MADDOG RED (Homestyle Chili Champion of the 2018 Festival of Chili and BBQ)
This winning recipe is adapted from those chilis which have been championed by chili legends Sgt Major Ken Peach, Irish Johnny O'blivion Banusiewicz and the late Judy Anderson, along with various other chili gurus who understand that while Homestyle means anything goes, you never violate the sacred tradition of making chili that tastes like chili! (Sorry Cleveland) - Winning recipe of Homestyle Chili Champion of the 2018 Festival of Chili and BBQ - Pat Maddock of MADDOG BBQ, University Place, Washington.
Ingredients
- 6 slices Johnston's Thick-Sliced Bacon
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 lbs (1 kg) spicy pork sausage
- 2 lbs (1 kg) chuck roast chopped to 1 cm cubes (or any choice of red meat)
- 1 can Swanson’s beef broth
- 1 can Swanson’s chicken broth
- 1 tsp chili powder Gebhardts is my preference
- 1 large jalapeno pepper halved and seeded
- 2 15 ounce cans petite chopped tomatoes
- ¼ one small bottle A-1 steak sauce can substitute House of Parliament
- 2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
- dried pepper flakes
First Spice Dump:
- 1 Tbsp hatch medium chili powder
- 1 Tbsp Cowtown Gold chili powder
- 1 Tbsp mild Bill's Dark chili powder
- 1 Tbsp Mexene chili powder
- ¼ tsp Lawry's seasoning salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp dark brown sugar
Second Spice Dump:
- ½ Tbsp San Antonio original chili powder
- ½ Tbsp Mexene chili powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¾ Tbsp cumin
- ½ Tbsp granulate garlic
- 1 packet Sazon Goya (a little Mexican creation but available on-line
Instructions
- Start off in a standard sized dutch oven with a thick bottom by fully cooking the bacon because everything good starts with bacon! Retain the drippings in the pot and enjoy munching on the bacon while you cook. Should 6 strips of bacon prove to be too much for you to eat, question your sanity and reach for a cold brew.
- Add the chopped onion and brown it in the bacon drippings and as it's finishing, chop two good sized cloves of garlic very fine and add that to the onions. Set all of that aside.
- In that same dutch oven, gray the spicy pork sausage of your choice. I say "gray" because if you've browned it, you've cooked it too much. Now set that aside and if you run across that cold brew...
- Now, do likewise with the chopped red meat. What red meat? You ask. How about something that's nicely marbled because fat IS flavour. I like a nice chuck roast and I cut it down to 3/8-inch (1 cm) cubes.
- Once the beef is nicely gray, (It doesn't have to be beef but be careful of "off tastes" if you experiment with other red meats especially possum) combine, in the dutch oven, all of the above, prepared ingredients and add the beef broth, chicken broth, chilli powder, jalapeno pepper, petite chopped tomatoes, steak sauce, and the tomato sauce. Then cover 1/2 of the top surface with dried pepper flakes and finish off that cold one while you admire your work, stir the pot and bring all to a low boil.
- Now it's time for your first of two spice dumps. Mix together the first spice dump ingredients and stir it in well to the pot. Turn down the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let it do its thing for about an hour which is more than enough time to get a couple more cold brews to surrender!
- Now, open that pot up, enjoy the aroma and let it cook - open BUT make sure you stick around and stir it. After the first spice dump, I cook it at a very low boil for about an hour depending upon the red meat and how difficult it may be to break down. But absolutely DO stir occasionally so, as the liquids reduce, it doesn't stick and burn. If it does, throw it out. Burnt chili is not salvageable! If that happens, blame it on the beer.
- Now, it's time for your second spice dump and by the way. THEE only source for those chili powders I listed is a company called Mild Bill's down Texas way. He can be found on the internet. Mix the spice dump together, stir it in and simmer about 45 minutes or until the tenderness of the beef cubes is just the way you want it, very little to no chew BUT not falling apart. Then it's time to judge the thickness of the chili and, of course, the taste. If it's thinner than you would like it, don't overcook the beef just to reduce the liquids. Instead, use some cornstarch and chicken broth to thicken it. Be careful as you do so that the chili doesn't stick to the pot and burn. Stir that bubbly stuff and yank it off the heat once it thickens to the consistency you desire...stick to your ribs! (Who likes watery chili?)
- This is championship, competition Homestyle Chili. You'll notice there's no beans, no tofu, no chocolate, no spaghetti...IT'S CHILI! Now, it's time to enjoy one heck-of-a-pot of Red! I hope you bought enough beer. ENJOY!
Notes
Note: Should your taste test tell you it needs something, consider, just a bit at a time of... • Chicken broth to thin • Cayenne for front of the mouth heat • White pepper or Habenero for back of the mouth heat • Black pepper for center of the mouth heat • Too much heat or salt? Add BITS of brown sugar at a time to correct • If it doesn't taste enough like chili to you, try a little more Cumin or Mexene or Gebhardts Chili powders.
