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| Buffalo Chili |
Not being able to replicate Esther's
chili, this is an homage to her as well as South Dakota in general –
hence the buffalo. Buffalo is getting easier to find, if a tad on
the expensive side, but any meat will work, regular ground beef,
turkey, and a finely diced tri-tip roast is also excellent, but may
cost more than the buff. Even better news is that buffalo are making
a strong come back, so there's no reason to feel guilty about
munching on one in this century, though they are majestic beasts and
I highly recommend a trip to Custer State Park in SD to see them on
the hoof. My wife and I had little money at the time so it was nice
to pack a lunch, drive out to the wild life loop in Custer and sit on
the hood, eating lunch and the herds walked by – now that is
quality time.
To be honest I rarely measure,
preferring a “shoot-look-shoot” approach to cooking, that is to
say I add and taste as I go along. I'll include a recipe for you to
follow, but I highly advise, especially when adding spice, to add a
bit and taste. This should be common sense, but I have found folks
will take recipes as gospel and plop in the entire tablespoon of
ground ghost pepper thereby rendering the dish inedible – even the
coyotes won't take a chance with that. Salt is another one that
people tend to dump in, probably because they see some schmuck chef
on TV dump a handful of kosher salt in a dish and say it isn't that
much, it looks like a lot because the grains are bigger, not willing
to admit the dish is now inedible. Bottom line, taste all your spices
so you have an idea of how strong they are, then start small and work
your way up tasting as you go. Also, if you skipped this bit and went
right to the recipe and it is way too strong, it is because you are
an idiot. Just sayin'.
I added some non-typical things to the
brew, including a can of original Rotel and a couple shots of
whiskey, because the alcohol helps the tomato in the Rotel and the
tomato paste release more flavor and the taste of the whiskey adds a
nice undertone. I also changed up on the beans using dark and light
kidneys and pintos, mainly because I really like pintos. You could be
bold and even toss in some black beans, they work out well in most
anything calling for beans. In fact eventually we'll talk beans
exclusively because they are tasty (except for nasty Limas) and a
cheap source of protein, especially handy while the price of beef is
through the roof.
Buffalo Chili
2lbs ground buffalo (you can substitute
Bison if you prefer ;) )
3 strips of thick bacon diced
2 32oz cartons beef stock
1 10oz can of Original Rotel ( a mix of
diced tomato and chili peppers)
1 15oz can Light Red Kidney Beans
1 15oz can Pinto Beans
1 5oz can tomato paste
1 small onion diced
1 tsp mince garlic
2 Tbs chili pepper
1 Tsp cayenne (for the love of whatever
deity you fall to your knees for taste as you add this!)
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 shot of whiskey
1 Tbs canola oil ( you may need a bit
more as buff is very lean so keep an eye on it).
salt and pepper to taste
Start by adding the oil to a hot pan
and browning the diced onion, bacon, and garlic. You can add a couple
pinches of kosher salt at this point. Once the onion is starting to
brown up a bit add the beef and brown it up good. Once browned dump
in the Rotel, tomato paste, whiskey, and all the spices including the
sugar. Mix well and allow to simmer a bit, then add one carton of the
beef stock (buffalo stock is tough to come by) and stir. Simmer for
around 45 minutes stirring occasionally, tasting occasionally and
adjusting the spices and adding more stock if needed – the meat
should be covered. Simmer until thick, or dump it in a crock pot on
low and let it ruminate for a couple of hours.
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| Browning bacon, onions, and garlic |
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| Brown the buffalo |
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| Add Rotel, whiskey, and spices |
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| Add beef stock and simmer |
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