The Story of Chili Mac

By: Chili Mac

It all began with an innocent bowl of chili at the
Spotted Horse, 40 miles south of Fort Worth back in
'82. Make no mistake, I knew about chili and had eaten
a lot of chili and might have been considered a chili
connoisseur.

But until that day in Texas, I had never "looked beyond
the bowl." For whatever reasons, I had not stopped to
consider that there were more ways to make chili than
just adjusting the amount of chili pepper. Nor had it
occurred to me there were thousands of dedicated chili
chefs constantly adjusting and testing their recipes.

I started making chili at home and testing recipes.
When I found a particularly good one, I would invite
friends over and serve it with pride. Mind you, I never
served an untested recipe. I made it first and decided
if it was "good enough" for friends and family. And
believe you me, I tossed a bunch of recipes (and chili,
too) in the trash.

I guess my reputation grew and over the years friends
began to call me "Chili Mac". That's not really a big
stretch, since most of them called me "Mac" anyway, but
it’s kinda endearing folks give you a new name so I let
it happen. Now, everybody calls me "Chili Mac".

I collected and tested so many recipes; it was natural
that I would make a cookbook. Especially since all my
friends were badgering me.

So I went and did it.

The way I look at it, everybody should have at least
one good chili cookbook and mine has 101 recipes inside.

Here's one of the recipes in that book.

All-Beef Texas Chili

Yield: 12 Servings

½ c (approximately) corn oil
6 lb beef chuck -- in ½-inch cubes
1 c onion, minced
½ c garlic, minced
3 c (approximately) beef broth
3 c flat Budweiser beer (let it sit, open for 8 hours)
1½c water
¼ c high-quality chili powder
6 lb tomatoes (three 2 lb. cans)
½ c tomato paste
1½T fresh oregano, minced
3 T cumin seed
4 T masa harina (or cornmeal)
salt -- cayenne pepper to taste

In a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat, warm 3
tablespoons of the oil. Brown beef in batches, adding more oil as necessary and transferring meat with a slotted spoon to a large stockpot when well browned. Do not crowd skillet.

Reduce heat to moderately low. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened (about 10 minutes). Add to stockpot along with broth, beer, the water, chili powder, tomato, tomato paste, and oregano.

In a small skillet over low heat, toast cumin seed until fragrant; do not allow to burn. Grind in an electric minichopper or with a mortar and pestle. Add to stockpot.

Over high heat bring mixture to a simmer. Add salt, cayenne, and more chili powder to taste. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, partially covered, until beef is tender (about 1- ½ hours).

Check occasionally and add more broth if mixture seems dry. If chili is too thin when meat is tender, stir in up to 2 tablespoons masa harina. Cook an additional 5 minutes to thicken. Serve chili hot.

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Getting’ the "hardly waits"? I don't blame you. A book with this many chili recipes doesn't come around that often, and I just know you can hardly wait to get a pot going on your stove.. Here’s where you can learn all about it 101chilirecipes.com

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