Eric's Chili
Evidently Great Nephew Eric Murchison has the Depew/Lincoln genes for
cooking.
I havent tried this recipe for three reasons
1. I don't that the attention span to read it, let along follow it
2. I forget
3. What?????
It does look good, though and with all those chilies
it would be right up my alley. . .
Ingredients
1 pound dried dark red kidney beans
Kosher salt
4 quarts water
3 whole Ancho, Pasilla, or
2 whole New Mexico red, California, Costeño, or Choricero
chiles, seeded, and torn into rough 1-inch pieces (about 1/8 ounce)
1 whole Cascabel, Arbol, or Pequin chile, seeded, and torn in half
5 pounds bone-in beef short rib, trimmed of silverskin and excess fat
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth (preferably home made), divided
2 whole anchovy filets
1 teaspoon marmite
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted, then ground
1 1/2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds, toasted, then ground
2 whole cloves, toasted and ground
1 star anise, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon extra-finely ground coffee beans
1 ounce chopped unsweetened chocolate
1 large yellow onion, diced fine (about 1.5 cups)
3 fresh Thai bird chiles or 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
2 bay leaves
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup cider vinegar, plus more to taste
1/4 cup vodka or bourbon
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Now for the long involved process:
Place beans, 6 tablespoons kosher salt (or 3 tablespoons table salt),
and water in large plastic container or bowl. Allow to soak at room
temperature at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse soaked beans
Add dried chiles to large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or stock pot and
cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until slightly
darkened with intense, roasted aroma, 2 to 5 minutes. Do not allow to
smoke. Remove chiles to small bowl and set aside.
Season short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Add oil to Dutch
oven and heat over high heat until smoking. Add half of short ribs and
brown well on all sides (it may be necessary to brown ribs in three
batches, depending on size of Dutch oven—do not overcrowd pan), 8 to 12
minutes total, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke excessively or meat
begins to burn. Transfer to large rimmed baking sheet or plate. Repeat
with remaining short ribs, browning them in fat remaining in Dutch
oven. Once all short ribs are cooked, transfer all rendered fat into
small bowl and reserve separately. Allow short ribs to cool at room
temperature.
Meanwhile, return Dutch Oven to medium-high heat and add 1 cup chicken
broth, using flat wooden spoon or stiff spatula to scrape browned bits
off of bottom of pan. Reduce heat until chicken broth is at a bare
simmer, add toasted chiles to liquid and cook until chiles have
softened and liquid is reduced by half, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer chiles
and liquid to blender, add anchovy, marmite, soy sauce, tomato paste,
ground spices, coffee, and chocolate, and blend at high speed, scraping
down sides as necessary, until completely smooth puree is formed, about
2 minutes. Set chile puree aside.
Trim meat from short ribs bones and hand-chop into rough, 1/2-inch to
1/4-inch pieces (finer or larger, if you prefer), reserving bones
separately. Add any accumulated meat juices to chili puree.
Heat 4 tablespoons rendered beef fat (if necessary, add vegetable oil
to reach 4 tablespoons) in large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot
over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook, stirring
frequently, until softened but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add fresh
chiles, garlic, and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until
fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chile puree and cook, stirring frequently
and scraping bottom of pot until chile mixture begins to fry and leaves
a coating on bottom of pan, 2 to 4 minutes. Add chicken stock, chopped
beef, beef bones, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, scraping bottom of
pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to lowest possible setting, and
cook, with cover slightly ajar, for 1 hour. Add crushed tomatoes, cider
vinegar, and beans, and cook with cover slightly ajar until beans and
beef are tender and broth is rich and lightly thickened, 2 to 3 1/2
hours longer, adding water if necessary to keep beans and meat mostly
submerged (a little protrusion is ok).
Using tongs, remove and discard bay leaves and bones (at this point,
any excess meat still attached to the bones can be removed, chopped,
and added back to the chili, if desired). Add vodka (or bourbon), hot
sauce, and brown sugar, and stir to combine. Season to taste with
kosher salt, ground black pepper, and additional vinegar
Serve immediately, or for best flavor, allow to cool and refrigerate
overnight, or up to 1 week in sealed container. Reheat, and serve with
desired garnishes.