This is my current recipe - a lot of it is taken from Heston Blumenthal's Perfect chilli recipe - just not quite as long-winded as his, but still quite long. Takes me about an hour to get the sauce done and in the oven - so probably seems more long-winded than it actually is. I think it is worth it.
Makes 8-10 portions
INGREDIENTS
Meat
1KG Stewing or Braising Steak (could also use Brisket – but this is much more fatty) diced into 1cm cubes.
Can also used minced beef – but I’m preferring slow-cooked chunks of braising steak at the moment.
Water and Worcestershire Sauce (Lea & Perrins) to deglaze.
Sauce base
1 onion finely chopped.
5 cloves of garlic mashed.
50g fresh green jalapeno chillies (finely diced – with seeds).
1 large carrot finely diced.
Splash of Jack Daniels
Tin of chopped tomatoes or mug of beef stock (some folks don’t like or think tomatoes should be in chilli).
Spice Mix
3 x dried birds eye chillis.
5 x dried kashmiri chillis.
2 tsp smoked paprika.
2 tsp sweet paprika.
1 tsp hot paprika.
1 tsp hot chilli powder.
2 tsp cumin.
3 tbsp tomato puree.
Blitz all these up in a spice grinder.
Note on spices – ultimate the idea is to create a complex depth to the heat by combining many different types of dried chilli and pepper powders (so any combination amounting to about 50g of powder or 8-10 rounded tsp.
Reserve 2 tsp of the spice mix and save for the finishing butter.
Finishes
3 x Star Anise.
1 onion sliced.
3-4 red and/or green bell peppers.
2 cans of Black beans (substitute Kidney beans if you like, but Black beans are nicer in my opinion).
Chopped fresh coriander.
Finishing Butter.
METHOD
Start with a few finishing touches:
Slice the bell peppers in half and brush with olive oil and place under a very hot grill. When the skin blackens, remove and place in a sealable plastic bag or bowl covered with cling-film. Leave to cool. Then remove skin and dice. Place to one side.
In a separate sauce pan fry the sliced onions gently – as these start to colour – add the star anise (ideally smash the star anise and put in a muslin bag), continue frying until the onions become lovely, sticky and golden brown – fish out the star anise, or remove bag. Place to one side.
Browning the meat:
Brown the meat in stages – do four stages and use a very hot pan. After all the meat is browned deglaze the pan with some water and a few tbsp of Worcestershire sauce. Add the liquid and scrape all the crusty burnt bits off the bottom of the pan – reduce the liquid by half – pour the deglazing liquor over the meat and set to one side.
Making the Sauce Base:
In your main cooking pan, sauté the onions, carrot, garlic and jalapenos. Fry gently for at least 10mins – do not allow them to brown, so use a gentle heat. Add a bit of salt and pepper (the salt will draw out moisture and help prevent them from browning. Once everything is nice and soft, remove from pan.
Turn up the heat and add more oil to the empty pan – add the bulk of the spice mix (remember to reserve some for the finishing butter) and fry for a few minutes to release the flavours, add the sauté sauce base back into the pan and make a well in the centre. Add the tomato puree and fry the tomato puree for a few minutes before mixing it together with the sauce base and continue to cook until a thick brick red sauce is made (add more oil if necessary.
Add a good splash of Jack Daniels and flambé.
Now add the meat and deglazing liquor back into the pan, and either a tin of tomatoes or the mug of beef stock. Add enough liquid to make the sauce the desired consistency.
Go for the slow cook:
Transfer to a casserole and put in a moderate oven (160degrees) for 2-3 hours.
For the last 30 minutes add the fried sliced onions, diced roasted peppers and beans.
Chill Overnight:
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Then place chilli sauce in the refrigerator to chill overnight. Trust me this is essential – something magical happens to the flavours overnight.
Finish and serve:
When you are ready to serve the chilli, gently reheat the amount of sauce you require, while this heating through:
Chop some fresh coriander and make some finishing butter.
For the whole batch take about 100-125g of butter, add the last two teaspoons of the spice mix, additional tsp of cumin, a splash of Jack Daniels, some tobasco and Worcestershire sauce – beat the butter to create a smooth spicy butter. You can make this is large batches and keep in the freezer – slicing off chunks as you need it.
Take the sauce off the heat, add the chopped coriander and 50g of the finishing butter diced into cubes and beat into the sauce. The butter will make give the sauce a lovely gloss, and the acidity of the butter will bring out the flavours of the chilli.
