I made some chili last evening and let it cook in the slow cooker over night! It's the best chili I've made thus far!
Browned food tastes good. So I always brown the ground beef and tomato paste. But this time I decided to also brown the onions.
Not only that, but I decided to add some bacon to the mix, and browned it.
For those who want to make it, there is no recipe, but here is what I put in. Measurements are approximated:
2 pounds ground beef (browned)
1 large onion (diced and browned) - I cooked it with the bacon
10 slices bacon (diced and browned)
2 green peppers, diced
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 medium tin tomato sauce
1 medium tin tomato paste (browned in a skillet)
1 cup ketchup
1 tin mushroom pieces and stems (including liquid)
1 tin red kidney beans (including liquid)
1 tin white kidney beans (including liquid)
1 tin black beans (including liquid)
approximately 1/4 cup of chili powder or to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
worchestershire sauce to taste
a few dashes of liquid smoke (a little goes a long way)
Once it's cooked, stir in some frozen whole kernel corn.
Browning the onions and adding some browned bacon plus the bacon fat really added to the flavour.
To brown the tomato paste (basically carmalize it):
Spread the paste evenly over the bottom of a frying pan. As the liquid evaporates the paste will stick to the bottom of the pan and turn brown. When you see it sticking and turning brown (not black), add some water to deglaze the pan and stir up the browned bits, mixing it in with the rest of the paste. Spread it out in the pan again and let it stick and turn brown. Deglaze as needed. Continue this process until the paste turns a nice reddish brown colour. You to not want to burn the paste, so you do not want it to be blackened, just a nice darkish brown colour.
Browned food tastes good. So I always brown the ground beef and tomato paste. But this time I decided to also brown the onions.
Not only that, but I decided to add some bacon to the mix, and browned it.
For those who want to make it, there is no recipe, but here is what I put in. Measurements are approximated:
2 pounds ground beef (browned)
1 large onion (diced and browned) - I cooked it with the bacon
10 slices bacon (diced and browned)
2 green peppers, diced
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 medium tin tomato sauce
1 medium tin tomato paste (browned in a skillet)
1 cup ketchup
1 tin mushroom pieces and stems (including liquid)
1 tin red kidney beans (including liquid)
1 tin white kidney beans (including liquid)
1 tin black beans (including liquid)
approximately 1/4 cup of chili powder or to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
worchestershire sauce to taste
a few dashes of liquid smoke (a little goes a long way)
Once it's cooked, stir in some frozen whole kernel corn.
Browning the onions and adding some browned bacon plus the bacon fat really added to the flavour.
To brown the tomato paste (basically carmalize it):
Spread the paste evenly over the bottom of a frying pan. As the liquid evaporates the paste will stick to the bottom of the pan and turn brown. When you see it sticking and turning brown (not black), add some water to deglaze the pan and stir up the browned bits, mixing it in with the rest of the paste. Spread it out in the pan again and let it stick and turn brown. Deglaze as needed. Continue this process until the paste turns a nice reddish brown colour. You to not want to burn the paste, so you do not want it to be blackened, just a nice darkish brown colour.
