Good tri tip chili


 

DennisM

TVWBB Pro
Does anyone have a "stellar" chili recipe using finely chopped tri-tip? I plan on serving it over baked potatoes with a full condiment bar for the Seahawks game Sat...thanks.
 
Whole dried chilies:

2 large mulatos
3 aji amarillos
1 guajillo
2 pasillas

(I recently made this recipe and, instead, used all Chimayo chilies, 2 hot, 2 mild and 4 medium. You can use your favorite chilies.)

Prep the chilies: Bring 2 c of water to a boil in a kettle. Meanwhile: Heat a med sauté pan over med-high heat till hot. Lay half the chilies in the pan (or whatever amount will just fit) and toast the chilies, pressing down on them with a spatula, briefly, then flipping them immediately. Do this quickly a few times being careful not to burn the chilies. Dump on a plate on the counter to cool; repeat with the remaining chilies.

Put the chilies in a small bowl then pour the boiling water over them. Weight with a small plate to keep them submerged. Set your timer for 10 min. When the chilies are soaked, lift each out and put on a plate to cool. Strain the water to remove whatever seeds are in it back into your sauté pan. Remove the stems from the chilies then split the chilies with your fingers. Remove and discard the seeds as best you can; they're sticky. (I am not anal about removing every seed--just mostly; I do it quickly.)

Put the chilies into the water that you strained into the pan; bring to a simmer. Allow to cook, uncovered, till the water in the pan reduces to half its volume, about 20-25 min. Reserve.

The rest of the recipe:

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, coarsely chopped

1 Anaheim, cubanelle or banana pepper, stemmed, seeded, coarsely chopped

1 large jalapeño, or 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero, stemmed, seeded, coarsely chopped


2 cups finely diced yellow onion

2 T unsalted butter

1/2 t dried thyme

1st dump*

5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1/3 lb smoked bacon of best quality, chopped finely (I use my own sassafras-smoked bacon; I'd suggest the best bacon you can find commercially if you don't make your own, preferably hickory-smoked) or 1/3 lb pork sausage (if using sausage, add 2-3 t smoked paprika to the 3rd dump)

2 lbs beef chuck or tri-tip, cut into 1/4-1/2-inch cubes
1 lb chuck or tri-tip, chili grind--or finely chopped


1/3 c brewed coffee

1 6oz can pineapple juice

6oz beer

2 t unsweetened cocoa

2 t Better than Bouillon beef base

2nd dump**


1 14oz can diced tomatoes in juice, briefly drained

1 t Better than Bouillon chicken base

3rd dump***

****************************


The dumps:

*1st:

1/2 t cinnamon
pinch ground celery seed
1/4 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t marjoram
1/2 t ground cumin


**2nd:

1 T granulated onion
1 t granulated garlic


***3rd

1 T ground Aleppo pepper or 2 T ground ancho or 2 T sweet paprika
1/4 t coriander
3/4 t ground cumin
1 T granulated onion
2 t Mexican oregano



Put the chopped fresh peppers into a blender or food processor. Add the reserved cooked dried chilies and their water. Puree all together. It should be the consistency of ketchup, and you should have about 2 c. If necessary, add a little water to puree more easily and/or bring the level to around 2 c. Reserve.

Heat the butter in a large pot. When the foam has subsided, add the finely diced onion and the dried thyme, stir, reduce the heat to med and cook, stirring occasionally, till the onions are lightly browned all over. Scrape the onions to the side of the pot and add the 1st dump blend to the center, spreading it out a bit with a spoon. Let these spices briefly, about 15-20 secs, then stir well into the onions. Add the finely chopped bacon (or sausage) and the garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, about 3 min, till the bacon takes on a little color (but doesn't brown).

Add the cubed and the finely chopped chuck or tri-tip and stir well. Cook, stirring occasionally, till the most of the beef has lost most of its raw look. (In chili-speak, 'graying' is the term used to mean meat cooked till it loses its raw look but doesn't brown. What happens is that the meat heats and loses some fat and moisture. The meat steams in this mix and loses its raw look. If one allowed the moisture all to evaporate, then the meat would start actual caramelization--browning. This is usually frowned upon in chili because the meat's texture changes as a result. Your choice though.) You can drain some of the fat at this point if you wish. I never do.

