Chili in a crockpot

[ellencho]

So here is my recipe for chili in a crockpot. I totally stole it from the magazine Cook's country but halved it for my convenience. In my next paragraph I will explain what a slow cooker or crockpot is, but if you're not interested in hearing that, skip the next paragraph.

I am a big fan of crock pot cooking. I definitely don't use my crock pot often enough, but when I do, I'm always pleased with the results. What's a crockpot you ask? A crockpot, or a slow cooker is a an electric cooking vessel with a ceramic insert that fits into a heating element. The food is cooked inside of the ceramic insert for many hours at low temperatures (usually between the low to mid 200 degrees) in some sort of flavorful liquid. Basically you're braising on your countertop. When you braise something, you're cooking it in a small amount of liquid in a covered container. All the flavors mix and the connective tissue of the meat breaks down resulting in a very tender delicious dish.

Here's a pic of my beloved crockpot. BTW, the Rival company owns the name Crockpot. Every other manufacturer has to call it a slow cooker.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/crockpot.jpg

What you need for crockpot chili:
3 6-inch soft corn tortillas
1.5 cups low sodium chicken broth
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 Tb dark brown sugar
3 lbs of chuck cut into small and large cubes
2.5 Tb of veggie oil
2 quarter cups of water, separate
2 medium onions, chopped medium
2 medium jalapeno chiles, minced
3 Tb chili powder
1 Tb cumin powder
4 medium garlic cloves
a can or two of beans
1/2 tsp oregano
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/chilimeez.jpg

Now be sure to cut the meat the way I did, into small and large pieces. The point of doing this is to ensure a good chili texture. The different sized meat and the ground up corn tortillas thicken up the chili to a nice consistency.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/meatcubes.jpg

So the first thing I did was heat up my frying pan to medium high heat and dry cook the tortillas until they blistered a bit. That took about 2 minutes per side.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/blisteredtortillas.jpg

Let them cool off a bit, and then rip them up into a microwave safe bowl. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock, and microwave for 2-3 minutes until it's softened completely.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/microwavedtorts.jpg

Blend that up until it's smooth, add the tomatoes, the extra stock, the chipotles and the brown sugar and blend some more and add it to your ceramic crockpot insert.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/allblendedbase.jpg

This is chipotle in adobo btw. It's a jalapeno pepper that's been smoked and then cooked with spices, vinegar and tomato sauce.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/chipotleinadobo.jpg

Now heat up your pan to medium high and a tsp or two of oil. Begin browning the meat cubes in batches. Maybe divide all your meat up into 3 portions and do one at a time. After each batch is finished, add it to the crockpot along with the tomato/tortilla/chicken stock mixture.

Now by browning I don't mean that every piece of meat has to be cooked through, you're simply searing your meat for the flavor that the leftover brown residue imparts on your finished dish. If your pan smells like it's burning a bit, turn down your heat while you sear your meat. It'll take a little bit longer, but it's worth it.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/browningmeat.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/almosttheremeat.jpg

Once you're done with your three batches of meat you should have some brown gunk on your pan. The French call this a "fond". This stuff is full of flavor that we want.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/brownedpan.jpg

So don't turn off your heat or anything, add your 1/4 cup of water and use it to redissolve your fond. Allow it to evaporate a bit and then scrape it into your crockpot.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/finalreduction.jpg

Here's the browned meat, the fond reduction, and the tomato/tortilla/chicken stock in your crockpot.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/meatandreductioninchili.jpg

So give your pan a good wipe with a paper towel, then over medium heat, heat up the remaining oil. Add the onions, jalapenos, a light sprinkling of salt, and cook until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Then add the chili and cumin and let it heat through for about 2 minutes, with the occasional stir here and there.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/addingspicestochili.jpg

Now add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Transfer the veggies to the crockpot insert.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/addinggarlictochili.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/addingveggies.jpg

There should be gunk on this pan too, do the same thing as earlier, and add a 1/4 cup of water to your pan and use it to scrape up the bits and add it to your pan.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/reducedfondforchili.jpg

Add the 1/2 tsp of oregano to your crockpot, place the insert in the base and cover. Cook at low for 6-8 hours. Yes I know 8 hours is a long time but it's worth it. If you want to add beans, I would add them 15 minutes before you're ready to serve.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/finishedchili.jpg

Serve however you like. Some people like rice, others like cornbread. I served my chili with a chile and cheese cornbread. Top with whatever you like too. For example, cheese, sour cream, avocado, onion, tortilla chips.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/chili/platedchili.jpg

[ellencho]

So here are some answers for some questions that might come up. If you have any other questions regarding this recipe or chili in general go ahead and ask.

What do you do if you don't have a crockpot?
If you have an ovensafe pot large enough to accomodate everything, prepare everything as above, except cook your chili in the oven at 250 degrees for 3 hours, making sure the pot is tightly covered.

How spicy is this chili?
Depending on what parts of the chile peppers you use, it's pretty medium in my opinion. If you remove the seeds and inner membrane you will end up with a milder tasting chili. If you want something hotter, you can either add some hot sauce to your bowl at the end, or you can add some hotter peppers like scotch bonnets or serranos.

This makes a lot of chili and I can't eat it all myself, can it be frozen?
Definitely. Chili freezes very well. Just put it in a freezer safe tupperware and it'll be good for a couple of months. Longer than that and it'll lose flavor.

How did you make that cornbread?
It's so easy. You need a 10 inch cake pan or cast iron skillet to cook it in. 2 boxes of corn bread mix - follow the directions on the box but substitute the milk for some yogurt or sour cream. Chop up 3 chile peppers of your choice, and cube up 5 ounces of your favorite cheese. Bake at the recommended temperature for 25 minutes. Check at the 20 minute mark for doneness.

