that looked… uh.. salty. Was that 1tbsp after already adding celery salt? Not searing the beef was an odd choice. However, I like the idea to basically caramelize the onions after blending them up as the base, that’s interesting. All in all, I may try *elements* of this
Lessthanzerofucks
No rehydrated dried peppers, ground beef instead of cubed beef, adding tomatoes for cripe’s sake… sorry, I don’t think a Texan will give you a pass for this.
* Get whole dried chilies and toast them in a dry pan before grinding. I like a good mix of fruity (ancho, pasilla), fresher (new mexico, costeño), hot (arbol), and smoky (chipotle, guajillo). 1 or 2 of each is fine. They keep forever in the pantry so you can break them out whenever it’s chili time. * Get whole spices and toast them up after the chilies. I like Kenji’s addition of star anise, and sometimes I add a shard of cinnamon stick to make the dish feel warmer like Indian curries. Chili is nothing without cumin and coriander seed, so those are mandatory. * Tomatoes in chili are fine, but I prefer whole canned tomatoes that I smush with my hand before cooking. Tomato Paste is also excellent in addition. * Ground beef is fine for chili. I don’t really get the hate. Sure it doesn’t compare to short rib or chuck, but it isn’t that bad. Sometimes I cut my ground beef half with ground turkey to make it leaner while still keeping the beefy flavor. Fry your ground beef before the onion. * Some fish sauce, dark chocolate, and instant espresso or coffee powder elevate the flavors really nicely. * I don’t add broth because the whole tomatoes add liquid. Bouillon powder/concentrate would be fine to add. * Pressure cooking chili is awesome, even if it’s a ground beef one. * Add beans, or not. I’m not your mom. This is Texan approved. Beans in chili are nice for rounding out the meal. I like black beans but any are fine.
Order of cooking that I do:
* Cut up dried chilies and remove extra seeds. Toast chilies, add to spice grinder. Toast spices in same pan, add to spice grinder. Blitz. * Cook ground beef until browned and add to pressure cooker. * Soften onions/garlic, add spices and tomato paste and toast further. Add a splash of water to deglaze and add to pressure cooker. * Add extra ingredients (fish sauce, chocolate, espresso, bay leaf) and pressure cook for 15-30 mins. * Add canned beans. Reduce if soupy, salt to taste.
3 Comments
that looked… uh.. salty. Was that 1tbsp after already adding celery salt? Not searing the beef was an odd choice. However, I like the idea to basically caramelize the onions after blending them up as the base, that’s interesting. All in all, I may try *elements* of this
No rehydrated dried peppers, ground beef instead of cubed beef, adding tomatoes for cripe’s sake… sorry, I don’t think a Texan will give you a pass for this.
HEB, you know better. This looks pretty meh. You even sell [dried chilies in stores](https://www.heb.com/product-detail/bolner-s-fiesta-ancho-chili-pods-1-5-oz/169956).
For constructive criticism, here’s what I do for a medium-effort ground beef chili, following notes from Kenji’s [best chili recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-chili-recipe):
* Get whole dried chilies and toast them in a dry pan before grinding. I like a good mix of fruity (ancho, pasilla), fresher (new mexico, costeño), hot (arbol), and smoky (chipotle, guajillo). 1 or 2 of each is fine. They keep forever in the pantry so you can break them out whenever it’s chili time.
* Get whole spices and toast them up after the chilies. I like Kenji’s addition of star anise, and sometimes I add a shard of cinnamon stick to make the dish feel warmer like Indian curries. Chili is nothing without cumin and coriander seed, so those are mandatory.
* Tomatoes in chili are fine, but I prefer whole canned tomatoes that I smush with my hand before cooking. Tomato Paste is also excellent in addition.
* Ground beef is fine for chili. I don’t really get the hate. Sure it doesn’t compare to short rib or chuck, but it isn’t that bad. Sometimes I cut my ground beef half with ground turkey to make it leaner while still keeping the beefy flavor. Fry your ground beef before the onion.
* Some fish sauce, dark chocolate, and instant espresso or coffee powder elevate the flavors really nicely.
* I don’t add broth because the whole tomatoes add liquid. Bouillon powder/concentrate would be fine to add.
* Pressure cooking chili is awesome, even if it’s a ground beef one.
* Add beans, or not. I’m not your mom. This is Texan approved. Beans in chili are nice for rounding out the meal. I like black beans but any are fine.
Order of cooking that I do:
* Cut up dried chilies and remove extra seeds. Toast chilies, add to spice grinder. Toast spices in same pan, add to spice grinder. Blitz.
* Cook ground beef until browned and add to pressure cooker.
* Soften onions/garlic, add spices and tomato paste and toast further. Add a splash of water to deglaze and add to pressure cooker.
* Add extra ingredients (fish sauce, chocolate, espresso, bay leaf) and pressure cook for 15-30 mins.
* Add canned beans. Reduce if soupy, salt to taste.