Food made low and slow fascinates me. Chili is such a great, and personal, blend of spices and flavors I had to give it a go.
My friend Rob kept talking up his smoked over-the-top chili. I took a look at some of his photos, and then read a few folks commentary on the method. I decided to try it with my own chili recipe.
The method is simple, prepare everything but the meat for your chili in a pot. Put the pot on your smoker at 225-250F and suspend the meat above the chili pot inside the smoker. Once the meat is cooked to 155F, break it up and put it in the pot — OR put it in the pot and break it up. I have read it done both ways but have not conducted a scientific study to determine which is best. Someone call the test kitchen.
Growing up, my mother made chili with McCormick's seasoning packets. I wanted to make a mole chili. I got chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, added cocoa, peanut butter and hand-ground my spices with a mortar and pestle. I also make my chili meat, peppers, onions, and tomatoes with spices and no beans. I prefer to keep the valueless carbs out and never liked beans in chili anyways.
My mother said it was good, but she'd prefer if i use the chili packets. Rob uses the chili packets. I tried the chili packets. I did add a can of chipotles with adobo. It is pretty good, but I like the mole and will keep working at it.
