making chilli tonite and wondered if anyone had any tips? ive heard you should put a bit of dark choclit in to enhance the chilli…

I use this recipe (more or less):

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2009/02/more-precise-texas-chili-recipe.html

Key parts – no tomatoes, no beans, pieces of beef rather than mince and using coffee and beer for the liquid.

Alternatively, if you’re doing a more normal UK style one, the coffee, beer and a bit of dark chocolate can’t hurt.

Fresh Chillies, no chilli powder, plenty of cumin, tin of tomatoes, squirt of tomato ketchup, mince, garlic, red kidney beans, sweetcorn, onion and a tin of corned beef to give it added texture, plus optional chopped peppers works for me.

Add a couple of tablespoons of worcestershire sauce.

making chilli tonite and wondered if anyone had any tips?

Chilli top tip:
If you using proper chilli’s (actually top tip #1 you really should be using fresh chilli’s), not powder, (#2) then wash your hands after handling them. I cannot stress this enough, even mild chilli’s can cause your eye to water and your down stair’s equipment varied levels of pain.
A fresh mild chilli is better than some-thing ridiculously hot. Not everyone enjoys having there mouth ripped to pieces cause ‘your’ such a hardman, milder chilli’s create a better ‘warm’ feeling & so a tastier chilli IME.

Top tip;
Some cubed chorizo (everything is better with some dead pig added)

Good things;
Couple cubes of dark chocolate
Beer (throw in a bottle and let chilli reduce over a couple of hours)
Smoked paprika
Cumin

Bad things;
sweetcorn
and easy on the tomatoes, you want it dark and smokey not red and sweet.

Second the smoked paprika or some smoked garlic – both give it a nice depth.

Use the right forum?

Sundried tomatoes and a cinnamon stick good.

A bit of cocoa adds richness (not chocolate).

If you want it smoky, chipotle chillies (which you can get in Tesco) are the thing, but they will also make it a bit potent.

Andy

Add some finely chopped fried bacon and sweat down some red onions

The right amount of chocolate is so your guests can tell there’s something nice there but can’t quite put their fingers on it. (i.e.don’t overdo it)

Habanero chillis give heat and flavour, but not the heartburn.

Totally agree on the dark smokey thing.

Mine vary depending on mood and what’s in the cupboard but I can recommend – bits of decent stewing beef not mince, several different varieties of chilli especially chipotle, dark chocolate, bourbon, smoked paprika, angusdura (sp?) bitters.

We use 5-6 different kinds of chili when we make it. It’s all about the depth of flavour, not the heat

Made this loads of times, tonight infact!

Ingredients:
1 green pepper, chopped fine
2 large onions, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
3 or 4 Tbsp. chili powder or better, red dried chilies
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin seed
1 tsp. oregano
2 lbs. ground or chopped beef
1 (21oz.) can tomatoes
1 cup water
2 Tbsp. suagr
2 tsp. salt
1 square unsweetened chocolate
2 (15oz.) cans chili beans or red kidney beans
Directions:
Fry onion, green pepper and garlic in fat until golden brown and
transparent.

Mix chili powder, flour, and all the herbs together and stir into onion
mix. Cook 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and water. (One large can
tomato juice can be used in place of the tomatoes and water.)

Simmer and season with sugar, salt, and chocolate, stir until dissolved
and cook an hour longer.

The sauce will be about like gravy. It may be thinned with tomato juice.

Brown the beef and add to the sauce. Cook about an hour.

Add the beans and cook until blended.
Serves 6-8.
/Better if served the next day or make the sauce one day and finish the
next./

A peperami and some dark chocolate.

a few cloves, and a touch of soy sauce, trust me

Just had a basic one, was nice though.
Fried well seasoned mince. Onions, cumin seeds and chilli powder and bit of cayan powder.
Chucked in a couple of cloves of garlic. Tin of chopped tomatoes, some beef stock, a glass of red wine Some muscavado sugar.
Was Pretty good but quite sweet 🙂

– cook it today, eat it tomorrow
– do not put chocolate in it – spoils it in my opinion
– add something a little bit sweet, worcestershire sauce or ketchup or chutney or soy
– brown your meat, don’t just cook/ stew/ boil it
– less tomatoes than a bolognese
– don’t just rely on chillis/ powder for the heat – add some sweet chilli sauce, or tabasco or similar as well