Gebhardts Chili Powder Copycat Recipes

EASIEST HOMEMADE CHILI POWDER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300ºF.
• Break the stems from all chiles, and remove the seeds.
• Transfer chiles to a baking sheet, and arrange them in a single layer.
• Place pan in heated oven.
• (The chile de árbol or cayenne pods will be toasted first, so remove them after 4-5 minutes).
• Bake the larger pods and additional 4-5 minutes, until they are well dried.
• When cool enough to handle, break them into 2 or 3 pieces each.
• Transfer pieces to a blender, and pulverize briefly, until you have powder.
• Add remaining ingredients, and blend just until combined.
• Store chili powder in a jar with a lid, for up to 3 months.

GEBHARDT'S CHILI GRAVY

Steps:

• Over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until the onion is softened, but not browned.
• Stir in the bacon drippings, chili powder, cumin, oregano; then add the beef stock, a little at a time, stirring well.
• Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes until mixture is slightly reduced and thickened. Mix the Masa Harina with a few tablespoons of water or the gravy, itself, and stir back into the gravy.
• Simmer for 10 minutes more. Taste the gravy and add salt only if you think it necessary.

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.