Chili pictures

My favorite fall beers

So far this year these have become my favorites.

Venison Cube Steak Pasta

Venison cube steak, breaded, fried in EVOO
Wheat penne pasta
Spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella and parmesan

Tom's BGE Dutch Oven Chili

This is the batch of chili i'm really looking forward to!  Let me preface this by saying my recipe is a combination of things i've either done myself, learned from friends, or have found on the internet.  As with anything I cook, I like to take various recipes and make them my own.  I will provide pictures and updates tomorrow, but here is the recipe and steps I intend to follow:

Tom's BGE Dutch Oven Chili:

Food Ingredients

·         Beef Brisket

·         Italian Sausage (mild or spicy)

·         Tomato Paste

·         Diced Tomatoes

·         Fire roasted tomatoes (2 can)

·         Rotel tomatoes w/ green chiles (1 can)

·         Onion

·         Garlic

·         Jalapenos

·         Beef Broth

·         Chicken Broth

·         Beer (Sam Adams Oktoberfest)

·         Lime Juice

·         Beans (kidney and chili)

Seasoning Ingredients

·         Chili Powder

·         Cumin

·         Oregano

·         Brown Sugar

·         Paprika

·         Cayenne Pepper

Step 1: I've purchased a 5-6 lb beef brisket (flat) that I will rub down tonight with a mixture of grillmates applewood rub and dizzypig's red eye express.  Tomorrow morning I will smoke the brisket at 275-300 degrees (i'd go lower temp normally, but this brisket is for chili and not stand alone).  I smoke it until it reaches 160 internal temp, the wrap it in foil with some butter, honey, and brown sugar.  Throw that back on the grill until the internal temp reaches 200 (some say you can cook until 190, but overdone brisket is better and more tender than underdone brisket).  I'll let the finished brisket rest for an hour or so before slicing and cubing for chili.

Step 2: Once the brisket is finished I'll start prepping the egg for the dutch oven: remove place setter, set up for direct heat, insert ceramic feet over grill grate so that dutch oven can rest on them without falling through grate.  Adjust temp to 200-225.


Step 3: brown 1/2 - 1 lb of mild or hot ground sausage, drain, set aside.  Once the dutch oven has warmed in the BGE I will add the cubed brisket, browned sausage, and diced onion with enough beef broth to almost cover the meat - let this simmer for about 15 mins.  Add oregano, cumin and finely diced garlic - add to pot.  Add half of the chili powder you will use to the pot along with a Sam Adams Oktoberfest, cook another 15 mins.

Step 4: add in 2 cans fire roasted tomatoes, 1 can rotel, 1 can dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed), 1 can spicy chili beans.  You can add additional tomatoes, beer, and/or broth depending on the consistency you want.  Simmer for 1 hour with dutch oven lid off and wood chips smoking.  After 1 hour add the rest of the chili powder and simmer uncoverd or covered depending on the consistentcy at this point (runny - uncovered, thicker - covered to retain moisture).

Step 5: the chili is basically done at this point.  Taste and be prepared to add seasoning as necessary for personal preference.  Brown sugar or lime juice will take some of the heat away while paprika and cayenne will spice it up.

First Post

This first post is kind of the inspiration behind the blog.  I really enjoy sharing recipes and what i'm cooking with my co-workers and friends.  I often post pictures on Facebook, but it doesn't tell the story behind what i'm doing or where the recipe came from.  This is my attempt to share and hopefully have some fun in the process.

This weekend we have family visiting from North Carolina, and tomorrow i'm cooking two batches of chili.  Chili is best in the fall when college football is getting good and the Oktoberfest and Pumpkin beers are out.  The first batch is my standard recipe for a crock pot while the second batch is the kind that has that smoky flavor and could be entered into competition (something i've considered doing).   


Here is the recipe for the first batch, very delicious but very simple and easy to make:

Tom's Standard Crockpot Chili:

• ground venison, browned and seasoned with chili powder
• ground mild sausage, browned and seasoned with chili powder
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 2 cans fire roasted diced tomatos
• 1-2 cans rotel with green chilis (depending on amount you want and size of crock pot)
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can spicy chili beans
• Seasonings: chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, sugar,