Elements of Chili

What's in chili you ask?

"Well, its a stew."

Go on.

"Its got lots of meat, beef, pork."

Yes.

"Its got lots of cumin, and spices."

Ok.

"You usually put beans of some kind in it too."

So lets cook the meat the best way we know how - under vacuum at a precise temperature so as to denature the collagen and increase tenderness without over coagulating protein causing the meat to "dry out."

Lets cook the beans the best way we know, soak them overnight and braise them slowly with lots of aromatics in a highly seasoned liquid.

Lets take the additional aromatics, spices, onions, garlic and tomatoes and cook them but keep them fresh so they contribute to the dish.

Then we can put it all back together. That's chili right? What's the big deal?

This is a dish I've probably made 100 times but never like this. Always a tomato based stew heavily spiced with cumin and chili powder. I've had a standard method - sweat the onions, garlic, add spices, tomato etc. Add the beans and meat and braise until tender. The book was essentially closed on chili.

I would never be so pretentious as to "deconstruct" something. Nor was it a premeditated disruption of method, just a curiosity, caprice and circumstance that led to a "composed braise." I'm finding this idea of isolating technique interesting but so completely unprofound the more I think about it. The oxymoronical notion of an "instant stew" is equally amusing.

A major initial concern is that it would eat disjointed, taste composed, but this was not the case. All the elements of a great chili were there they just came together at the end - the savory richness of the pork from both the meat and the cuisson, the heartiness of the beans and the sweetness and brightness from the vegetables and spices.

What was most exciting is it had a vibrance and a freshness difficult to impart on braises. I've folded in raw purees and used various acids to achieve the same effect without as much success.

For the meat:
1400g pork shoulder
7g salt
2g sugar
2g paprika
.5g cumin
.5g chili powder
.2g cinnamon

rub the meat with spices and seasonings. Cook sous vide until very tender. 80C 8-12 hours. 60C for 24-36 hours. Chill, freeze or use immediately.

For the Beans:
250g dried pinto beans
120g medium onion
4 cloves garlic
60g smoked bacon
1 chili brulee
1 sprig thyme

Soak the beans overnight. Take care to make sure the water is clean and changed at least twice through the process.

Combine all ingredients and add 750g water. Bring to a simmer. Make sure the liquid is well seasoned. Cook at 85C for 8-12 hours. Chill the beans in the cuisson until ready to use.

To finish:

100g onion small dice
50g smoked bacon, baton
5 cloves garlic, minced
30g tomato paste
40g brown sugar
230g red wine vinegar
90g tomato puree
3g paprika
1.5g cumin
1.5g chili powder
.2g cinnamon

Render the bacon in a little olive oil over low heat. Cook until crispy. Add the onion and sweat until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Add the spices and tomato paste cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the sugar and vinegar and reduce au sec. Add the tomatoes and cook until for about 10 minutes. add the liquid from the pork and a little of the bean cooking liquid. Add the beans and meat back in to finish.