OT: Best chili in CT

[Hugo]

Beans are delicious in chili. Without beans you are eating a big bowl of sloppy joes.

Deep, for once I completely agree with you.

 

[intlzncster]

I really wanna have Venison chili, haven't had it in a while.

This. Had some at my college roommates hunting ranch in South Texas. To this date, by far and away the best chili I've ever had.

 

[intlzncster]

While your chili may be good, I have little doubt that my chili is better.

I'll let any boneyarder who wants to taste test it stop by my tailgate this fall. I'll even provide a cold beer to counteract the heat of the chili.

If I can make it down there, I'm taking you up on it. Will bring complimentary beers.

 

[intlzncster]

Actually, believe it or not, beer actually makes the heat worst. The best thing to combat it is bread or milk.

Yeah but it's so good.

 

[Walker11]

This. Had some at my college roommates hunting ranch in South Texas. To this date, by far and away the best chili I've ever had.

I actually made a venison chili (that a guy I work with killed and gave to me) this past November following a regular chili recipe from this cookbook. It was a big hit and you couldn't tell it wasn't simply cubed chuck, which is a good sign in my book. That said, I am no aficionado and my two suggestions in this thread haven't exactly got 2 thumbs up. I can't believe Rich has his own chili website. That recipe looks like a fun project.

 

[8893]

This. Had some at my college roommates hunting ranch in South Texas. To this date, by far and away the best chili I've ever had.

Agreed, venison is shockingly great in chili. It's also excellent for a ragu sauce.

 

[storrsroars]

That is one hell of a chili recipe. Looks like it takes all day just to put it together. I printed it, though, and may experiment with it. Thanks.

It does look like an interesting and tasty recipe, but for degree of difficulty it's still pretty mild. When you start toasting and mincing/grinding bags of assorted dried chili peppers and cumin seed instead of using pre-ground powder, then you've got yourself a real kitchen project on the order of making a mole from scratch.

 

[storrsroars]

Agreed, venison is shockingly great in chili. It's also excellent for a ragu sauce.

Have to compensate for lack of fat during cooking, but agree that the taste is excellent.

 

[Scoe]

This. Had some at my college roommates hunting ranch in South Texas. To this date, by far and away the best chili I've ever had.

Bear Chili is also amazing, almost as good as Venison chili.

 

[intlzncster]

I actually made a venison chili (that a guy I work with killed and gave to me) this past November following a regular chili recipe from this cookbook. It was a big hit and you couldn't tell it wasn't simply cubed chuck, which is a good sign in my book. That said, I am no aficionado and my two suggestions in this thread haven't exactly got 2 thumbs up. I can't believe Rich has his own chili website. That recipe looks like a fun project.

Rich has all sorts of hidden gems, from chili websites, to fishing shows, etc...

 

[storrsroars]

Bear Chili is also amazing, almost as good as Venison chili.

But you have to kill a bear. Which means you have to find a bear. Which means the bear probably sees you. And you are completely dependent on your weapon functioning and your aim at a charging moving target.

I'll stick to deer, thanks! But I'll grant you have larger nads than I.

This is the only weapon I use in preparing a vat of chili, the deadly three foot spoon...

 

[intlzncster]

But you have to kill a bear. Which means you have to find a bear. Which means the bear probably sees you. And you are completely dependent on your weapon functioning and your aim at a charging moving target.

I'll stick to deer, thanks! But I'll grant you have larger nads than I.

They don't make em like Hugh Glass anymore.

I think a hand grenade is the way to go with bears. So tough, it probably doesn't take off too much of the meat, a quarter at most. Very hands off. You just gotta make sure you time that pin right. Or you are well and truly duck__ed.

 

[Scoe]

But you have to kill a bear. Which means you have to find a bear. Which means the bear probably sees you. And you are completely dependent on your weapon functioning and your aim at a charging moving target.

I'll stick to deer, thanks! But I'll grant you have larger nads than I.

This is the only weapon I use in preparing a vat of chili, the deadly three foot spoon...

Im no hunter lol, my cousin is though thats how I have had Bear chili before, I have gone hunting with him but fortunately I never had to encounter a bear.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

No, it's like saying I don't touch pizza with pineapple or bananas on it. Crap that simply doesn't belong there.

RichZ's Official Chili page

After viewing your web page I humbly apologize. While my chili may give yours a run for the money, my efforts as a chili gourmet are purely recreational.

When the time comes I will break out the big guns (haven't made a batch of this stuff in nearly 24 years and for reasons I'll explain later, labelled it "not safe for human consumption"). I used four different types of ground pepper and two types of chopped pepper to give it a full and slightly complex flavor.

The few who were able to handle the heat raved about the finished product. Most others complained until I made a similar batch at a more moderate intensity, while those had always been very good, it was (likely still is) impossible to tone down the heat when using Hungarian paprika and chopped habaneros.

Your web page left me quite impressed, I look forward to going head to head with a master.

 

[GemParty]

If the best Chili in CT isn't our new coach. We're screwed.

 

[RichZ]

I used four different types of ground pepper and two types of chopped pepper to give it a full and slightly complex flavor.

The few who were able to handle the heat raved about the finished product. Most others complained until I made a similar batch at a more moderate intensity, while those had always been very good, it was (likely still is) impossible to tone down the heat when using Hungarian paprika and chopped habaneros.