[kimtae]

No offense, Ellen, but Northerners and women and especially Northern women can't cook Chili. All of your other recipes have been great but I'm gonna have to take you to task on this one. Tortillas to thicken the Chili?! Sacrilege! Chicken Broth?! I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that. Where's the beer? And your basic chili powder is just ground red pepper, cumin, and Mexican oregano. It seems redundant to have to use it only to add more of the same later. I have thrown down the gauntlet. I will reply with my own chili porn in a couple of days!!!

[ellencho]

No offense, Ellen, but Northerners and women and especially Northern women can't cook Chili. All of your other recipes have been great but I'm gonna have to take you to task on this one. Tortillas to thicken the Chili?! Sacrilege! Chicken Broth?! I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that. Where's the beer? And your basic chili powder is just ground red pepper, cumin, and Mexican oregano. It seems redundant to have to use it only to add more of the same later. I have thrown down the gauntlet. I will reply with my own chili porn in a couple of days!!!
Relax puddin, did you not read the first paragraph? This is not my personal recipe. It's a crockpot chili, not a Texas chili. Notice there are beans and a tomato base too which is also anti-texas chili.

And if it makes you feel any better, the chile powder i used was just straight up poblano.

[vsoy]

There should be gunk on this pan too, do the same thing as earlier, and add a 1/4 cup of water to your pan and use it to scrape up the bits and add it to your pan.
I love stuff like this! Some booze might be good here like rum or a Corona? Nothing like drinking in the morning :wink:

I use ground turkey, black beans, kidney beans, whole peeled tomatoes and canned whole corn kernels in my crockpot chili. It's very colorful. Kimtae is going to have an aneurym with the ground turkey. Crockpot rocks. Nothing like coming home to something ready to eat.

Is the cheese cornbread the sweet kind? I love sweet cornbread, especially the itty bitty dollop they give you with your entree at El Torito.

[ellencho]

Actually, booze would be perfectly appropriate to release the fond.

And yes it's a sweet cornbread but the chiles give it a nice little kick.

[vsoy]

How did you make that cornbread?
It's so easy. You need a 10 inch cake pan or cast iron skillet to cook it in. 2 boxes of corn bread mix - follow the directions on the box but substitute the milk for some yogurt or sour cream. Chop up 3 chile peppers of your choice, and cube up 5 ounces of your favorite cheese. Bake at the recommended temperature for 25 minutes. Check at the 20 minute mark for doneness.

corn bread mix? WTF?

[ellencho]

How did you make that cornbread?
It's so easy. You need a 10 inch cake pan or cast iron skillet to cook it in. 2 boxes of corn bread mix - follow the directions on the box but substitute the milk for some yogurt or sour cream. Chop up 3 chile peppers of your choice, and cube up 5 ounces of your favorite cheese. Bake at the recommended temperature for 25 minutes. Check at the 20 minute mark for doneness.

corn bread mix? WTF?
Don't knock it till you try it lady! Sometimes I make corn pancakes with cornbread mix too.

[vsoy]

*grasps wooden spoon in fist and bangs on table*

We want organically grown corn that's been stone ground to make the cornbread that has been baked in a mud oven over seasoned hickory and apple wood.

:lol:

[ellencho]

*grasps wooden spoon in fist and bangs on table*

We want organically grown corn that's been stone ground to make the cornbread that has been baked in a mud oven over seasoned hickory and apple wood.

:lol:
Yes, and none of that WHITE cornmeal, YELLOW CORNMEAL ONLY AT 44s!!!

[kimtae]

No offense, Ellen, but Northerners and women and especially Northern women can't cook Chili. All of your other recipes have been great but I'm gonna have to take you to task on this one. Tortillas to thicken the Chili?! Sacrilege! Chicken Broth?! I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that. Where's the beer? And your basic chili powder is just ground red pepper, cumin, and Mexican oregano. It seems redundant to have to use it only to add more of the same later. I have thrown down the gauntlet. I will reply with my own chili porn in a couple of days!!!
Relax puddin, did you not read the first paragraph? This is not my personal recipe. It's a crockpot chili, not a Texas chili. Notice there are beans and a tomato base too which is also anti-texas chili.

And if it makes you feel any better, the chile powder i used was just straight up poblano.Sniff :cry: ... I'm not trying to start any trouble with you per se, but to a Southerner, Chili is like manna and ambrosia. Anyway, I'll post my VIRGINIA style chili recipe soon enough.

[ellencho]

Sniff :cry: ... I'm not trying to start any trouble with you per se, but to a Southerner, Chili is like manna and ambrosia. Anyway, I'll post my VIRGINIA style chili recipe soon enough.
Virginia? VIRGINIA? Isn't Virginia known for ham or something? No wonder you're so offended by my chili recipe, I forgot to add an aged ham leg!!! :lol:

[kimtae]

Oh, it's on now, old woman, it's on! :evil:

[cattygurl]

Kimtae!

*THWAK*

No being mean to Ellen! She's posting all the masturbation pics I ever need on Food Porn. You CANNOT discourage this woman.

Harrumph!

Besides, ellen said she was posting a "chili" recipe- not "genuinestest chili recipe!"

I admit to being a chili whore.

Ellen, think it looks super yummy... If I'm ever in Philly, will you make me dinner?

And for kimtae, if you're ever in San Diego, will you make me chili?

I love chili!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vsoy]

Whatever you do, don't ask lopan to make you something to eat.
Hmrph!
*looks for more Espirit gear to burn*

[DijabutiA]

:shock:
I dunno how I missed this, but thank you... And that looks freakin amazing!