Chili in 5-quart dutch oven, on Smokey Joe

[addicted-to-smoke]

A pot of chili is my usual experimentation dish. Don't think I've ever made it the same way twice, although yeah, like most people I have a few basic ingredients I gravitate to.

Mine's no competition cook, and I'm too lazy to deal with anything other than ground beef for the meat--IF I include meat. But I like it and so does the fam. It goes like this:

- 1lb ground beef, cooked in cast iron skillet on stove. Drain fat.
- 3 cans of beans, partially drained, light or dark red kidney, black, and then a light bean such as white kidney (first time today for that) or whatever.
- can of diced tomatoes, often no-salt
- regular can of tomato sauce. Sometimes I use a bigger can if I'll be adding more stuff like peppers.
- add a little bit of water from 2 or 3 of the cans of beans, as a way of "rinsing them out" prior to recycling

none of the cans are "flavored" in any way

- chili powder
- cumin
- generous squirt of ketchup (I grew up with Steak 'N Shake, what can I say?)
- cilantro; parsley sometimes
- various peppers, when available. Maybe.
- tonight I added a little Indian hot paste something-something
- other mystery stuff, when available or as the mood strikes, but nothing that shouldn't complement beef or red sauce. Tonight I impulsively intended to use up a little leftover crushed pineapple but I forgot!

*************************************

Today I bought the Lodge 5-qt dutch oven -- to be placed in or on a grill grate -- the $30-$35 one without handles at Wal-Mart. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-Logic-5-Quart-Cast-Iron-Double-Dutch-Oven/12554407

If I wasn't impatient I would have ordered and waited for the version with the bail (carrying) handle, http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-Logic-5-Quart-Cast-Iron-Dutch-Oven-With-Bail-Handle/12554408?action=product_interest&action_type=title&placement_id=irs_middle&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id=39333166637&category=0%3A4044%3A623679%3A133020%3A928479&client_guid=39309471-fb7c-437f-ae88-8560a1dbda81&config_id=0&parent_item_id=12554407&guid=71f159e4-bb30-4635-a3f9-05d768c3a986&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&findingMethod=p13n

My next one will be the camp style dutch oven.

I planned on cooking with the oven's lid on, so fitting the thing under a Weber's lid or under its cooking grate wasn't needed. All I needed was a heat source and so I lit about 3/4 of a chimney for the SJ. Here's the setup at the start, before the oven's lid went on:





It'd been so long since I used a Weber without its lid, I didn't know if the coals would die out or if the pot would boil over. I let it go for a good 30 mins, lifted the lid and discovered it was too hot. Wasn't sticking or anything, but it was at somewhat of a boil. I stirred, cut the intake vent to half, and tasted. BLAND. Holy crap did I actually boil the life out of it?

There's a midway point where this always happens for my chili, even on the kitchen stove--The Panic. What happens next is, I add more stuff.  Sometimes it's a bit more of the first round of seasoning, sometimes I introduce a new component. Tonight it was black pepper, and salt. A two-stage cook. And the heat comes down and we wait, lid on again, but this time cracked to let some steam out. It wasn't thick enough.

So I'm at the neighbor's enjoying an adult beverage or two and telling him what's going on over at my house. I say, "If I can get this to work I'll bring it over ..." And so we wait.

So now his wife is making cornbread and now we've planned dinner. I'm bringing my kids and the chili--with wifey now on the way home. But the neighbor is intrigued, I showed him the pictures above and we've gotta determine if it's edible.

Lift the lid, stir --- it's thickened up some and smells good. He wants a spoon. "Alright," I said, "You can taste, but it's gonna be your call. I'm not bringing it over unless you say it's decent." I wasn't confident. I didn't want to taste it and then want to add something.

Cut to the chase, the kids liked it, my daughter in particular "who hates chili, or anything grilled" said it was best-ever. Fed 4 adults and 3 kids, one of which we didn't plan on feeding because she didn't want to yet go home to what they were cooking on their OTG ...

No leftovers!



It was an interesting taste--and very good. Something about the texture or character was different--my ingredients certainly weren't much different. Must have been the cast iron, because with its lid on I don't see how the charcoal could have influenced the taste. Even so, I'd prefer to cook outdoors when I can.

The SJ was fine for this cook, but the extra weight made its legs a little wobbly and woozy.

[pbe gummi bear]

This looks amazing! Thanks for the detailed writeup too.

[addicted-to-smoke]

Coda:

Later, I read you shouldn't cook tomatoes or beans in new cast iron because each will leach out the metal's seasoning --- so apparently don't make chili in a new CI pot. Wait until "well seasoned."

[1buckie]

Great story & cookup !!!!


I really gravitate toward any hint of free-form, make up as you go cooking & this is a fine example!!!!!!!!


If you want to get un-lazy for just a minute on the beef, tri try-tip...........this reminded me of a chili I did for a throwdown, will post in a minute...............