Frank's 2-Alarm Chili

[frankcor]

Frank's 2-Alarm Chili
(best served between December and March)

I adapted this from a recipe by Wick Fowler. I actually entered this once in a chili cookoff in Austin and got some compliments -- had to get special dispensation to allow a Yankee to enter. Masa or any flour is strictly forbidden in competition chili so I used corn kernels. But it's fine for table chili.

2 pounds diced meat (about size of sugar cubes). Choice of meat: chuck, round, stew meat, venison, moose or mixture
1 28-ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chili pepper
1½ teaspoon red pepper (cayenne)
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
2½ teaspoon ground cumin
1-2 tablespoons masa flour

Sear diced meat in large kettle or Dutch oven until grayish color. Add can of tomato sauce and 1-2 cans of water. Then add all the dry ingredients except masa.

Note: for 1-alarm chili, use only half the red pepper. For false-alarm chili, leave out the red pepper. For 3-alarm chili, well, you get the idea.

Cover kettle and let simmer for an hour and 15 minutes or until the meat is tender. If you want the chili to take on a character of its own, you can simmer for 2, 3 or more hours. Stir occasionally. Then skim off grease.

Mix masa flour with warm water into a thick, but flowable mixture and stir into the chili to tighten it and add flavor. Let simmer another 15-20 minutes. Serve over cooked white rice. A dab of sour cream will help tone down the heat for less-hearty eaters.

[Clipper]

Hey frank, if ya have an asbestos butt, can ya substitute 28oz of lousiana sauce for the tomato sauce?? LOL

Seriously, it looks like a great recipe and I WILL be trying it.

[frankcor]

You could do that, Clipper, but it would definitely change the character

If you like it hot, just throw in another teaspoon of cayenne. But please warn your loved ones.

[Clipper]

No thanks, I am a lover of hot foods, but the older I get, the more mild I have to cook things. I still use a lot of jalepenos and grow my own in summer, for Kathy to can. I use "texas pete" on everthing but my oatmeal, haha.

I still write checks with my consumption of hot foods, that my tummy doesn't like to cash. Can you say Mylanta?? Keep the blue bottle right next to the bed!

[Clipper]

By the way, I love the fact that the recipe doesn't include beans, although I am sure they could be added. I found that chili is much more flavorful, and more digestible without beans. I think it is termed "con carne" if the beans are in it correct? Good meat, quality chili peppers, ground yourself, and fresh spices are the key ingredients to a quality product.

Thanks for the recipe Frank

[Ralph]

It sounds like love at first bite.

But I can hear my reflux monster laughing in the background.

[frankcor]

I suppose that even without any cayenne (false alarm), the cumin, garlic, onion and chili powder will probably make for an uncomfortable evening for those with anything less than an unblemished stomach lining or esophagus.

Clipper, have you had any Texas Foreplay hotsauce? It tastes a lot like cumin, but I swear there's some gunpowder in it.

[Ralph]

Hehehe......

I am actually fine with about anything I eat so long as it's not too hot or greasy. And then only if I try sleeping laying down.

If I sleep standing up it's fine...............just not to damn practical!!! ;D

[frankcor]

Hhmmm, it works for horses.

[Clipper]

No frank, I never had heard of it. I guess we don't have the "hot sauce outlet" such as the little place in riverside mall was. I only have access to the shelves of Krogers, Food Lion and Food City.

Sounds interesting. Anything that expands on the usual hot pepper and vinegar, with a little extra added flavor, is most likely and improvement.

[bobbbiez]

How bout a very simple delicious dessert for y'all?

"Bobbie's Mini Cheese Cupcakes"

2- 8oz packages of Philly cream cheese
3- eggs
3/4- cup sugar
1/2- tsps. vanilla

24- vanilla wafer cookies

yields 24 cupcakes

Beat together, cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla until real creamy. About 2 minutes.

Put cupcake papers in baking tins and then place vanilla wafer cookies flat side down in cupcake papers. Spoon in batter about half full.

Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes. Do not overbake.

After cooled, spoon on cherry pie filling or other fruit you like.
All done. Simple and soooooooooooooooooooo good. ;D

Refrigerate when finished.

[frankcor]

Wow! Those look like the perfect dessert for my 2-Alarm Chili. They'll taste a lot better than Tums!

[Clipper]

;D I guess I would have to rehearse new lines before eating chili. I would have to learn to holler, "come'on cheesecake" instead of "come'on ice cream". Hmmm. Sounds good though. Guess we will give it try when I get around to doing the chili thing again.

[bobbbiez]

lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok, ok, where's the depends again ;D.


Let me know how you like them after you try the recipe. Been making them since I was little with my Babci and continued the recipe for all things I had to cook for. All just loved them. You can't do no wrong and they will be the hit of the party for sure.

[Clipper]

:)Wow Frank, that is a good chili recipe. Kathy and I made it yesterday, and it was great. I used your entire recipe as written, but added two dried ancho chilis and sprinkled it with Texas Pete hot sauce when it was in my bowl. Kathy loved it without the hot sauce.

Didn't have time to make the cheese cakes Bobbbiez, so I'll just have to depend on ice cream this time around, LOL!