Maaarge....we're missing the chili!!

I was recently inspired by an acquaintance (Yak, ma man!) to make some chili. I haven't made chili in a long time, which is strange, because I love it, and used to make it all the time. But while I've made it probably one hundred times, I've generally stuck to the same old style - ground beef/pork/tomatoes/chili powder/onion/kidney and baked beans. I've ventured away from this model a few times, but never anything radically different. Perhaps this is why I haven't made it in a while; it just didn't seem exciting anymore. So when Yak told me about his short rib and chipotle chili, I was intrigued. I thought to myself "I have to try that", but quickly I decided it would be even better just to come up with something on my own, a bit different than something that had been made before. So I went shopping, looked in my pantry and fridge, and decided on New Mexico Beef Shank Chili. It might just be my new soul mate.

From my perspective chili is all about the chilies you use. I'm calling this "New Mexico" because I used dried and ground New Mexico chilies (red and green) as the main spice. These peppers have a great flavour and intense fragrance, but do not bring too much heat to the chili. I supplemented them with ordinary chili powder, some cumin, and a whole dried red hot chili for some heat. I also added 3 fresh jalapenos, chopped in relatively large pieces. Those were the chilies that made the base of my chili.

I chose beef shank because it is one of the most flavourful cuts of beef, and it is perfect for low and slow simmering.

One final note. I used my slow cooker for most of this cooking. I let it go for about 8 hours. Near the end, however, I was getting impatient (and hungry) so I transferred the chili to my dutch oven, put it on the stove and turned up the heat heat. I like my chili THICK, and a slow cooker doesn't let much moisture out. So if you want to thicken it up, this is a good thing when you are about 15 minutes away from being ready to eat.

What you need:

Meat: Beef shanks x 3, chicken or beef stock

Veg: Some bell peppers - 2 to 5 - mixed colours make it look nicer, onions, garlic, a can of cannellini beans, a can of black beans, and a large can of tomatoes (28 oz).

Spice/Herb: Ground dried red and green New Mexico chilies, whole dried hot chili, chili powder, cumin, jalapenos [You can use any chili or combination of chilies], a splash of vinegar, slat, pepper, sugar, salt and pepper

Garnish/Fixins: Green onions, lime juice, sharp cheddar cheese

Other: Chili spoon [preferably carved from a bigger spoon]

What to do:

Let me first say one thing. I mentioned that the chilies are the most important thing when making chili. The next most important thing is to layer the flavours. I mean, you could just throw all these ingredients into a pot or slow cooker and simmer away for 5 hours and you'd have a perfectly good chili. But if you take the time to layer the flavours your chili will take on whole new flavour dimensions and complexity. In this chili, I layered the flavours in three ways. First, I add my spices (chilies, cumin, salt, pepper, sugar) in several batches throughout the cooking process. Usually three. Right at the start, once in the middle, and again at the end to taste. Since the chilies mellow out over time, each addition will give off different flavours and aromas from the chili. It really makes a difference. Second, I brown the meat. This may seem obvious, but it is a must. Lastly, I caramelized the onion with some garlic. This brings a whole new dimension to the whole thing. Now for how its done. It's really quite simple.

1. If you are using a slow cooker, but about half a cup of stock, and the tomatoes in and turn it on as high as it goes. Since it takes slow cookers a long time to heat up, and you really should cook this for at least 8 hours, you might as well start with this.

2. Throw your first batch of spices, along with all the peppers, chopped into chunks.

3. Salt and pepper, and then brown off the beef shanks in some vegetable oil (in batches if necessary) , adding them to the chili once they get a deep golden brown.

4. In the same pan you browned the meat in, add a bit more oil, and then one large or two medium onions, sliced, to the pan. Turn the heat to medium, and let them get soft.

5. As the onion are cooking, add a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, and some black pepper. Mix it all in. The salt will help them soften faster, and the sugar will help the caramelization. Add in 3 or 4 garlic cloves chopped finely.

6. Turn the heat down to medium low, and let cook until they are a deep deep brown. (I added some dried ancho chili halfway through for even another layer of flavour. Not necessary though). When they are done, add them to the chili.

7. Add a splash of vinegar, the beans (drained and rinsed), and if needed, more stock to cover the meat. You can also add some tomato paste here if you want it even more tomato-ier. Let cook for 8 hours or longer (if you can stand it!).

8. At around 5 or six hours, remove the meat from the chili. It will be breaking apart by now, so make sure you dig around and get it all. Put it on a large plate or platter, remove the excess fat and the bones (but get the marrow out first!), and then shred the meat (and the marrow) together with two forks. Toss the shredded meat with your second batch of spices, then add it back to the chili. Cook for another couple hours.

9. Anytime in the last half hour, you can transfer to the stove to reduce more vigorously.

10. Add your final batch of chili spices. Taste, and adjust further. I like my chili to have a really intense flavour, so in the end I think I probably end up putting about 3/4 of a cup to a full cup of spices total (all the chilies, salt, pepper, sugar, cumin, etc.).

11. When you think it is done, remove from the heat, add a few chopped green onions, and give it a squeeze of lime. Stir and serve topped with grated cheese if you desire.

Toast or rice make good sides for chili. I used fresh bread sticks.

This chili turned out to be one of the best I've ever made (in my opinion). I'm not sure I'll ever go back to ground meat ever again. Next time, I will mix up the chilies a bit and try chipotle and ancho. I'll probably try a different cut of meat as well.