Add the reserved pepper puree and stir well. Add the coffee, pineapple juice, beer, cocoa, the beef base, and the 2nd dump mix. Stir well, bring to a simmer over med-high heat, then reduce the heat to med and simmer, uncovered, about 45 min. (See note 2)

Add the diced tomatoes; add the chicken base. Stir well, return to a simmer over med-high heat, then reduce the heat to med/med-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 40 min. Add the 3rd dump, raise the heat to med, then cook an additional 10-15 min till the desired consistency is achieved. (See note 3)

Adjust salt. Adjust sweetness, if desired, with a little sugar. Serve.



Note 1: Do not use canned tomato puree. Do not use whole tomatoes packed in puree either. Both have a rather overcooked taste from the get-go. Get canned diced tomatoes; get the ones packed in juice. Most are.

Note 2: I like this recipe as written. I also like chili made without tomatoes and this could be done as an alternative. For a no-tomato chili, then at this point in the recipe one could simply continue to cook, adding a little water if needed, till the meat is very tender. Skip the 2nd dump. Add the 3rd dump, mix, and cook another 10 min or so at a gentle simmer, adding a little water to make the consistency correct. Adjust salt and sweetness. Serve.

Note 3: The consistency should work out right at this point. Water may be added, if needed, to correct it. I shy from adding more of the other liquids (beer, juice, stock) as I think the balance shouldn't be upset. Your choice.

If making in advance (I often do), take the chili up to the point of the 3rd dump but do not make the dump. Remove the chili from the heat, then remove it from the pot and put into shallow containers to speed cooling; combine when cooled, chill.

30 min or so before you wish to serve, return the chili to the pot and heat gently to a simmer; add the 3rd dump, cook 10-15 min, gently, then see Note 3.
 
Uh Kevin - when are you going to put your recipes in a book? I want a signed copy. You're insane
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I'm still getting over that Lamb loin chop recipe. No actually the leftovers/second cook. You kill me.
 
I made an adaptation of this recipe using smoked brisket, the chilies and other supplies that I had on hand to end up with a chili of my own. As happy as I was with it, the next will incorporate more of the recipe as Kevin has it written. I have to say I have never seen a better written, in-depth description of how to in a recipe. When jotting down what I am doing I an too lazy to do a job as well as Kevin does , then , later , when I go back to recreate a recipe I wonder what did I really do. I think Kevin is a good example to all of us.

The next batch, by the way will be entered in a chili contest this coming week end. It is to me my favorite so far, but I have reservations as to how it will do in this area. The up side to this is I now have a use for all that brisket I cook and have left over.

Thanks Kevin


Rick
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DennisM:
Does anyone have a "stellar" chili recipe using finely chopped tri-tip? I plan on serving it over baked potatoes with a full condiment bar for the Seahawks game Sat...thanks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Dennis, I have to ask this so.......... But why use Tri Tip for chili unless you get it for the price of Burger? Me I love Tri Tip hot off the grill, but it's pricey here at $4.39-$6.00 a lb. Just asking, no harm meant.
 
bryan...oh I had one already, and I get them for like $3.50 lb...I did not end up doing that with it as I did not have all those ingredients.
 
Well, I'm not sure if anybody tried the recipe above other than me, but it turned out like no chili that I've ever had before.... this is a good thing because I've never found a chili that I really like.

Granted I didn't have all the peppers, but I impovised and used some home dried peppers as well as store bought.

This turned out very reminicent of mole (probably becuase I used a couple more guajillo
than called for). This also is a good thing becuase I LOVE a good mole and have failed to find some in a very long time.

More than anything the technique worked really well for me and I will fool around using these methods and play with the ingredients.

So if you wondered if it was good... yes it was!

Enjoy.
Josh
 
I'm glad you liked it. It is somewhat similar to a mole (check out this one--scroll down to it)--lighter on the tomato, with fruit notes and the texture of pureed dried and fresh chilies, but without the nuts/seeds/bread one finds in many moles.

I really like its depth. Play with it and see what you come up with. (It's delicious over boiled yuca--look for bags of peeled, frozen yuca in freezers in Hispanic markets.)
 
Ate some more chili after it came together (sat in the frige for a few days). Still great, maybe even better. Less mole like, but still similiar.

I'll have to try that mole recipe out. Crazy how just a few years ago a recipe like that would have gotten one look and been tossed into the too hard, too many ingredients basket.

Looks doable now though!

Thanks,
Josh
 

 

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