Cook Date: December 10, 2023
EDIT: 4/23/24 and 11/25/2024
YIKES! Don’t cook this based on my narrative. I say you can use ⅔ of a cup of chili powder if you want to skip making your own. But that is wrong. ⅔ or ¾ of a cup of chili powder is WAY TOO MUCH. The tortilla chips ground up with the other ingredients give it way more volume. I’ll go back and fix this; but for now; follow the instructions on the SoCal PBS site or the ATK YouTube.
November 25, 2024: Culinary Hill (https://www.culinaryhill.com/homemade-ancho-chile-powder/ ) says a 2 ounce package of dried chiles will contain 2 to 4 dried chiles, depending on their size, and will yield about ¼ cup ancho chile powder. So, if you want to use prepared chili powder start with ¼ cup ancho chili powder. (I haven’t made it with that amount, so use your discretion. When I make it next time I’ll try ¼ cup ancho chili powder and report back.
I’m changing the parts of the post that give the option of using premade anchors chili powder to use 1/4 cup. Be sure you are using pure chili powder and not a powder that includes cumin and/or other spices. But be aware I haven’t made it with premade chili powder (yet). I’ll update the recipe and the blog post when I do.
I want to give a big shoutout to friend and blog reader Tom for pointing this out.
END EDIT
I cooked this on a cold December day when we wanted something warm and substantial. Chili fit the bill but since I didn’t want to spend all day making El Cid Chili, a simpler hamburger chili would be great. After perusing over a dozen recipes. found a nice one by America’s Test Kitchen on YouTube.
If I write about my own recipe I name it as such and provide the recipe – usually as a PDF download. But if it’s someone else’s I don’t take credit or publish the details; instead I provide a link to the recipe so you can make it if you want. Unfortunately, unlike most other web sites (most notably: Serious Eats), America’s Test Kitchen recipes require you to register to see a linked recipe. Happily, I’ve discovered that ATK recipes on YouTube do provide a non-registration link; so, you can watch Julia and Bridget make this dish on YouTube then get a link to the recipe in the “…more” section. I also found just the recipe on the Southern California PBS site. Gosh, enough about my issues with ATK. Let’s cook.
Whereas you could just use ⅔ to ¾ cup of Chili powder, I made it from scratch based on the recipe directions. [11/25/2024. If you want to use premade chili powder, use ¼ cup ancho chili powder in place of the dried chilis]
Stem and deseed the dried chilis and briefly toast in a large heavy bottom pan.
Measure out some tortilla chips (which takes the place of masa in this recipe) and measure out the other ingredients.
I used our little KitchenAid food processor to grind it all up.
I wish I could share the beautiful aroma of this chili powder.
Chili powder is ready; let’s cook some chili!
I can hear you asking “What’s up with the baking soda?” Because baking soda is alkaline (i.e. relatively high pH), combining it with the hamburger helps the browning. In this next picture you can see I’ve placed the hamburg in a bowl – with a bit of water – prior to browning.
I pulled out Old Blue – my old LeCreuset pot – and browned the burger, onion and garlic.
Add the chili powder, combine and stir until fragrant.
Next, add the liquids: water, beans [I used homemade pintos], a bit of sugar, and the tomato puree – which we made by spinning the canned whole peeled tomatoes in the food processor after making the chili powder.
At this point you’d expect to simmer it on the stove top for a few hours. But ATK saves time by popping into the oven for 1½ to 2 hours.
A couple of hours later you have a beautiful, brick red, fragrant chili.
Like clothes make the man, toppings make the chili.
And dinner is served
America’s Test Kitchen excels at mid-America cuisine. While I wouldn’t look at their site if I’m cooking Mexican food or tofu, when I want basic fare it’s a great place to check for recipes. (Well, there are exceptions; remember the Minnesota Hot Dish recipe I made? From the comments I think that that is just a terrible dish no matter the recipe. Maybe, the ATK recipe is just the best you can do.)
Some of you readers may be complaining that since this recipe has beans in it. True, it is not chili according to the rules of the International Chili Society (ICS) Back in the day I would go on-and-on (usually in jest) if someone called something that had beans in it chili. It may taste good, but it ain’t chili. Somewhere along the way I mellowed out and figure “whatever. You do you”. That said, you’ll be laughed out of the state if you try to cook this in Texas and call it chili.
Rating: ★★★★ 4 stars. This is a nice dish and good enough to feed to friends. It’s perfect when you have a group over for football game in the fall or winter because you can get it in the oven a couple of hours ahead of time and be working on other things to get ready for the game. If you want to make it easier, skip making the homemade chili powder and use ⅔ to ¾ cup of store bought. [11/25/2024 If you want to make this easier substitute 1/4 cup ancho chili powder for the dried chilies. Also, be sure you are using pure chili powder and not a powder that includes cumin and/or other spiceSee notes at top of post]
Want real, ICS chili? Don’t add the beans.