Another Experiment

I had the opportunity to have a meal without Amy again tonight, so I dragged out the recipe for chili that I worked up a few months ago. I was armed with an evening's experience and a few new ingredients, how did I fare? Read on, loyal reader, read on...

Bald Man Tom's Skillet Chili, Take Two

The Players

The Pan	12" cast iron skillet, well seasoned
The Ingredients	~12 oz. chuck roast, cut into small cubes salt 2 oz onion, finely diced 1 clove garlic, minced 3 oz pickled jalapenos, minced ~1-1/2 oz chipotles in adobo sauce, minced ~1 tbsp adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles in adobo) 2 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp cumin 2-1/2 c beef broth, plus 3 tbsp 3 tbsp masa harina Vegetable oil

The Method

Season the meat with a few pinches of salt about 5 minutes before cooking begins. Heat the skillet over high heat. Coat the skillet thinly with oil, then sear the meat quickly on all sides, maybe 1-2 minutes max. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium, sautee the onion and garlic until softened a little, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Add the minced jalapenos and minced chipotles, stir and let sautee another 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Add the meat back to the pan with 2-1/2 c of the broth, chili powder, cumin and adobo sauce, mix and simmer 5 minutes. Make a slurry with the masa harina and the remaining 3 tbsp of the beef broth, then add to the pan and give it a good stir. Place in a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes.

Makes 2 servings.

Notes

You'll note that I ditched the can of diced chiles for some pickled jalapenos. I was pretty disappointed with the chiles' performance last go around. I also found some chipotles in adobo, as suggested by Darrin and my all-time favorite TV cook, Alton Brown, and used the adobo sauce from the can in place of the adobo paste from last time. I also added cumin because... well... I like it, golldurnit! I figured that with the addition of the chipotles, swapping the jalapenos for the chiles, and the inclusion of cumin, I didn't need the extra tablespoon of chili powder that I thought I'd add. Finally, I noted last time that I was debating whether the chili was too thick, and whether or not I should reduce the amount of masa harina slurry. I finally decided it was too thick, but opted for adding an extra half cup of beef broth, rather than reducing the amount of slurry. And the extra liquid necessitated the 12" pan.

And as a side note, I made some cornbread again, since it was so tasty last time. I left out the chili powder because I wanted Amy to try some, but added a little extra sugar because... well... I like it a little sweeter when it's not savory.

The Verdict

Mmmmmmmmmmmm......... The first batch was pretty good, but this was heads and tails better. It had a good taste, and was hot-but-not-too-hot. The heat built a little with every mouthful, which is just the way I like it. It was a little bit less thick than last time, at this point I might adjust the length of cooking, or perhaps lid the pan up during the baking, rather than add more liquid. All in all, better than the last batch, but still room for improvement.

Lessons Learned

Lessee:

• Chipotles in adobo rock!
• Between the adobo sauce and the cumin, the chili had a nice, smoky flavor. Need to maximize that, maybe more cumin.
• I bumped up the garlic in this batch, I think next time I'll add more onion, too.
• My normal chili has some additional spices, I might think about adding one or two more for additional flavor.