Daves Chili Recipes

CHASEN'S ORIGINAL CHILI RECIPE

Steps:

• A secret ingredient added by a chef (after Dave Chasen stopped making the chili himself) is a quarter cup or 4 tablespoons of Kahlua liqueur. I heard someone won a chili championship with the recipe, including that addition.
• *Chasen's used the best beef chuck, center cut, trimmed completely of fat. The restaurant used a special meat grinder, but for the home cook, meat chopped into one-quarter to one-half-inch chunks is much better than ground meat for this chili. Alternatively, ask the butcher to put the meat through a "chili plate" ONE time - this is a very coarse grind, and works well for chili.
• ** Chasen's used Gebhardt's Chili Powder and Farmer Bros Cumin. Sometimes cumin seed is used in place of the ground cumin. It's a matter of personal preference. You might toast the seeds in a dry skillet, and crush them before adding to the recipe.
• Rinse the beans, picking out debris. Place beans in a Dutch oven with water to cover 2' above beans. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand one hour. Drain off liquid.
• Rinse beans again. Add enough fresh water to cover beans. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered, for one hour or until tender.
• Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Simmer five minutes. In a large skillet, sauté bell pepper in oil for five minutes. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and parsley. Add mixture to bean mixture. Using the same skillet, melt the butter and sauté beef and pork chuck until browned. Drain. Add to bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin.
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for one hour. Uncover and cook 30 minutes more or to desired consistency. Chili shouldn't be too thick - it should be somewhat liquid but not runny like soup. Skim of excess fat and serve.
• NOTE: You can freeze this chili for several months. When reheating refrigerated leftover or frozen chili, add a few tablespoons of water to regain proper consistency.

DAVE "THE COOKER'S" CHILI

Steps:

• Combine beef and pork in a large skillet over medium-high heat; season with 1 pinch chili-lime seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Cook and stir until meat is evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion, jalapeno pepper, and garlic until onion is softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Stir beef-pork mixture into onion mixture; add diced tomatoes with juice, beer, tomato sauce, roasted red peppers, water, tomato paste, chili powder, 1 tablespoon chili-lime seasoning, cumin, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves.
• Bring tomato-meat mixture to a boil, add chili beans, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, at least 2 hours.

DAVE'S CHILI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot.
• Add the hamburger meat (or double ground brisket if using) and brown; drain off excess fat).
• Add the minced garlic, 8 cups of water and the dried chili pods and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for an hour.
• Remove the chili pods and any stems that may have fallen off the pods.
• Add the bay leaves through the Mexican Chili Powder and stir.
• To thicken the chili, mix the flour and cornmeal with 1/4 cup of water until smooth, then add to the chili and stir well.
• Add the Beans and Tomatoes.
• Mix well and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours. The longer it cooks the better it gets. Add a little water as it cooks down. :).
• NOTE: If it gets too thick, just add a little water. We serve this with cheddar cheese or chopped onions on top and crackers or cornbread.