A guy who used to work for me got into chili making after he tried mine. His wife worked next door to a Vietnamese food store. She brought home a bag of dried Thai peppers. He was making a big batch of chili (10# of meat) and ground up a couple cups of them and threw it in (with all the other peppers that were already in it).

No one would/could eat it.

 

[storrsroars]

A guy who used to work for me got into chili making after he tried mine. His wife worked next door to a Vietnamese food store. She brought home a bag of dried Thai peppers. He was making a big batch of chili (10# of meat) and ground up a couple cups of them and threw it in (with all the other peppers that were already in it).

No one would/could eat it.

Even if one had no idea what the Scoville of those peppers was, once you start grinding them, you generally get a very good idea what you're dealing with. You don't even need to be in ghost pepper territory for eyes to water and nose to start running. So adding "a couple cups" of stuff is intent to maim...

 

[temery]

This thread needs recipes.

 

[temery]

Doesnt everyone know that every chili in every restaurant in the world is leftover stuff that didn't sell?

I used to live upstairs from a diner. The only thing as good as their chili, was their "garbage plate."

 

[FfldCntyFan]

A guy who used to work for me got into chili making after he tried mine. His wife worked next door to a Vietnamese food store. She brought home a bag of dried Thai peppers. He was making a big batch of chili (10# of meat) and ground up a couple cups of them and threw it in (with all the other peppers that were already in it).

No one would/could eat it.

Growing up, my older brother would eat spicy food beyond what most people would ever consider (being from an Italian household, spicy food was never at a shortage). By the time he was an adult, there were few things he would eat without covering with crushed red pepper, loading with hot cherry peppers, or whatever would seem most appropriate with the dish. I have been convinced for decades that he's burnt out his taste buds and needs to do this in order to be able to taste anything he's eating.

I was convinced (and had plenty of first hand evidence) from when we were in high school (mid-late 1970's) until shortly after I met my (now ex) wife's father (early 1990's) that nobody alive could handle what my brother could in terms of spicy food. I wanted to put the two of them head to head but as my father in law lived in central Mass while my brother lived in southern Florida, that was not a possibility until my wedding. A couple days before the wedding I made a large batch of chili, initially intending to take some from the batch and add a lot of spice to it for the "contest" I wanted to see. I got a bit carried away early on and realized that all I could do was make the entire batch out of control (I actually made a label with a skull and cross bones and the statement "not for human consumption" for the container) and the fumes from when I was cooking it left me with clear sinuses for a couple of months.

There was a get together a couple days before the weeding and as most of my extended family would normally fight over my chili, many were not happy that it was so much hotter than normal (I usually make two or three levels at a time to accommodate everyone) but the there were a couple who were willing to try it. It was too much for me to have more than a very small serving (and I can handle myself reasonably well) and the guy who ended up marrying my cousin had a decent sized serving, stated it was a little hot for him but did like it (more on him later). The two who I wanted to see go head to head ate it like it was manna from heaven and to this day I cannot state who won.

The kid (I call him a kid because he is a number of years younger than me, he also turned 50 not long ago) who married my cousin has since made a side business out of growing his own peppers and making craft pepper sauces. He also has competed in many chili contests over the years and won a few of them. He started making his own chili after the above event.

 

[Deepster]

Without question, the hottest ethnic food I've ever had is Indian. I ate at a co-workers house once and we started talking about spicy food and heat. She asked if I wanted her to cook like she normally did for her family and I said yes. Way, way hotter than anything I've ever eaten in a meal.

 

[storrsroars]

Without question, the hottest ethnic food I've ever had is Indian. I ate at a co-workers house once and we started talking about spicy food and heat. She asked if I wanted her to cook like she normally did for her family and I said yes. Way, way hotter than anything I've ever eaten in a meal.

Sri Lankan for me. A typical Indian "10" is like a Sri Lankan "3".

 

[8893]

Without question, the hottest ethnic food I've ever had is Indian. I ate at a co-workers house once and we started talking about spicy food and heat. She asked if I wanted her to cook like she normally did for her family and I said yes. Way, way hotter than anything I've ever eaten in a meal.

Did you shart?

 

[intlzncster]

Without question, the hottest ethnic food I've ever had is Indian. Way, way hotter than anything I've ever eaten in a meal.

Sri Lankan for me. A typical Indian "10" is like a Sri Lankan "3".

For me, traditional Thai food for Thai people (ie not westerners). Jesus mother mary of god. One bite and I was finished. Dunno if they have any in America or not.

 

[RichZ]

Growing up, my older brother would eat spicy food beyond what most people would ever consider...

A buddy of mine was a serious hobby gardener (as in a 20X60 foot greenhouse in the yard, serious) and gave me some potted Thai pepper plants that were supposed to be ornamental. I used a couple of the peppers in chili and in a tortilla soup I like, but didn't really like the flavor. All heat, no character. But the plant kept growing, and the next year, it was huge and produced an insane yield. My wife mentioned it to her sister, and her brother-in-law chimed in and asked where he could get one. Well, Jack, you can have ours. It's getting too big for a decoration anyway.

Shortly after we gave it to him, he and his cousin got drunk one night, and had a contest to see who could eat the most of the Thai peppers. They sat there all night drinking beer and
popping those nasty peppers. Neither would give in. They both ended up passing out, and Jack ended up in the hospital the next morning. Turned out he had ulcers to start with, and gave himself peritonitis eating those damned things.