2021 - It's Just F**king Chili
Chili Chef: Mark & Sharon Rubinstein

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This chili recipe has been in our family for generations and was created in the Deblin shtetl by our great-great-great-great grandfather Shmuel “Ghost Pepper” Rubinstein. It was a twist on the traditional Shabbos cholent (טשאָלנט). Before the war, Deblin was the chili capital of Poland and its Jewish community was renowned for their chili expertise.   A little bit about the ingredients: The ground beef is from cows that are not only fed a special diet but exposed to Torah study daily to ensure they are also spiritually healthy. The chili peppers are grown in the Himalayan foothills by a group of devoted monks, who bless each pepper as they grind them into powder. The tomato sauce is from a small medieval village in Italy.   As you must have guessed already, everything said so far has been a lie. This chili is what our family regularly eats at home and all the ingredients come from the supermarket shelves. Hey remember…it’s just f**king chili.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. cumin seeds
1 tbsp. cracked black peppercorns
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. cornmeal
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup tomato paste
2 cups  tomato sauce
½ cup condensed beef broth
2  cans (10 oz/284 mL) corn kernels, drained or 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 can 19 oz red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

  1. In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring and breaking meat up with the back of a spoon, until beef is no longer pink. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Drain off liquid in pan.
  2. Reduce heat to medium and heat remaining oil in pan. Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic, pepper, chili powder, salt, allspice and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add cocoa and cornmeal and stir well. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce and beef broth and bring to a boil.
  3. Pour mixture into slow cooker stoneware. Add corn and beans and stir to combine. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours, until hot and bubbling.
(copyright 1990-2022, Ian Silver)