I hope you find this helpful.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

I use a little red wine in mine. It works much better than beer. I never thought it as a tenderiser but more of a flavor enhancer to the beef while bringing a little sweetness to the chili.

Try it, just don't use garbage wine.

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Dum vivo cano

It seems that just about every small town around my neck of the woods has a chili cook-off at least once during the year.

Last year I went to one of the events and came across a chili that smelled fabulous but so hot that it was almost unbearable to eat. It was spiced with Naga Viper peppers. To understand how hot these peppers are, a jalapeno pepper has a Scoville Heat Unit (the measurement of hotness of a pepper) of 2,500 to 10,000 SHU. The Naga Viper has a SHU of 1,349,000. The Naga Viper is a hybrid pepper created by Gerald Fowler of the famous chili pepper company out of California.

That chili did a number on my rear end for two days. I should have paid more heed to the warning sign the chili chef posted at his table.

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A gun has no brain.. use yours

I'll have to check this out!

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Miss Buddies crsides & fat tom

I don't have anything written down and I don't measure ingredients.I like beans in mine...The fiber is good for you! I've tasted better than mine and I've tasted worse...So what?

Have yet to make a bad batch...On a cold winter's night it's all good!

Mom always put beans in the chilli, so for me, chilli has beans in it.

Although, I ordered chilli in Arizona once and received some strange bean-less concoction instead. Turned out to be pretty good. Haven't tried to make it yet, but that time is coming.

A little off topic for a gun forum, but has anybody ever considered a recipie sticky? Posted, voted and added?

I was in Brisbane, Australia in 1991, at the main bus terminal, about to catch a bus to my hotel. I had missed supper and was hungry, so I started looking around what was still open in the food court there. I found a taco stand, run by an Indian man. I got a couple of tacos to go. He asked me if I wanted hot sauce on them, and pointed to a bin that had a concoction that was an eerie flourescent orange, it looked like liquid fire. I said, "I don't think so.", but the tacos were decent anyway.
About Texas chili, there are two types, tournament chili and eating chili. Tournament chili is very basic, meat, chili powder, spices, a little thickner, and usually nothing else. Eating chili may have tomato product, beans (a few, and nothing wierd), and maybe some odd seasoning. This will be the kind that earns People's Choice awards. Tournament chili has to meet standards, eating chili just has to taste great.
My chili tip, use chili grind meat, it's meat, it should have some chew to it. I'm too lazy to finely dice a chuck roast.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

For my (beanless chili), I use diced beef (1 to 2"), Carroll Shelby's mix (highly doctored==secret process!).

Chili with beans: Make from scratch with ground beef, etc.

I don't mind beans in my chili either. They are a good cheap filler. I think it is funny when people talk about chili recipes, to me chili is sort of like stew, just depends on what is on hand.

Boys, you're making me hungry!

When i was a very small kid---i used to eat these cheese sandwiches all the time that my mother made for me----I just did not want to tell anyone that i liked the .....

GIRLED cheese sandwiches, as I did not want to be labeled a sissy.

This is an old post I see, but it has made me hungry,,,,,,so I'm heading out now to the kitchen to open up a can of chili for my lunch!

Don't forget the canned tamales...

Canned chili? Gotta do better than that.

Ringo will be by shortly.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Hope not.
He's suffered enough as of late...

I still have some ground venison in the freezer that my neighbor across the street gave me. It's about time to make some chili again, no beans of course. Mom likes beans in her "chili" and makes it with plenty of tomato sauce. I let her eat that.

Speaking of finding good Tex-Mex outside of Texas. I was vacationing in Colorado back in the '90s, just camping out of the back of my Dodge Dakota pickup and after a few days up in the mountains around Mt Shavano I needed a real bed, a shower and some food that was not instant. I went to Colorado Springs, found a little 10 room cabin style motel and proceeded to get clean. After the shower I went around the corner to a restaurant someone made from a old '50s malt shop. It still had the old music stations at the table, that worked! It turned out the owner was a fellow Texican who moved up there with his Mexican wife. I got to load up on real Tex-Mex with real salsa and real tortillas. It was heaven, even more so for being unexpected. One of the best vacations I ever experienced overall. It was off season just before the snows started so I got to stay in Telluride one night for cheap, eat some good Italian and then head around the corner to a golf course for 18 holes the next morning.

