Chili Cook Off at Khyber

I am divulging my secret before the cook off at the Khyber! Typically it is a bad idea to share secret recipes before a contest but since chili takes hours to cook so that the spices properly blend, I figured this would not really reveal anything to any potential competitors. Not that I would honestly expect competitors to review my blog in order to outdo me. Not that I expect to win the cook off either! That’s part of the fun.

I am not a fan of chili. I see it as a pile of meat in a tomato sauce with a bunch of spices. In researching recipes I confirmed my opinion. The challenge for me was to see if I could turn out a decent version of a standard dish that people would enjoy, rather than my usual experiments. The result? I relied on a standard recipe and did not stray too far from the normal path. More than anything, it felt like cheating, but how many unique variations of a classic can you really create? And aren’t they classics because people like them the way they are?

Chili

recipe inspired by Cooks Illustrated January/February 2011

• 3-5 lb chicken
• ½ c apple cider
• ½ t tabasco sauce
• 6 oz Kenzinger beer
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 dried chipotle peppers
• 3 dried ancho peppers
• 2 dried arbol peppers
• ½ c dried kidney beans
• ¼ c dried black beans
• ¼ c dried chick peas
• 1½ T corn meal
• 1 t cocoa powder
• 1 t dried oregano
• ½ c chicken stock
• 1 medium onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 7 oz diced tomato (canned)

1. Place the beans in a pot with at least twice the amount of water and bring to a boil.
2. Once boiling, cover the pot, remove from heat, and let sit for 2 hours.
3. Rinse and dry the chicken.
4. Place 3 chipotle peppers and two cloves of garlic in the cavity of the chicken.
5. Tie the chicken up and roast at 450F for 15 minutes.
6. Drop the oven temperature to 350F and continue to roast for 30 minutes.
7. Combine the apple cider and tabasco sauce and baste the chicken.
8. Continue to baste the chicken every 15 minutes until it is done (185F in the thigh).
9. Remove the chicken from the pan and place the pan over a burner until the liquid starts to boil.
10. Add about 6oz Kenzinger beer to the pan to deglaze.
11. Strain the liquid and set aside.
12. Carve the chicken and cut into 1&#quot; strips.
13. Seed the ancho and arbol peppers.
14. Chop the ancho pepper into 1" pieces and toast until fragrant.
15. Combine the ancho peppers, arbol peppers, corn meal, cocoa powder, oregano in a food processor until well ground.
16. Add 2 T chicken stock to the food processor to make a paste.
17. Dice the onion and jalapeno and sautée until soft.
18. Mince 2 garlic cloves and sautée with the onions.
19. Combine the chili paste, onion mixture, tomatoes, stock, beans, beer and cider liquid, and chicken pieces, in a large pot or dutch oven. Bring to a boil then simmer 1½-2 hours.
20. The chili is ready at this point but tastes even better if let to sit for a few hours or a day.