Chili Cook Off

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packerfannate

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I don't post much here but I have learned a lot. I read a lot of what is posted here and when I do post it is usually because I have a question or problem. I guess I am a bit of a leach.

The company I work for is having a chili cook off. I wanted to use a smoked meat and maybe some smoked vegetables for the chili. I am sure someone has tried this before. I was thinking of going outside the box of traditional chili and smoking and shredding a pork butt for the base. Then using a sweet bbq sauce with a little heat for the liquid.

Thoughts?
 
sounds good, I might use a can of crushed tomatoes or something as I would be worried that using only BBQ sauce as the liquid would over power the other ingredients.
 
I've used a smoked shoulder, then ground it up and used it in the chili.
 
I prefer using chuck steak. I'll smoke it for 4 hours and then cube it up.

I will also roast the chile's I use. Pasillas, Anaheims (Or Hatches if they are in season), Jalapenos, Green Peppers, and 1 habanero (if i want it nice and spicy) I roast all of them till the skins are blistered and black on the grill. Place them in a bowl and seal it with plastic wrap. After 10 minutes, I'll take them out and run them under cold water so the skin peels off. Then puree it up in the blender. This will eliminate the need for large amounts of chili powder.

I also use fresh tomatos and roast them off on the grill as well. Then run them under the sink to peel the skins.

Roasting off the tomatos and chiles, and smoking the cube steak give the chili a nice smokey flavor.
 
This weekend, I smoked a brisket flat and several slices of pork shoulder that I plan to use in chili later this week or next. For the rest of the ingredients, I plan to loosely follow one I found on the web:

8 whole dried chiles (5 ancho and 3 guajillo)
3 tablespoons safflower oil, plus more as needed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large onions, coarsely chopped (4 cups)
7 to 8 garlic cloves, minced (5 tablespoons)
2 jalapeno, seeded if desired, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled plum tomatoes, pureed with their juice (3 1/2 cups)
4 cups water, plus more if needed and for soaking
2 to 3 teaspoons white vinegar, to taste
 
I just "won" a chili cook off last weekend. It was a three way tie for first and they drew tickets out of a bag to see who got what prize. So technically I got second. I cooked a 13.5# chuck roast seasoned with SPOG and hickory and mesquite wood. Diced that for the meat along with a pound of homemade bacon.(only put three pounds of chuck and vac and froze the rest). Standard chili recipe with no beans. One guy said it was too smokey for him. Everyone else loved it. You're on the right track with your idea.
 
Sounds like a good idea. I've never used smoked meat, but I've used grilled steak a few times so it had slightly smoky flavor. I would stay with a more traditional sauce though. Too much BBQ sauce and you just have pulled pork with BBQ sauce. If you want it to have a BBQ tip, maybe add a cup or so of BBQ sauce to the pot.


VR,
Harold
 
The absolute best thing I ever did for my chili was add cubes of smoked brisket point to it.

And thus was born Wampus's Big Boy Brisket Chili!


Personally, I've had the sweeter chili where people put BBQ sauce in it. Didn't care for it myself. I don't care for a lot of sweet in my chili.
 
I agree with using a more traditional sauce with maybe a hint of BBQ sauce. I have never smoked my meat before( plan on trying one day) but normally brown a mix of cubed chuck roast and hamburger, get that in a pan with not enough liquid to cover and put that in the smoker. I stir it often so more meat gets exposed to the smoke.
 
Thanks for the recipe Wampus. That sounds good, well, we'd have to spice it up a notch, but it's a good start.
 
THoey1963 said:
Thanks for the recipe Wampus. That sounds good, well, we'd have to spice it up a notch, but it's a good start.
Click to expand...

It's got a good, back end burn to it. It's what I'd classify as a "medium" spiced chili, but my wife and kids dig it and they aren't really spicy food eaters. It's a very well rounded, deep flavor chili. Maybe keep the seeds and veins in the peppers if you like it hotter or even add more, or habs instead of japs.
 
I'll throw in another vote for Wampus's chili. Helped me beat the 4 or 5 year chili champ at work.
 
Thanks for the tips. I had planned on just using a little bbq sauce to compliment the smokiness and not for the sauce to be a bbq sauce.
 
I've never put my chili recipe on paper because I really don't have a set recipe. Some basics are always rendered bacon and onion to start off with and to brown the meat. I'm also a fan of smoked brisket point or flat in chili, but I like point better. I will use chile powder, but I'm a bigger fan of chile puree or concentrate as the greater base and then powdered for a second line of flavor, heat and color. Here's a thread about my chili, hope you can get a little info out of it.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70988&highlight=Texas+red
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48865&highlight=Puree

Personally, smoked meat is great, but I'd skip smoking all the veggies and stuff. Sometimes it can be too much and in a chili, you want the liquid to shine through first and then the meat and other ingredients.
Also, try your chili without tomato first. I'm not a big fan of tomato or sauce in chili either. You may find that you like it without any kind of tomato. You can add the tomato base after if you feel it needs it. Lastly, if you can, use some homemade chicken, pork, or beef stock instead of water. This will add another layer of flavor that water alone can't do.

Bob
 
Also, we tend to think red when we say chili. You could also make a killer chile verde with pork or even chicken and go outside the box if you think it would stand a good chance at winning with your crowd of judges!
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=172119&highlight=Puree

This is what you would want in a verde: Courtesy of Marty! Color, consistency, is all there!
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100706&highlight=Chile+verde

Lastly, take a look at what a CASI winning recipe looks like.
https://www.chili.org/tdozier.html

There is lots of flavor with not too many ingredients. They build on the flavors that are in each dump, and the long simmers are key too. I like a mix of a CASI type chili and ingredients (one dump only) and then a mix of chile purées.
 
Last edited:
BobBrisket said:
I've never put my chili recipe on paper because I really don't have a set recipe. Some basics are always rendered bacon and onion to start off with and to brown the meat. I'm also a fan of smoked brisket point or flat in chili, but I like point better. I will use chile powder, but I'm a bigger fan of chile puree or concentrate as the greater base and then powdered for a second line of flavor, heat and color. Here's a thread about my chili, hope you can get a little info out of it.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70988&highlight=Texas+red
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48865&highlight=Puree

Personally, smoked meat is great, but I'd skip smoking all the veggies and stuff. Sometimes it can be too much and in a chili, you want the liquid to shine through first and then the meat and other ingredients.
Also, try your chili without tomato first. I'm not a big fan of tomato or sauce in chili either. You may find that you like it without any kind of tomato. You can add the tomato base after if you feel it needs it. Lastly, if you can, use some homemade chicken, pork, or beef stock instead of water. This will add another layer of flavor that water alone can't do.

Bob
Click to expand...

You are going to have to help me sell "No Tomato Chili" to my wife. I can eat spicy all day long with anyone, but the tomatoes in mild chili eat my stomach up.
 
Don't forget the Bakers Chocolate in the Chili .It will bring it up a step.I never make Chili with out it .
 
jeffreywp1 said:
You are going to have to help me sell "No Tomato Chili" to my wife. I can eat spicy all day long with anyone, but the tomatoes in mild chili eat my stomach up.
Click to expand...
:becky: I'll eat chili with tomato and will use it to tone down a chili that is too spicy for my wife and kids, but will do that for them in a separate pot. I'd rather thin out with stock first to try and tone down heat and then thicken with flour. A lot just depends on the heat of the chiles used in the purée.
 
I was already thinking about a smoked pork chili verde and I do make a pretty mean chili verde. I like going outside the box for competitions.
 
I'd like to know more about how to make the chili puree, Bob, if you don't mind sharing.
 
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