Just made smoked brisket chili today. I had a little over 2 pounds of flat and point left over from a cook last weekend and had been eyeing this recipe. I can say that it's worth smoking a brisket just to make this chili. The taste is complex, multi-layered and delicious. It has a kick, but it doesn’t have a heat build up. The after effect is a nice warm feeling on the tongue that makes you thirsty for beer.
For the wine, I used a cheap pinot noir. The Knorr Tomato Boullion cubes were in the Mexican food section at the super. Beans might have been a decent add, but I ran out of room in the pot — this is a lot of chili. I used a large diameter stew pot and it was full to about 1/2” from the top.
SMOKED BRISKET CHILI*
Yield:**1 ½ gallons
2 slices thick bacon
3 cups celery, chopped (about 5 stalks)
3 small jalapenos, thinly sliced ( de-seed and de-vein)
2 purple onions, chopped (about tennis ball size)
Cook the bacon until you get some nice fat in the pan, then remove the bacon (toss it back in with the brisket) and sauté the vegetables in bacon grease until translucent.**Then add:
4 cloves of garlic, pressed
Sauté for about 30 seconds on medium heat.**If pan seems dry, add vegetable oil, then add the following spices and bloom them in the hot oil with the veggies.
½ cup + 2 TBLSP chili powder*(New Mexico chili powder has a nice kick)
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cayenne
1 TBLSP cumin
2 tsp. Mexican oregano
2 tsp. granulated onion
2 tsp. granulated garlic
Once this mixture has bloomed and turned to thick mud, add:
1 cup red wine
Reduce the wine down for about 10 minutes, **Then add:
1 14 oz. can tomato sauce
3 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
3 cups LOW SODIUM beef stock/broth
12 oz. V-8 juice
3 TBLSP (or 3 cubes) Knorr Tomato Bouillon w/ Chicken Flavor*(powdered )
2 ½ lbs. of cooked smoked brisket, cut into 3/8” cubes
(Optional: 1-2 20 oz. cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed.**I did not.)
Mix well. Test for need to add salt (probably not)
Bring up to a slight boil, then turn heat down and simmer uncovered until brisket is to your liking (about 1-1/2 to 3 hours, or whenever it tastes good to you)
Don't forget the Fritos, cheddar and Shiner Bock.
Jeff