Quarantine Chili

 
A hearty chili made from whatever you have lying around (for the most part)

A hearty chili made from whatever you have lying around (for the most part)

Well we’ve all been stuck inside for a couple of months now and many of us have been trying to pick and choose when to go to the grocery store. Is it worth it to risk life and limb to pick up those couple of extra ingredients? More like do you really want to wait in line for an hour wearing a mask that fogs up your glasses to pick up 3 items? Well here I present a solution to cooking with what you have a quarantine-version of Pantry or Fridge Chili.

Quarantine Chili aka a Mutation of Beer Braised Short Rib Chili

Over time my chili recipe has evolved based on what I’ve had on hand and if I’m going for a particular flavor or consistency. Its roots are a beer braised short rib chili that I made a couple of years ago that I really liked. It starts with meat and beer - two of my favorite things - and then you add some vegetables, other liquids, and seasoning to round it out.

What I discovered quickly is that a slow cook equalizes most fatty red meat and the short rib was pretty interchangeable with other options. Similarly, adding beans simply helped fill out the heartiness of my chili and the relative difference between northern, kidney, black and several other kinds of bean was minimal in the final product.

Finally, I cook my chili on the grill, but you can also do this on a range. I don’t use a slow cooker/instant pot, but I assume you could also do it in there with success.

What You'll Need

  • 2-3lbs of a fatty meat (try Short Rib, Brisket, Tri-tip, or any “stew” meat)

  • 1 can of beer (I prefer dark beer in general, so this usually ends up being a porter or a stout)

  • 1 cans worth of diced tomatoes (can be replaced with tomato heavy sauce in a pinch)

  • 1-3 cans of beans (Northern, Kidney, Pinto and Black are all great options)

  • 1/2 cup of bbq sauce (ideally a tomato based bbq sauce, but vinegar can work too)

  • A BBQ seasoning (Quite literally any one. Pick a flavor you like. I usually use my brisket rub + some chili powder and a dash of cayenne)

  • Salt to taste (If you’ve run out of this, fear not. The end is nigh.)

  • (Opt) 1/2 Onion diced (white, yellow or red)

  • (Opt) 1/2 Pepper diced (green, yellow, orange, or red)

How You'll Do it

Step 1:     Prep

  1. Cube and lightly sear your meat. 1-2” cubes will be fine and ultimately will pull apart

  2. Pour all of your cans into a cast iron dutch oven / cocotte at least 4 qts in volume (Here’s a great option.)

  3. Dice whatever vegetables you have and add your bbq sauce and seasoning

  4. Mix it all together really well

Step 2:     Cook

  1. If you’re cooking on a charcoal grill, set it to indirect with enough space to make sure your vessel won’t have direct flame

  2. Bring the temp up to around 300F

  3. Place your pot on the grill

  4. I usually stir about every 20-30 minutes, but this will depend on your temp

  5. At 2 hours, taste your chili. If it’s too bland, add more seasoning. Salt to taste

I like my chili to be thick and hearty, so I usually will cook mine for about 4-5 hours until it has really cooked off a significant portion of the liquid. I highly recommend you do the same for extremely tender meat and excellent mouth feel, however it’s done whenever the beef is cooked all the way through.

Step 3:      Eat

This is a recipe that is sure to please your quarantine pals. Your wife. Your dog. Your imaginary friend that has reappeared after 25 years. It’s also a great way to meal prep and even freezes well.

Oh, and if you’re in need of meat right now due to shortages. Crowd Cow is great.

 
BBQ Recipes, Most Popular, Recipes, Editor's ChoiceBrian Schmidtribs, pork, bbqComment