Heaton: This Real Deal Chili Recipe Requires a Hazmat Kit

Everyone has a chili recipe, but nothing like this one. Mine does not use any powdered seasoning. No seasoning at all in fact. The flavor is entirely from fresh, grilled peppers.

I stumbled upon this method while wondering what do with all the varieties of peppers at a local Spanish market. I knew that grilling peppers released the heat and left flavor, so I made decided to try making chili with the grilled peppers.

Here’s the recipe for a batch I made as a test. In practice, I will use several varieties of whatever peppers the market has, except for the “Scotch Bonnet” varieties, and any tiny, wrinkled peppers. We’re looking to add depth and complexity, not just heat. Adding heat is easy to add later – just pour on the Tabasco or Cayenne, but you won’t want to. This is chili is hot, but not all at once hot. Grilling the peppers gives this chili complex layers of flavor and heat.

Tools

Rubber gloves (Seriously, you’ll need these)

10-quart stock pot

Ingredients

3 lbs. Ground Turkey, Beef or Venison

1 Green Bell Pepper

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Yellow Bell Pepper

I Medium Onion, diced.

3 cloves diced Garlic

3 Poblano Peppers

10 Jalapeno Peppers

6 Long Hot Peppers

3 -28 oz. cans Diced Tomatoes

3 -15.5 oz. cans of Black, Pinto and Pink Beans

Put the gloves on.

Cut the peppers in half long ways and clean away the seeds and membrane using a melon scoop or a teaspoon. Toss lightly with canola oil and salt. Grill the peppers on a heavy iron grill pan – making sure to set the exhaust fan on high. Grilling the peppers outside is a better choice. Either way, don’t stand over the peppers while they cook, and don’t touch any sensitive areas of your body after handing fresh peppers.

Grill the peppers until they are well charred – even a little blackened is fine. Grilling the peppers releases the volatile “hot” oils so they are now safe to handle without gloves. Let the peppers cool, and then chop coarsely.

Brown the ground meat and diced onion in a 10 quart stock pot. Drain any extra grease. Also drain the liquid from the beans. When the onions are translucent, combine all the ingredients and let the chili warm-up at low-medium heat. It’s ready to eat now, but tomorrow it will be even better, and a little hotter. Take special care not to cook the chili, just heat it up.

Top with the usual stuff if wanted, but reserve the extra hot sauce until you’re sure you need it.

Tim Heaton is a HottyToddy.com contributor and can be reached at tim.h.heaton@gmail.com. His new book, “Bless Your Heart, You Freakin’ Idiot: Southern Sayings Translated” is available on Amazon as well as “Momma n’ Em Said: The Treasury of Southern Sayings.”

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