Well, I guess the disclaimer here is that I was born and raised in NM, albeit less than about 40 miles west of the State line with Texas. And we lived in a little town for 40 years that was 15 miles from Texas. Never found much difference at all between West Texans and Eastern New Mexicans. Got nuthin' much against Tex-Mex food, but when you grew up on New Mexican style Mexican food, of which there is great variety depending on where in the State you eat it, you know it ain't Tex-Mex!
Here in far west Texas, I have found places that taste like New Mexico, and I have others that are definitely Tex-Mex, mostly all good stuff. But they ain't the same, at least not to me!

Same with the chili with or without beans. Don't mind a bit if you don't like beans in your chili. Don't mind if you like it with beans. Good chili is good chili either way, and I've had enough bad chili to definitely know the difference! I've never seen a good chili that was made worse by the addition of good PINTO beans. I've never seen a bad chili that was made better by adding PINTO beans. I have seen folks who don't want their chili with beans who eat their chili with beans on the side. Tell me what different does it make? It's all goin' to the same place, right? Now I will say this ... I make my chili straight, no beans in the chili pot. I also make my PINTO beans straight, no chili in the pot. But I mix 'em together when I dish up a bowl full of both. Don't mix 'em till I'm about to eat 'em. Near as I can tell, neither one is hurt by the mixing. Personal opinion of course. And we all got one, and in this case, both with and without beans is right! I think Alan Brown calls it "GOOD EATS!!"

Now we can argue about seasonings that we put in our chili! And we can debate the difference between "chili" and "chile". And then we can argue about which is best, green chile or red chile. Truth is they are one and the same, the green is picked before the stuff begins to turn red, and the red is left on the vine to mature to the point where it is dry enough to pick and store up in a tow sack to finish completely drying without molding. Both have their place, and many times, that place is both of them together on the same plate!

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So long ... Ken

When I make a pot of chili it's pretty big so I freeze a lot.

I find that the beans don't do well after freezing and thawing.

Same with potatoes in other dishes.

Gonna make some chili soon. I've been craving it lately.

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Dum vivo cano

They must of at least used beans as a side, if not under the chili, on Texas cattle drives. I know its true, I watched "Blazing Saddles"!

Best,
Rick

I make chili, mostly in the fall and winter. Been thinking about it
now that the days are shortening. After this thread may have to make
it this week.

My recipe uses burger, (or ground venison if I have some) tomatoes, kidney beans, onions, green pepper, chili powder, garlic powder and a bit of soy sauce and cider vinegar. I haven't ever been to Texas and this is grandma's recipe so you are unlikely to convince me that I'm wrong and grandma was too.

The best commercial chili I remember was made on a camp stove on the
tail gate of a pickup. The truck was parked above a canyon in Southern
Utah. I was visiting dad and mom who were wintering there that year.

While dad, his pastor and the pastor's hunting buddy, talked and oversaw the heating of the chili, I used my Bushnell binocular to scan the canyon.
Did not see the buck I was expecting to find but the chili was hot and good.

The pastor had his own recipe. He mixed a can of Chili Con Carne (no beans) with a can from the same outfit with meat and beans. IIRC it was Wolf brand. I liked mine better, of course, but my recipe was hundreds of miles away, and the tailgate special was right there and I was hungry.

Making Chili is a lot like making chicken and sausage gumbo. Some are better than others, it never taste exactly the same from batch to batch since nothing is written down and I've never had a "bad" one!

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Forum consigliere

I don't use chili powder. I pan roast dried anchos, pasilla and guajillo chilis, then purée in a food processor with onions, garlic and cumin. Only other ingredients are my homemade beef stock, salt and beef. No beans, tomatoes or thickeners. However, I will fry an egg and put some cheddar on it.

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Smith & Wesson beat four aces

That's what we been missing here, more pics of chili.

I could do the Triple Lindy into this:

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Music/Sports/Beer fan